When Nintendo created the NES Zapper, they needed a game to go with it and show off what the peripheral could do. That game was Duck Hunt, a relatively simple game about shooting ducks or clay targets. The game was extremely basic but somehow caught on well, to the point that the game was later included in a 2-in-1 package with the flagship title Super Mario Bros. as a way to further show off the NES Zapper.
What was it about Duck Hunt that made it catch on so well? I think it was the game’s simple and easy to grasp gameplay combined with an overly addictive element. There were definitely better NES Zapper games, but Duck Hunt managed to hit that right amount of simplicity, charm, and ability to draw you in. Memes that emerged from the game in the years since surrounding the dog definitely helped as well when the internet came around. The dog was meant to encourage you to do better via teasing if you missed a duck, but it came off as overly condescending. Many just wanted to shoot the dog instead of the ducks but that was never possible in the NES version. Of course, the NES version was not the only version of the game released.
Vs. Duck Hunt was an arcade version of Duck Hunt for the Nintendo vs. system that was redesigned with more features. This version of the game supports two players rather than simply keeping things single-player. This changed up the gameplay immensely, by having the players able to work together to take down ducks in gameplay that was now slightly reworked from the original game. This version now had alternating rounds of game modes B and C and has 12 ducks and targets each round, in comparison to the original 10. The game would throw a number of little twists at you, such as having three targets to shoot at a time on occasion and giving you a unique bonus round. This bonus round had a neat little detail that would make any fan of the original game frustrated by the dog happy, as you could actually shoot the dog here.
But I now have a question and that is, can Duck Hunt be revived today? I think so, and there are a variety of ways to do this. First and foremost, would be to make a new version of the original game as a downloadable title. The developers could incorporate elements of Vs. Duck Hunt, as well as the other NES Zapper games like Hogan’s Alley and Wild Gunman. This would use the Joy-Cons as a Zapper or even just gyro aiming instead for the Switch Lite to simulate the effect. The game could be bigger and better and have HD visuals as well. The touchscreen of the Switch could be utilized in some way also.
Another possibility would be a side scroller that could take a variety of genres. Perhaps take a cue from Super Smash Bros. and have the dog and duck work together in an adventure, and the shooting elements could be incorporated in some way. This could be like the game Gumshoe where shooting affects the way you move, you could take the role of protecting the dog and duck, or it could be a straight platformer like the Donkey Kong Country games, but with the ability for a second player to join in as a gun user taking out enemies to aid the main player.
Lastly, Nintendo could go full force and make a Duck Hunt 3D platformer with the dog and duck duo that would play as a Banjo Kazooie type game. Before Banjo and Kazooie came to Smash, Duck Hunt acted as a stand-in almost, and Nintendo could follow up on that idea. They could make a full 3D game about the dog and duck on their own adventure, perhaps by a western developer. Next Level Games is now owned by Nintendo, and they would be a good fit to try and bring the franchise to the 3rd dimension.
Regardless of how it is done, Duck Hunt should be revived in some way. The fans still love it, and the nostalgia factor is there. If not, we still have the original game and the great memories it brought us.
In addition, for access to an extensive variety of active retro gaming groups on Facebook, visit Retro Gamers Hub.