Donald in Maui Mallard

From Sega Retro

n/a

MauiMallard title.png

Donald in Maui Mallard
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Disney Interactive, Sega
Developer:
Distributor: Ecofilmes (PT), SF Interactive Media (SE rental), Tec Toy (BR), Consumer Electronics (ZA)
Licensor: The Walt Disney Company
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Action

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
US ▼
(Sega Channel) 		SUBsub
ESRB: Kids to Adults
Sega Mega Drive
EU 		1192-50
ELSPA: 3+ OK
Sega Mega Drive
PT 		MDJ 1192
ELSPA: 3+ OK
Sega Mega Drive
UK 		£44.9944.99[2] 1192-50
ELSPA: 3+ OK
Sega Mega Drive
SE
(Rental)
Sega Mega Drive
CZ
Sega Mega Drive
BR 		047230
Tectoy: Todas as Idades
Sega Mega Drive
ZA
Non-Sega versions

Donald in Maui Mallard is a platform game starring Donald Duck which was released for the Sega Mega Drive. It was one of the first games developed by Disney in-house (along with the parallel development of Gargoyles for the Mega Drive) and the first one developed under the Disney Interactive label.

The original Mega Drive version was only released in Europe and Brazil, because Disney Interactive was not a publisher in the console games market at that time and it did not have a US publishing partner to release the game in the States (although a US Mega Drive version was shown at Winter CES 1996[3] with a planned release for Q3 of that year[4]).

Story

Donald assumes the role of Maui Mallard, a washed up "medium-boiled" detective who visits a mysterious island and discovers that its idol of Shabuhm Shabuhm, considered to be the island's native guardian spirit, has gone missing. If the idol is not recovered soon, the whole island will explode. Maui is then put on the case, which will lead to him undergoing the ability to change into his ninja alter-ego: Cold Shadow.

Gameplay

Donald in Maui Mallard fulfills the typical gameplay of a platform game, but gives the player the ability to switch between detective and ninja forms for different styles of gameplay. As a detective, Maui's only form of self-defence is a pistol that uses different kinds of bugs as ammunition which he can fire forward by pressing B, or upwards by pressing Up+B. There are multiple kinds of bugs he can use as ammo, and the player can press A to switch between different types of bugs or even combine multiple types together for greater effects.

Upon reaching the second level, Maui will acquire the ability to transform into Cold Shadow, his ninja alter-ego. Once transformed, Cold Shadow trades his bug gun for a bo staff that he can use for short-ranged attacks with B, as well as using special techniques for getting around: pressing A when between walls that are close enough together will allow Cold Shadow to wedge the staff between both walls to climb higher; swinging the staff at a sparkling duck head will allow Cold Shadow to swing from it, and holding A and double-tapping Left or Right will make Cold Shadow dash.

From the third level onwards, the player can switch between Maui and Cold Shadow after collecting Yin-Yang Coins. When Maui can transform, his life icon will flash between regular and ninja forms, and the player can hold down A to make him transform. Should the player run out of ninja power, they will be forced to change back into Maui. However, some levels of the game prevent Maui from transforming at all; for example, Cold Shadow cannot bungee jump from vines, which forces the player to use Maui throughout the level.

Items

Basic Bug[5]
Basic ammo for Maui's gun. Maui needs to collect at least one of them to be able to shoot, but once he has one, this one has unlimited ammo. Has short-range and deals minor damage.
Bombardier Beetle[5]
Fires beetles that drop to the ground and explode, dealing good damage.
Lightning Bug[5]
Fires electrical bolts that are faster, do more damage and have more range than Basic Bugs.
Fireball Bug[5]
Fires projectiles that home in on enemies and deals good damage.
Special Firefly Bug[5]
Lights the way in dark places, revealing hidden platforms.
Tropical Punch[5]
Restores Maui's health. Glasses restore 10 points, while pitchers restore all health.
Yin-Yang Coins[6]
These give Maui the power to become a ninja. White coins give him 100 points of ninja power, gold coins give him a full power boost, and red coins give him more combo attacks to use as a ninja.
Golden Maui Token[6]
Awards an extra life.
Mojo Doll[6]
Awards a continue.
Magical Shrunken Head[6]
Acts as a checkpoint. The player will restart a level from the last shrunken head reached after dying.
Treasure[6]
Collect enough treasure to reveal passwords at the end of each level.
Zombie Powder Bag[6]
Increases Maui's maximum health.
Golden Ticket[6]
One of these is hidden in each level, sometimes inside an enemy. Collect it and finish the level to go to a Babaluau Baby bonus level.

