Duck Life Battle

It’s a hard duck life

Let me first start this off by saying how flabbergasted I am at the level of enjoyment I had with Duck Life Battle. I was already laughing while creating my own duck at the sheer absurdity of it all. While I’m not usually a fan of auto-battlers, Duck Life Battle has a bit more to it. Battles take up a large portion of the game, but the overworld and mini-games are the best parts. Admittedly, the game is for kids. It requires very minimal button input or prior knowledge of games in general. That being said, I had no idea what the game had in store and went in with zero expectations. I ended up spending an entire night playing and finishing the game in under a few hours. The game is five dollars and that’s definitely worth a few hours of entertainment to me.

As always, the gameplay is a priority to me but Duck Life Battle certainly lacks in this department. The focus on gameplay falls onto the training mini-games and the exploration of each area. Your duck has five stats for battles and each has corresponding mini-games to boost them. These mini-games made me realize this game was originally made for smartphones. None of them require more than a button or two but they do progressively become more difficult as time goes on. Each stat can be leveled up (to a total of 100) by continuous playing. No bonus EXP is rewarded for playing longer so even if you suck at them, eventually, you’ll be maxed out. It’s difficult to not improve at them because these games are really fun and enjoyable. None of the games ever get repetitive as you’re almost constantly moving on to new ones.

Of course I made a grumpy gentleman.

In one fowl swoop

Each mini-game also includes chances to win the currency of Duck Life Battle, coins. In every area, there’s a shop with weapons and armor for you duck to utilize in battle. Buying this equipment can improve your duck’s attacks, give them special moves in battle, or better defenses. Equipment can also be upgraded using coins and I often had a surplus so I did this a lot. Some items give certain bonuses or resistances based on what the item is. A flamethrower obviously gives the user extra, literal, fire power, while a raincoat gives resistance to water. For such a simple game, elemental bonuses are a great addition.

Before each battle, the game lets you know what the other duck has for equipment, leaving nothing up to chance. I wouldn’t have minded if you actually had to decide what your duck does to fight, but you don’t. Every battle is the same; if you over level your duck, you’ll win. Using a special move requires a precise button input, but it’s nothing in comparison to some games these days. For something called Duck Life Battle, they sure are weak in comparison to the rest of the game. I get that it’s the entire point, to level up your stats and move on but I would have preferred something a bit more involved.

Dodge snakes makes you have better defense.. who knew?

Fitting the bill

In the overworld, enemy ducks have an exclamation point above their head. If it’s green, you can easily win the fight. If it’s red, your chances may be slim. Like I said before, it’s a kids game. Sometimes an easy win is a good thing, especially if they’re just starting to play video games. The overworld is fairly straightforward as well. The areas are not very big and are even sectioned off so you can’t wander too far. For the most part, the world is pretty barren. Each section has an item shop and training area, as well as an arena in later sections. I was surprised to see Duck Life Battle also included quests as well. They’re not very intuitive but they’re a bit more involved than simply winning every single duck fight.

Like I said before, the game is for kids. I still love this game because it’s absolutely hilarious. Creating your own duck and giving it hair cut is special and rewarding. The mini-games are great and the overworld is lively enough to be worth exploring. Everything about the game is insanely cute and some of the NPCs have some decently funny lines. It’s not without its flaws, but you can’t really harp on a game that’s only five dollars. It’s a perfect excuse to use any leftover gold coins you may have. So stop being a sitting duck and go give Duck Life Battle a try!

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Reviewed on the Nintendo Switch by Taylor Ivings. Game provided by Wix Games.