Collection essentials #55: Duck Hunt (NES)

A game that you almost certainly have played if you were a child of the ‘80s and/or ‘90s, Duck Hunt is probably the most famous light gun game of all time! This is largely thanks to the fact that the game got bundled with most NES systems sold in the U.S., so many millions of copies flocked into American homes like ducks migrating en masse for the winter.

Duck Hunt has three modes. Two of them involve shooting ducks and one has you shooting at “clay pigeons” (which are not actual birds, rather, white-colored discs). In the first mode, one duck flies onto the screen and you have three bullets to try and shoot it with. The second mode is the same only there are TWO ducks to kill with your three bullets, forcing you to be more accurate. In all three modes, once 10 ducks or clay pigeons have gone by, the amount you were able to hit determines whether or not you continue to the next round, with the threshold being raised the longer you play. Ducks also tend to get a little faster and more erratic as you progress as well. Once you fail to meet a threshold, it’s game over, and hopefully you’ll have reached your target score by that time. 

A little-known fact (despite it being in the instruction manual) is that this game has a two-player mode! When playing Game A with one duck at a time, player 2 can use a standard NES controller to control the duck trying to evade the other player’s shots…although I suppose they can also team up and try for easy shots and a high score.

Duck Hunt was a practically-perfect game to introduce people to the NES, since it’s so easy to understand and play while still being challenging and fun. The game also has a dog character that adds a nice bit of personality into the game. When you start, this cartoony hunting dog of yours barks and jumps into the bushes, presumably causing the ducks to start flying into view. When you shoot them down, the dog will stand up in the grass holding the duck(s) with a smile on his face. But if the ducks escape, the dog famously stands up and laughs at you. Many people jokingly express their hatred for the dog's laughter and joke about possibly being able to shoot the dog, which actually was possible in an arcade version of the game!

Duck Hunt isn’t my favorite light gun game in general or even on the NES, but it’s still a delight and an essential in any NES collection…provided you have an old TV to play it on, since old light gun technology isn’t compatible with HDTVs! There was a Virtual Console release of Duck Hunt on the Wii U that let you aim and shoot with the Wii remote, but since they shut down that console’s online services it is no longer purchasable.