Levels

MauiMallard MD MojoMansion.png

The Mojo Mansion
The first part of Maui Mallard's case sees him explore a large trap-filled mansion, and different parts of the mansion can be accessed via swiveling bookshelves. The level serves as an introduction to the game, as well as demonstrating the versatility of Maui's bug gun. Enemies encountered include spiders, tiki heads that spit phlegm at Maui, and old butlers carrying monsters on a plate. After climbing up a giant organ, the player fights the first boss of the game, which is a giant metal spider.

MauiMallard MD NinjaTrainingGrounds.png

Ninja Training Grounds
Password: ININJA 
After making it through the mansion, Maui meets a witch doctor who creates clones of his ninja alter-ego to test his skills. As such, this level serves to introduce the player to the abilities Maui can do after transforming into Cold Shadow. Throughout the level, the player will be fighting enemy ninjas, taking control of giant duck statues to break down walls, and using Cold Shadow's abilities to reach high places. The boss is a giant golden statue who summons ninjas for Cold Shadow to fight.

MauiMallard MD MudDrakeMayhem.png

MudDrake Mayhem
Password: ILVMUD (EU) / MUDPIE (BR) 
Maui reaches the darkest heart of the island where its tiny natives, the MudDrakes, make their home in mud flats built in a muddy swamp. Neither of them are happy to see Maui, and will attack him on sight with boomerangs and buzzsaws. At a specific point, a MudDrake witch doctor will shrink Maui to half the size of the MudDrakes, and the player will have to navigate the mud flats and small passageways until they can change back to regular size. The boss fight has the player fight a horde of MudDrakes in a small arena.

MauiMallard MD SacrificeofMaui.png

The Sacrifice of Maui
Password: ITSHOT (EU) / HTFOOT (BR) 
The MudDrakes capture Maui and throw him into an active volcano as a sacrifice to the native gods. Being a typical lava level, the player will have to watch their step and bounce off the lava bubbles to reach higher places, and use Cold Shadow's teleport dash to safely cross lava. Volcanic heads serve as the boss of the level, and each one of them will hover around to attack and defend themselves with rocks. Upon defeating this boss, the volcano will begin to erupt, and the player is tasked with escaping from the rising lava.

MauiMallard MD TestofDuckhood.png

The Test of Duckhood
Password: GETHIM (EU) / ZEFROG (BR) 
After having survived becoming a sacrifice, Maui must now make peace with the MudDrakes by passing their ritual of proof. This is a vertically-oriented level where the player must climb tall trees and scale a large waterfall while using vines to propel Maui higher. At specific points, Maui will be attached to bungee vines that will pull him upwards if he drops too low, so he will need to grab on to poles in order to progress. The boss is the MudDrakes' object of terror and awe: a giant red frog who the player must feed using Bombardier Beetles while also dealing with the bungee cord.

MauiMallard MD FlyingDuckman.png

The Flying Duckman
Password: YOHOHO (EU) / ARRGGH (BR) 
After gaining the trust of the MudDrakes, Maui learns that the ancient native chief, Quackoo, knows the location of the missing idol of Shabuhm Shabuhm. Unfortunately, Quackoo has long since died, and his remains rest on the bottom of the sea inside the ruins of the Flying Duckman. This level is entirely underwater, so the player's movement speed is limited, and as such they will need to use the recoil from Maui's bug gun to propel themselves through the water while also warding off puffer fish and undead pirates, and using sea mines to blow up TNT barrels to open new routes. For the boss fight, Maui rides a small rowing boat, the Sea Hag, and must shoot bugs at the pirates' undead captain.

