RETRO VAULT - MAUI MALLARD IN COLD SHADOW

I was only reminded of this game the other day and I was hit so hard with nostalgia that I simply had to play this game again. Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow (or simply Cold Shadow) is one of those rare games that really is a blast to the past for me, it holds such great nostalgic value to me and is a constant reminder of the golden age of videogames (well, for me anyway). Bit of trivia, I am actually listening to the soundtrack to this game as I type to really get me in the mood for this review.

The basics of this game is: you play as Maui Mallard (which is actually Donald Duck in Hawaiian) in this side-scrolling adventure that takes you from old haunted houses to ancient ninja temples. You first play as Maui in detective mode sporting a cap and a Hawaiian armed with some sort of gun that shoots bugs at people. The first mission is an old house that is inhabited by creepy duck butlers and creepy crawlies, you simply progress through the level collecting treasures and power-ups as you reach the end of the level for a typical boss battle. Sounds like your average videogame concept, expect this game seems to do something so...right. The boss at the end of the first level is a creepy mechanical spider with a samurai-like face. Creepy huh?

The second level allows you to play in ninja form which is a lot cooler than the detective format that you were originally accustomed to. In this form you can do all sorts of cool tricks such as scale walls with the aid of your staff, you can attack people with style with the aid of the staff. To be honest, the staff is the best addition to the ninja version of Maui that you could ask for. You can take control of stone Golem-like creatures (think of one of those big stone guys from Atlantis: The Lost Empire but covered in moss) which help protect you against enemies and get you to certain places too.

The music in the game, as I am currently experiencing, is fantastic. You can just tell that so much effort has been put into it to make it sounds so enhanced and fantastic. This truly is a great videogame and to me is a nostalgic classic, the game itself has been ported to three different formats; the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), SEGA Mega Drive, Game Boy and the version I experienced it on, the PC. This truly is a great game to me and sure it has its flaws such as password system and the ability to not go back over the level if you missed anything out, but to me these were really quite minor things.

I recommend that people should go out and experience this game for themselves and find out why I highly regard this game as being a classic Disney game. Trust me, you'll love it!