DuckHuntNESRecomp

Static recompilation of Duck Hunt (NES) for native PC. Built with the NESRecomp framework.

Status: Playable. Title screen, game mode selection, and gameplay (shooting ducks with the Zapper) all work. If you find a bug, please open an issue.

What Works

• Title screen with game mode selection (Game A / B / C)
• Zapper light gun via mouse — point and click to shoot
• Duck flight, hit detection, and scoring
• Dog animations (laughing, retrieving)
• Round progression

Special Feature: Mouse-as-Zapper

Duck Hunt requires the NES Zapper light gun. This recompilation maps your mouse to the Zapper:

• Move mouse — aim the Zapper
• Left click — pull the trigger
• A crosshair is drawn at the aim point (white normally, red when firing)
• The OS cursor is hidden while in the game window

The Zapper light detection is fully simulated — the game's two-phase detection sequence (anti-cheat black screen check, then detection flash) works correctly, just like on real hardware.

Quick Start

1. Download DuckHuntNESRecomp-windows-x64.zip from Releases
2. Extract and run DuckHuntRecomp.exe
3. Place your Duck Hunt (World).nes ROM in the same directory, or select it at runtime

Controls

NES Button	Keyboard
D-Pad	Arrow keys
A	Z
B	X
Start	Enter
Select	Tab

Action	Input
Aim Zapper	Mouse movement
Fire Zapper	Left mouse button

Title screen navigation: Press Tab (Select) to cycle game modes, Enter (Start) to confirm.

Building from Source

Requires Visual Studio 2022 and CMake 3.20+.

git clone https://github.com/mstan/DuckHuntNESRecomp
cd DuckHuntNESRecomp

# Windows
setup.bat

# Linux / macOS
chmod +x setup.sh && ./setup.sh

This clones nesrecomp at the exact version pinned in nesrecomp.pin and links the Nestopia oracle core.

Then build:

cmake -S . -B build -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64
cmake --build build --config Release

Place your Duck Hunt (World).nes ROM in the build directory or select it at runtime.

Architecture

This is a static recompiler, not an emulator. The original 6502 machine code is translated to C at build time, then compiled to native x64. The NES PPU, APU, and mapper are simulated by the runner library.

• game.toml — recompiler configuration
• extras.c — game-specific hooks (Zapper init, debug server)
• generated/ — auto-generated C code (do not edit manually)
• nesrecomp/ — framework submodule (recompiler + runner)

Known Limitations

• Audio is basic (APU register writes are captured but full mixing is work-in-progress)