Darkwing Duck Walkthrought
Start like we did back on the cartridge: pick one of the three opening stages and clear them in order so you don’t bleed your gas ammo. For a smooth kickoff in Darkwing Duck on the NES, go rooftop-to-rooftop in Saint Canard with Quackerjack first, drop into the Sewers for Moliarty, then swing over to the Waterworks for the Liquidator. After that it’s the bridge, the power plant, and the final raid on Steelbeak. Below I’ll walk you room by room with all the tiny details that used to decide “clearable or not.”
Saint Canard Rooftops: Quackerjack
The opening screens are balconies with guards and flying robo-rats. When shots pour in from the windows, don’t hesitate—hold Up to raise the cape and stroll the corridor without chip damage. On the second vertical climb after the fire escape, take it slow: there’s a hook point tucked under the left ledge—grapple up and snag the heart. A bit farther, in a narrow alley, you’ll see a crate with an A—the Arrow Gas for your gas gun; check the right wall with the “grated” texture—stick two platforms there and climb into a pocket with a 1‑UP.
Before the boss door, there’s a room of three ledges and a turret. The trick is simple: bait the turret and reflect the burst with your cape, then double-jump via the hooks to the top without clearing the whole floor. Quackerjack fights on a three-tier platform, tossing springy toys and occasionally lunging. Park on the middle tier: a step left lines you up to avoid the bomb arcs, a step right lets you tag him as he lands. Save Heavy Gas (H)—two shots in the window between throws will melt him safely. Just don’t jump in sync with his bouncy “toy” rebound.
Sewers: Moliarty
The first stretch has low ceilings and water that rises and falls. Push right while the water’s low, and on the second ledge don’t face-tank the electric arc: at the console with the gray panel, flip it with Thunder Gas (T) and the sparks shut off. The vertical shaft with a pair of electric eels is all timing: one burst up to the chain, cape-block the pellet spam, grab the left hook point, another burst—there’s a crate up top with T and a heart.
There’s a nice stash: after the room with two drains and a swinging platform, don’t drop immediately. Plant an Arrow Gas step on the right wall and catch a hidden ceiling hook—up there is a pocket with a 1‑UP and a big stack of standard gas for the gun. Before the boss is a triple siphon. Shoot the first valve off, ignore the second and pass under the stream with the cape up, and on the third use the hook to clear the section in a single swing.
Moliarty moves in arcs: pop up—toss a charge—duck under the platform. Don’t get cornered. Stand at the far edge, meet him with a Heavy Gas shot, then take a step back and cape-block—his pebbles fizzle out. Three to four cycles and you’re through.
Waterworks: The Liquidator
Right away you’re on rafts in the current with pipes blasting fountains. The key to consistency is Arrow Gas. On “grated” walls, lay two or three overlapping steps and don’t try to clear a whole fountain in one leap—climb higher and transfer with the hook to the upper beam instead. In the room with three valves, the first trap is a reverse flow. Shoot the far valve, wait for the current to swap, then jump to the left platform; leave the middle valve alone—it flips the stream back.
Before the boss door there’s a low-ceiling corridor with sudden turrets. Move in short bursts: step—cape—two steps—cape. There’s an H on the top shelf—grab it, you’ll need it. The Liquidator keeps his distance and attacks in hop-like waves. Only fire when he bunches into a “solid” shape, not the stream; between his two waves you can fit exactly two safe H shots. Hop the first wave—one step forward—two shots—back out. The rhythm is fixed.
Suspension Bridge: Wolfduck
Wind and skinny gaps. On the first screen it’s safer to go under the bridge: the trusses have hooks and the enemies on top barely reach you. On the section with two fans, don’t brute-force it—grab the left hook, wait out the gust, then jump to the right beam. There’s a heart in the “pocket” between the fans up top, but it’s only worth it if you’re above half health.
Mid-bridge, watch for surprise bombs dropping from the rigging. Edge forward with the cape raised, wait for the drop, then jump across. The boss arena is narrow; he loves long leaps and throws. Safe flow: keep him on a diagonal—you on the lower step, him on the upper. After each of his jumps you get a window for one clean shot. When Wolfduck starts a “double” approach, don’t shoot—just cape. H speeds it up, but regular gas works too, just slower.
Power Plant: Megavolt
A vertical tower of lifts. Most electric arcs can be disabled with Thunder Gas: look for contact panels—one T shot, sparks vanish, ride on. In the crisscross shaft with four turrets, don’t waste time shooting each one: zigzag two hook jumps and you’re above them. In the conveyor room, conserve Arrow Gas—place steps only where there aren’t hooks, or you’ll run dry by the floor’s end.
Megavolt fires a diagonal fan. Best spot is the opposite edge of whatever platform he spawns on. Two of his volleys—pause—one H shot from you. If a floor spark crosses your path, pop the cape—it snuffs the short ones. Three or four cycles and the plant powers down.
F.O.W.L. HQ: Steelbeak
The final leg of Darkwing Duck punishes rushing. Early rooms mix conveyors with ceiling turrets. Follow the floor markings: yellow stripes mean wait for the turret lull; clean floor means go. In the tight vertical shaft, don’t spend T—every arc is a timing jump plus a cape block. There’s an H crate before the next-to-last climb—grab it; a pair of dense hallways is coming.
Before the arena there’s a long gallery of short platforms and low ceilings. Arrow Gas is clutch here: drop a step, take a half-step, and instantly grapple up. Steelbeak isn’t standing in the open, so don’t spam shots. Watch the room’s “vulnerable” elements—when one activates, that’s your damage window. In the downtime, keep the cape up and don’t hoard H: land two or three precise shots per cycle and the final screen is yours.
Quickly about the overall flow of a Darkwing Duck run: keep using the cape block—it shrugs off small pellet fire more often than you think; always check ceilings and ledges for grapple points—many secrets and hearts hide there; rotate your special ammo smartly—Arrow on vertical sections, Thunder on panels, Heavy on bosses. This is that classic Darkwing Duck NES walkthrough where little tricks beat raw reflexes: nail those and Quackerjack, Moliarty, the Liquidator, Megavolt, and even Steelbeak stop being scary, and you cruise through Saint Canard like it’s home.