It’s no secret that Capcom DuckTales for Nintendo Entertainment System is a good faith classic, especially in the field of video game music. But being an NES game, it only has about a dozen quick tracks to enjoy. However, a first prototype that is spinning, expands to the final soundtrack with another song by (I guess) original composer Hiroshige Tonomura.
That Tales of ducks build, which according to The Cutting Room Floor is from February 5, 1989, is the first aspect we have had in the process of developing the iconic platform so far. (The final game came out around September 15, 1989.) As such, several key elements are missing (such as red diamonds, treasure values, HP refills, and final level names). You can read all about these things to the TCRF wiki; what makes me especially excited is the new music on the stage selection screen:
It definitely has a different feel to it original theme of the map. Where is the track that made her an officer DuckTales the release is more mysterious and repetitive, the prototype song is upbeat and adventurous in the way one would expect from a game based on a children’s drawing. I also love the subtle bottom line that drives the whole theme.
Although, let’s be honest, the song isn’t as iconic at the moment as it is the track that plays during the Moon stage, it’s always good to have a little more information about how a video game was made, especially one so dependent on music DuckTales. It is not known why the developers preferred the final arrangement to this newly discovered treasure, but I am glad that there are people like TCRF cataloging these discoveries.