MauiMallard MD RealmoftheDead.png

The Realm of the Dead
Password: UNDEAD (EU) / DKMPOZ (BR) 
Quackoo's spirit has been restless ever since his death, and Maui is tasked with bringing his bones to their final resting place through the Realm of the Dead so his soul can finally rest. Getting through the Realm of the Dead is no easy task, as the player has to wade through green soup that limits Maui's movements much like water, and zombies that roam about restlessly. The level does not end with a boss fight, but instead tasks the player with protecting Quackoo's remains from evil spirits while simultaneously climbing a sinking tower.

MauiMallard MD MojoStronghold.png

Mojo Stronghold
Password: GDLUCK (EU) / NOCHNC (BR) 
Maui finally learns of the whereabouts of Shabuhm Shabuhm from Quackoo. The witch doctor is planning on casting the idol into the storm in a vile attempt to harness its mojo energy. For this level, Maui has become a true ninja and thus the player no longer needs to collect Yin-Yang Coins to maintain Cold Shadow's powers, as they will need to use his abilities to defeat the witch doctor.

MauiMallard MD BabaluauBaby.png

Babaluau Baby
Babaluau Baby is a bonus level that is played at the end of a level after finding a Golden Ticket, in which Maui is riding on a unicycle and the player has to navigate him across an obstacle course filled with hazards to avoid. The player will collect several bonus items such as an extra life at the beginning, and getting hit by a hazard will make them drop one of the items. Should the player successfully reach the end of a Babaluau Baby level, they will be rewarded with whatever bonus items they have remaining.

History

Legacy

In parallel with the creation of the original game for Mega Drive, the British studio Eurocom was engaged in the development of the SNES version. Both versions were radically different from each other in level design, character sprites, mechanics, and gameplay in general. Notably, by the end of 1995, the SNES version had only been released in Europe by Nintendo. It appeared on the shelves of the USA, Japan, and several other countries a year later when Nintendo bought the rights to the game from Disney Interactive. In 1996 the Disney Interactive team ported the original Mega Drive game to Windows PC in-house as Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow. Interestingly all US versions (PC and SNES) omit all references to Donald Duck, citing that the main character's name is "Maui Mallard". On Nintendo's initiative, Bonsai Entertainment ported the game to the Game Boy in 1998.

History of creation

At the end of 2019, hardcore fan Max Nasikan conducted an extensive interview with John Fiorito, game's lead artist, and later a new two-part interview with the 12 creators of Maui Mallard, in which he unraveled the complex story of the game and its canceled sequel. In the spring of 2022, his interview with Jon Williams , a Eurocom programmer, was released, who spoke about the details of the creation of the SNES version and provided a lot of materials on the canceled sequel. In issues 225 and 226 of Retro Gamer magazine featured his articles with a more compact account of the creation of the original game and Maui Mallard 2.

Canceled sequel

Back in the summer of 1995, before the final PAL-build of the original Mega Drive game was completed, work began on a sequel to the game with the working title Maui Mallard and the Lost City Of Dread, which was to be released in late 1996 on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The development was entrusted to the British Eurocom company, which has just ported the original game to the SNES. Unfortunately, the need to create a game for Hercules forced the team to devote all efforts to creating a game for the feature film. Some of Maui 2's developments, such as 2.5D screen rotation in boss battles, have been turned into similar stages in the Hercules game. After running out of the schedule for Maui 2, the Disney Interactive and Eurocom teams were unable to secure management support to continue working on the sequel.

