Submission #9125: Jvuln33's NES Duck Tales ""bad ending" (complete the game with $0)" in 07:55.98

This is my first submission for TasVideos !

Scrooge gets treasures all around the world only to become the poorest duck in the world. In Hard mode, we take twice as much damage as in Easy mode, all Magic coins are replaced with Ice Creams, all Cakes are replaced with Big Diamonds. Everything else is the same in the three modes Easy, Normal, Hard.

We tried to choose the best route to complete Duck Tales with zero dollar. To achieve this, we must gather an exact multiple of $3,000,000 and uses each bunch of $3,000,000 to refill his health (works only if Scrooge is on the ground and his life is depleted). It's impossible to collect less than $5,000,000 (for the five Treasures), so the fastest way is to collect exactly $6,000,000 and we need to take damage to heal twice.

To achieve $6,000,000, we have to collect the correct amount of diamonds while caring for the timer. $1000 rewarded for each ten seconds remaining after clearing a level and collecting the Treasure.

Boss strategy

Each boss has 5 HP. Once a boss has taken damage, it will be invulnerable for 120 frames and Scrooge will be able to move vertically across it without taking damage! This allows us to hit the boss from below or from the side. It doesn't save time but looks cool ! Depending on the speeds of Scrooge and the boss (works also with some enemies like the slugs in the Mines or the octopusses on the Moon), Scrooge is able to "walk" on it without taking damage, with the "Scrooge hits the ground" sound.

Overall summary

Level by level summary

Amazon

It's fastest to get the two hidden Red Diamonds than to get the corresponding $100,000 by other means. No need to go underground for Diamonds. Collecting the 4 hidden Diamonds for $42,000 loses time. Some Small Diamonds are collected before appearing on screen (dropped by Bees and Gorillas). The rest of the route is the same than for an any% run. We wait a little for the timer to show 429 before collecting the Treasure, in order to get $42,000 from it instead of $43,000.

Transylvania

The route is exactly the same than for an any% run, apart from collecting some Diamonds on the way. Some frames lost to manipulate the last ghost out of the way, and to manipulate Magica De Spell to fly low, in order th land the first hit as soon as possible.

African Mines

The route to get tke key in Transylvania is unchanged. I collect some Small Diamonds unseen from slugs (like in Amazon) The bat doesn't want to attack Scrooge and prefer zipping horizontally across the treasure chest, which is convenient, we don't have to care about it. The rest of the route is standard, apart from a small incursion in the depths of the mines before the last corridor toward the boss, to get some conveniently placed and precious Diamonds (900 frames to get $110,000). The Small Diamond dropped by the last slug before the boss room is not worth being collected. I tried to male the waiting between each strike on the slug boss as entertaining as possible, while experiencing bosswalking and corner stuttering (the sound made is hilarious). It's possible to defeat the boss while taking damage and being partway inside the floor, but it loses time ans can only be seen in frame advance mode. So not worth it.

Himalayas

Same route as for any%. Some frames lost while killing the first rabbit to get the Big Diamond it dropped. Making a small jump enables us to reach maximum vertical speed earlier while falling in the shaft. Getting the hidden Big Diamond (which is a Cake in Easy and Normal modes) doesn't lose time. Made some antics while battling the Abominable Snowman : vertical zipping, stuck inside the boss, frame-perfect pogoing on snow.

The Moon

We didn't take more time to enjoy the unforgettable "Moon theme" than in any% run. We didn't ever bother collect a single Diamond, as we already got the prober number. We manipulate the Lunar Rat into running towards us to land the first hit as soon as possible. Somme stuttering while waiting for the 120-frame boss invincibilities to wear off, for cool sound effects again.

Transylvania (3rd visit)

We start this level with $6,000,000 in our pockets, no more, no less. Yay! Route unchanged toward Dracula Duck's room. The frame we enter the room and Scrooge's movements inside this room contribute to manipulate the place where Dracula next appears, and the trajectory of his bats. During the battle, we take damage multiple times while using the $3,000,000 mysterious healing process. After Dracula is defeated, a bat we manipulated before comes to kill us just before the rope and Glomgold spawns. I discovered a glitch which prevents Scrooge from dying: spawning a message box while in the dying animation stops it when we close the box! It makes Scrooge climb the rope with no HP left. That's how Zombie Scrooge wins $0.

Possible improvements

It may be possible to save some time in multiple places: