Deep Duck Trouble is the 1993 sequel to The Lucky Dime Caper. This Donald Duck platformer was developed for the Sega Master System by Aspect instead of Sega and features a number of changes from the original game. Instead of fighting with a hammer and a disc, Donald can kick blocks around much like Scrooge in Capcom's DuckTales games, which isn't as useful as holding and throwing blocks like Mickey Mouse but does have its moments of cleverness. There are only 4 levels to be cleared before the final one, but each one is divided in two fairly well-developed and different acts.
The game's story begins with the shocking sight of a balloon Scrooge McDuck, cursed to float in disgrace by a pendant he found during a treasure hunt. It's up to Donald to retrace his uncle's steps on a mysterious island and bring the pendant back to its rightful place so the curse can be lifted.
The game is also available for the Game Gear, but unlike Lucky Dime Caper both versions are the same.
Can't ye see the tropes below are as bloated as a blimp?
- 1-Up: A block with Donald's face in it.
- Advancing Boss of Doom: All bosses except the final one are escape scenes and you don't get to fight back. The chaser eventually just crashes on something.
- American Kirby Is Hardcore: The Japanese box art depicts Donald smiling as he looks through Scrooge's adventure diary and holds the cursed pendant. The North American and European box art depict Donald panicking as he looks through Scrooge's adventure diary with the cursed pendant around his neck while being chased by the Jungle King, with an inflated Scrooge and an erupting volcano in the background.
- Animal Stampede: There's a stampede of ostriches in the Jungle. Donald has to hop across the ostriches to get to the tree branch on the other side, avoiding falling and being stomped. The stampede stops when Donald gets to the branch.
- Bittersweet Ending: Donald saves Scrooge, but accidentally gets himself cursed.
- Blackout Basement: One corridor in the final level has torches that turn off and on. Most obstacles are invisible in the dark, but ghosts appear instead.
- Book Ends: The game begins with Donald preparing to help balloon Scrooge. In the end their roles are reversed.
- Call-Back: Some elements in the levels are reused from The Lucky Dime Caper.
- Convection, Schmonvection: Notably, lava isn't a one-hit-kill but cold water is.
- Death Throws: Averted. Donald in his hurt animation just freezes in place when out of HP.
- Final Boss: The treasure guardian is the only boss who Donald fights directly.
- Game-Over Man: An angry Donald appears on the Game Over screen if you lose all your lives and choose not to continue.
- Goomba Stomp: With no hammer or disc, it's all you can do other than kicking conveniently-placed blocks.
- Have a Nice Death: Aside from a burned or frozen Donald, he futilely attempts to flap upwards if he falls on a bottomless pit.
- Here We Go Again!: Donald suddenly receives a crown when he retrieves the pendant, but it turns out to be a trap: every "treasure" in that temple is cursed. At least Scrooge is happy to go adventuring again.
- Hit Points: Three.
- Idle Animation: Angry foot tapping - even in the level select screen. Also, Donald still reacts to heat and cold in certain levels.
- Inflating Body Gag: Scrooge became a balloon due to the curse that struck him. And later, so does Donald.
- Invincibility Power-Up: Berserking chilly peppers, as a nod to Quackshot. Except you cannot turn Donald around while it is in effect.
- Jungle Japes: The Jungle, where Donald has to recover the Jungle King's crown.
- Killer Gorilla: The Jungle King, a gorilla whose crown is one of the four treasures Donald is seeking, serves as the boss of The Jungle.
- Lethal Lava Land: Area 2 of The Volcano level.
- Meaningful Background Event: The area before the final boss has figures in the background pointing at the path you must follow.
- Rise to the Challenge: Near the end of the Volcano level, the volcano erupts and Donald has to climb to the top as the lava rises.
- Scoring Points: Visible in the level select screen and in the results screen after every level.
- Scenery Porn: One of the most detailed Master System games.
- Schmuck Bait: Once Donald finishes his quest, the temple presents him with a new treasure. It turns out to be as cursed as the last one.
- Sequential Boss: The final boss has two attack patterns.
- Spikes of Doom: Some obstacles rooms are full of those.
- Slippy-Slidey Ice World: Area 2 of the Valley level, which even brings back the yetis from Lucky Dime Caper's South Pole level.
- Tactical Suicide Boss: In its first phase, the treasure guardian is out of reach but shoots lasers that create blocks for you to kick into it.
- Threatening Shark: Glut the Shark from The Little Mermaid (1989) serves as the boss of The Inlet level.
- Under the Sea: The Inlet, where Donald dons scuba gear to seek out the Golden Fang.
- Victory Pose: When a world is completed, Donald jumps cheerfully at the results screen.