Production credits

  • Programmer: Cary Hara
  • Senior Producer: Patrick Gilmore
  • Associate Producer: Craig Annis
  • Assistant Producer: David Bergantino
  • Lead Artist: John Fiorito
  • Backgrounds: Shannon McNeill, Alex Schaefer, Christina Vann
  • Additional Art and Animation: Ann-Bettina Colace, Tamara Holcomb, Adolph Lusinski, Paige Pooler and Oliver Wade
  • Level Design: Alan Hickey, Joe Santos, Eric Ventura
  • Music Composition: Michael Giacchino
  • Composition and Sound Design: Patrick Collins
  • Project Manager: C. Steve Booth
  • Software Production Administrator: Amy Steiner
  • Concept Art and Character Development: Thom Ang, Kurt Dumas, Raymond Fung, Teddy Newton, Jane Nussbaum, Erik Wiese, Lil' Gangster
  • Production Support: Arden Ishimaru, Toby Espiritu
  • Test Supervisor: Jeff Blattner
  • Lead Tester: Brian Adriano
  • Testers: Andre Aguilar, Kristen Bachman, Chip Beaman, Roger Bray, John Castro, Daryl David, Karl Drown, Daniel Hall, David Hickey, Aki Kim, Andrew King, Scott Lamb, Pat Larkin, Wes Lazara, Kevin Ocampo, Jocelyn Pastrana, Luigi Priore, Mary Schuyler, Victor Schwartz, Weijean Strand, David Watts
  • Eurocom Entertainment Software: Mat Sneap, Jon Williams, Hugh Binns, Steve Duckworth
  • Programming Support: Adrian Stephens
  • Tume Development Software: Echidna
Creative Capers Entertainment, Inc.
  • Animation Directors: Terry Shakespeare, David Molina
  • Animation Producer: G. Sue Shakespeare
  • Production Manager: Darci Ernst
  • Animators: Matthew Bates, Ian Christopher C., Jeff Etter, Connor Flynn, Ronald Friedman, Ernie Gilbert, Michael Kiely, Gavin Moran, Dermot O'Connor, Sandra Ryan, Natasha Sasic, Greg Tiernan, Janice Tolentino, Adam Van Wyk, Drew Woodard, Shane Zalvin
  • Clean Up Artists: Peter Anderson, Adam Burke, Kathy Burton, Richard Draper, John Eddings, Aidan Flynn, Ellen Heindel, Tom Higgins, Cathy Jones, Mi Yu Lee, Leticia Lichwardt, Wantana Matinelli, Shannon Murphy, Richard Smitheman, Debbie Spafford, Marshall Toomey, Monica Zorman


Magazine articles

Main article: Donald in Maui Mallard/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Simbas RU flyer Silver.png
Flyer (RU)
Simbas RU flyer Silver.png
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in (DE) #28: "März 1996" (1996-02-14)
also published in:
  • (DE) #29: "April 1996" (1996-03-13)[7]
  • (DE) #30: "Mai 1996" (1996-04-10)[8]
  • (DE) #31: "Juni 1996" (1996-05-08)[9]
  • (DE) #32: "Juli 1996" (1996-06-12)[10]
  • (DE) #33: "August 1996" (1996-07-10)[11]
Logo-pdf.svg

Artwork

  • Donald in Maui Mallard Artwork by Drew Struzan.jpeg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(RU)
80
[12]
(FR) PAL
48
[13]
(FR) PAL
81
[14]
(RU)
60
[15]
(RU)
80
[16]
(RU)
70
[17]
(DE)
40
[18]
(ES) PAL
89
[19]
(DE) PAL
79
[20]
(DE) PAL
79
[21]
(UK) PAL
82
[22]
(FR) PAL
87
[23]
(PL) PAL
90
[24]
(CZ) PAL
93
[25]
(UK) PAL
71
[2]
(UK) PAL
89
[26]
(YU) PAL
88
[27]
(ES)
90
[28]
(RU)
78
[29]
(DE) PAL
83
[30]
Sega Mega Drive
 78
Based on
20 reviews

Donald in Maui Mallard

Mega Drive, EU
MauiMallard MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
DonaldInMM-MD-EU-CartTop.jpg
MauiMallard MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Donald In Maui Mallard MD EU Manual.pdf
Manual
DiMM MD EU pcb.jpg
PCB
Mega Drive, FR (Blister pack)
DiMM MD FR blister back.jpgDiMM MD FR blister front.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, PT
DiMM MD PT Box Back.jpgNospine.pngDiMM MD PT cover.jpg
Cover
MauiMallard MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
DiMM MD PT Manual.jpg
Manual
Donald In Maui Mallard MD EU Manual.pdf
EU Manual
Mega Drive, SE (rental; SF)
MauiMallard MD SE Rental Box Back.jpgNospine.pngMauiMallard MD SE Box Rental.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, CZ/SK (DDC Agency)
MauiMallard MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
MauiMallard MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
DonaldInMauiMallard MD CZ Manual.png
Manual
Mega Drive, BR
MauiMallard MD BR Box.jpg
Cover
MauiMallard MD BR Cart.jpg
Cart
Mauimallard md br manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, ZA
DiMM MD ZA cover.jpg
Cover

Technical information

Main article: Donald in Maui Mallard/Technical information.

