Reference article
Duck Life 1
Raise a duckling, practise three racing skills and win enough prize money to rebuild a farm devastated by a tornado.
The first Duck Life adventure
A tornado destroys a successful farm, leaving a single duck egg behind. The surviving 
Duckling must become a racing champion to earn the money needed to rebuild 
Farm. The first game was released on 5 March 2010. In 
Retro Pack it is also presented as 
Duck Life 1.
How to play
Alternate between training and racing. Training develops 
Running, 
Flying and 
Swimming. Feed the duck 
Seed to increase Energy. Pick up 
Coins in training and earn first-win prizes in races. Use the 
Duck Shop to buy food, hats and colours.
Race progression
Complete the four Beginner races, then the four Amateur races, then the four Expert races. After all twelve are won, the 
World Championship becomes available. Race performance comes from the duck’s trained skills and energy; the race itself plays automatically.
| Race | Tier | Skills | First win | Shop unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Green Valley | Beginner | Running | 50 coins |  Juicy Orange |
 Rocky Cliff | Beginner | Flying | 50 coins |  Crazy Red |
 Shallow Lake | Beginner | Swimming | 50 coins |  Deep Purple |
 Natural World | Beginner | Running, flying and swimming | 100 coins |  Bowler Hat |
 Banister Climb | Amateur | Running | 50 coins |  Boring Grey |
 Leap of Faith | Amateur | Flying | 50 coins |  Midnight Black |
 Swimming Pool | Amateur | Swimming | 50 coins |  Pretty Pink |
 Rooftop Jumping | Amateur | Running, flying and swimming | 100 coins |  Propeller Hat |
 Up the Volcano | Expert | Running | 50 coins |  Snow White |
 Over the Volcano | Expert | Flying | 50 coins |  Lime Green |
 Across the River | Expert | Swimming | 50 coins |  Sky Blue |
 Volcano Challenge | Expert | Running, flying and swimming | 100 coins |  Liberty Spikes |
 World Championship | World Championship | Running, flying and swimming | 200,000 coins |  Champion’s Crown |
Hats and colours
Cosmetics change the duck’s appearance. Unlocking an item makes it available in the shop; it does not equip it for free. The duck begins yellow and hatless.
| Item | Price | Unlocked by |
|---|---|---|
 Flat Cap | 100 coins | Available from the start |
| Bowler Hat | 100 coins | Natural World |
| Propeller Hat | 100 coins | Rooftop Jumping |
| Liberty Spikes | 100 coins | Volcano Challenge |
| Champion’s Crown | 100 coins | World Championship |
| Classic Yellow | Free reset | Available from the start |
 Hazel Brown | 50 coins | Available from the start |
| Juicy Orange | 50 coins | Green Valley |
| Crazy Red | 50 coins | Rocky Cliff |
| Deep Purple | 50 coins | Shallow Lake |
| Boring Grey | 50 coins | Banister Climb |
| Midnight Black | 50 coins | Leap of Faith |
| Pretty Pink | 50 coins | Swimming Pool |
| Snow White | 50 coins | Up the Volcano |
| Lime Green | 50 coins | Over the Volcano |
| Sky Blue | 50 coins | Across the River |
Original Flash and later editions
Original Flash and later Unity editions share the three training skills and the race progression. Training controls and 
Skill Seed effects differ between editions.
| Detail | Original Flash | Later Unity editions |
|---|---|---|
| Starting food | 5 normal seeds, no Skill Seeds | 5 normal seeds, no Skill Seeds |
| Normal-seed effect | 1 energy XP per bite | 0.6 energy levels per seed |
| Skill Seeds | 1 level per bite to all three racing skills and energy | 3 energy levels per seed; no racing-skill increase |
| Running controls | Click or Up to jump | Pointer input; newer editions also support Space/select |
| Flying controls | Left/Right arrows | Pointer positioning; newer editions also support arrow controls |
| Swimming controls | Arrow keys | Arrow controls and pointer/drag handling |
| First-win prizes | 50 coins for colour races; 100 for hat races | Same prize rules |
The music
Four recurring music contexts accompany the adventure: the home screen, menu and shop screens, training, and races. Each has its own music.
| Context | Where you hear it |
|---|---|
| Home screen | The duck’s home area |
| Menus and shop | Title, shop, stats, race menus and results |
| Training | Running, swimming and flying practice |
| Racing | Beginner, Amateur, Expert and World Championship races |
Other racers
The ordinary races pit the player’s duck against three other ducks. After completing every regular race, the final challenge is against the world champion. Rival performance depends on their racing skills.
Story connection
The player’s duck has no personal name in Duck Life 1. The duckling is later revealed to be 
Doris Dewdrop.