Aranaehere
2021
Not much I can add on discussion of this game since its more than 2 years old, but its unforgettable, that's that.
2020
I hesitate to say this game is better than 4, but it does get so much right in terms of reinventing the formula that I can call it the second best game in the series, a very high 7/10.
2018
probably a contender for second best behind 4 but In terms of content its the same "3 races then a tournament" format set by the 4th game so it loses some points. Still, the minigames are super fun and the writing is okay!
2016
honestly i dont mind the existence of Space, never gonna play this again but i didn't have a bad time. The way progression works in this game is a nice mix of the first and fourth games, but it makes the grind for later skills like intelligence much worse so it balances out. I like the visuals but the music is ass, it sounds stock and generic.
2013
what the actual heck happened here, everything about this port feels wrong to some extent and outside 2 new minigames they added to make up for the 2 they inexplicably cut out theres no reason to go back to this one if you already played the flash version. a bit sad that this is the most modern way to play what should be a classic
Completely servicable port of all three games, has a very bad problem with how slow the races are but at least it dosent cut any content. Try it out if youre interested
Mid Jetpack Joyride clone that feels incomplete on the flash version and rough on the Modern ports. Completely skippable minus the cool art in the cutscenes (which have ridiculous requirements to get but oh well)
2012
This is where the series peaks tbh. Listen to the ost its heavenly
Haven't played this one in a while but I remember it being very good! That's all I really have to say about it gameplay-wise, each minigame progresses in difficulty in a natural way when you reach a new league and the game can be very pretty at times. I might as well use this review to mention the music of the series because this is where the game starts to shine and it's one of the best parts of the early games. There weren't that many tracks in Duck Life 1 and 2, but they were servicable enough as ways to get you pumped up for the game. In Duck Life 3, London and the Easter Islands give off vibes appropiate to that location while still staying distinct from each other. The biggest draw is the lack of a training theme, but the songs more than make up for it. It all leads up to the final race, which is simply epic from the music that melds the main theme and the race theme (something that only appears in the early game) to you being involved in the race by shooting down domos, to how the evolution concept built up to this moment, It's no secret why this game has become a fan favorite. Its just held back by how its the same 4 minigames fundamentally even if they're all very fun.
For the extra star I would give it for the improvements to the minigames, I have to take back one for the leveling system. idk I don't enjoy reaching the level cap in one or two playthroughs of a minigame and spending the coins I would've spent on energy seeds on raising the max level, or grinding a minigame to get more coins. With that said the minigames are massively improved! the running minigame still isn't that great but flying has more thought added into it with the obstacles, swimming is still pretty fun, and climbing, the new skill added, requires at least a little bit more thought put into it.
2007
Decided to review every Duck LIfe game on here for some reason, and this one blows ngl. There are 3 minigames and for being the main chunk of gameplay they aren't that exciting. Running training is slow and timing your slow jumps to the rolling logs is tedious and flying training has zero skill involved in it if you don't collect coins. Swimming training is fun, and the concept of training a duck for racing is honestly a strong setup for a series. You can skip this entry and miss nothing important though