External links

References

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MERwuwZK9YM (Ghostarchive)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Sega Power, "January 1996" (UK; 1995-11-16), page 53
  3. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 51
  4. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 72
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 File:MauiMallard MD EU Manual.pdf, page 12
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 File:MauiMallard MD EU Manual.pdf, page 13
  7. ↑ Sega Magazin, "April 1996" (DE; 1996-03-13), page 99
  8. ↑ Sega Magazin, "Mai 1996" (DE; 1996-04-10), page 100
  9. ↑ Sega Magazin, "Juni 1996" (DE; 1996-05-08), page 100
  10. ↑ Sega Magazin, "Juli 1996" (DE; 1996-06-12), page 100
  11. ↑ Sega Magazin, "August 1996" (DE; 1996-07-10), page 100
  12. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 60
  13. ↑ CD Consoles, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 150
  14. ↑ Consoles +, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 156
  15. ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 64
  16. ↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 307
  17. ↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 6, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 73
  18. ↑ Fun Generation, "06/95" (DE; 1995-0x-xx), page 69
  19. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Diciembre 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 62
  20. ↑ MAN!AC, "12/95" (DE; 1995-11-08), page 74
  21. ↑ Mega Fun, "12/95" (DE; 1995-11-21), page 72
  22. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "December 1995" (UK; 1995-10-30), page 73
  23. ↑ Player One, "Décembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 134
  24. ↑ Secret Service, "Lipiec/Sierpień 1996" (PL; 1996-08-01), page 68
  25. ↑ Sega News, "Říjen 1996" (CZ; 1996-xx-xx), page 17
  26. ↑ Sega Pro, "January 1996" (UK; 1995-11-30), page 50
  27. ↑ Svet Kompjutera, "Novembar 1996" (YU; 1996-xx-xx), page 78
  28. ↑ Todo Sega, "Enero 1996" (ES; 199x-xx-xx), page 28
  29. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 51
  30. ↑ Video Games, "1/96" (DE; 1995-12-06), page 88


Donald in Maui Mallard

MauiMallard title.png

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Mouse Ears sprite Disney games for Sega systems/Published by Sega
Sega Mega Drive
 Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (1990) | QuackShot Starring Donald Duck (1991) | World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck (1992) | Goofy's Hysterical History Tour (1993) | The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey & Minnie (1994) | Mickey's Ultimate Challenge (1994) | Mickey Mania (1994) | Donald in Maui Mallard (1995) | The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse (unreleased) | Mickey Mania 2 (unreleased) | Mickey Mouse: Private Eye (unreleased)
Sega Master System
 Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (1990) | The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck (1991) | Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (1992) | Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck (1993) | Legend of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (1997) | Mickey's Ultimate Challenge (1998)
Sega Game Gear
 Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (1991) | The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck (1991) | Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (1993) | Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck (1993) | Mickey's Ultimate Challenge (1994) | Legend of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (1995)
Sega Pico
 Mickey no Yukai na Bouken (1993) | Donald no Obake Taiji (1993) | Mickey's Blast into the Past (1994) | Donald no TV Show (1995) | Mickey to Ooki na Furudokei (1996) | Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Stamp Rally (1996) | Tokyo Disneyland Toon Town Mickey no Boku wa Untenshu (1997) | Mickey to Utau Tori no Shima Minnie o Sagashite Waku Waku Daibouken! (1998) | Mickey no Boku wa Meitantei (2000) | Fishing Pico: Donald no Adventure Fishing (2000) | Tokyo DisneySea Mickey to Asobou! (2002)
Sega Saturn
 Sega Ages I Love Mickey Mouse: Fushigi no Oshiro Daibouken/I Love Donald Duck: Gurujia Ou no Hihou (1998) | Maui Mallard and the Lost City Of Dread (unreleased)
Sega Dreamcast
 Disney's Donald Duck Quack Attack (2000)
Xbox 360
Sony PlayStation 3
Windows PC
 Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (2013)
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