Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions

Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions is a classic action-platformer video game originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Drawing from the hilarious Looney Tunes cartoons, it puts players in the boots of Duck Dodgers, the bumbling space hero from those old Chuck Jones stories, battling Marvin the Martian and his goofy alien crew in a futuristic 24th and a half century setting. If you’re familiar with side-scrolling shooters like Mega Man or Contra, this one feels similar but with a cartoon twist—think dodging shrinking rays, crushing platforms, rock monsters, and dragons while zapping Martians, all without the frustration of instant death from lava pits, though bottomless falls will set you back.

Gameplay keeps things moving through 20 stages, starting at a Martian resort and ramping up the chaos. Players control Dodgers with a jet pack for flying over hazards or reaching hidden spots, a shield to block enemy shots, and a wild special move called Nutty that spins him around to wipe out every foe on screen. Weapons add variety: you start with infinite ammo on a basic gun, but can pick up or buy upgrades like the three-shot blaster, electric zapper, bomb launcher, or antimatter cannon using in-game bucks (shown as dollar signs). Just watch out—firing any weapon bounces Dodgers backward, which can mess up your positioning if you’re not careful. Voice actor Greg Burson nails Daffy’s quirky lines from the 1950s cartoons, yelling stuff like “Mother!” or “Ho-hoo!” when you take a hit, adding that nostalgic Looney Tunes vibe.

The adventure breaks down into five main missions, each with its own planet and objective to save Earth from Marvin’s schemes. Kick off with “Duck Dodgers On Ice,” rescuing scientist Dr. I.Q. High from an intelligence-draining trap in the frozen rings of Zeus-3. Then dive into “20,000 Martians Under The Sea” to blow up an Instant Martians factory (yep, the ones that pop up when you add water) on Aquarion-4. “The Incredible Shrinking Duck” has you thwarting a plot to shrink our whole planet on Amazonius. Head to “Where There’s Duck There’s Fire” for politician rescues amid the magma of planet Magma, and wrap up in “The Greatest Show Off Earth” for the big Mars showdown where Earth’s fate hangs in the balance. These spots mix boss fights, like taking on Marvin’s Instant Martian army to free captives, with platforming challenges that test your timing.

A separate Game Boy version exists too, called just Daffy Duck in Europe and Looney Tunes Series: Daffy Duck in Japan, though it’s not the same as the SNES one. These days, players can jump into the SNES game fast and easy on kbhgames.com for free, right in your browser—no downloads or consoles needed, making it a quick retro fix for anyone curious about old-school action games.