The Double Dragon beat ’em up series, if not exactly a smash hit, was at least popular in the era of 8- and 16-bit consoles.
Unfortunately, like many of its genre counterparts, it didn’t fare well with the transition to 3D, and the franchise ended up going on a long hiatus.
In the 2000s and early 2010s, there were several comebacks of varying degrees of success, the best of which was the tongue-in-cheek Double Dragon: Neon.
It was released in 2012, and then it was as if a curse had been placed on brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee. A terrible remake of the second part for Xbox 360 and the completely half-baked Double Dragon 4, which looked more like a fan hack of the NES game. Once again, it was forgotten, but this time with a tarnished reputation.
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Three years after the release of the fourth installment, Streets of Rage 4 was released, proving that beat ’em ups are still interesting to the audience.
The main thing is to approach the matter creatively and spice up the familiar gameplay with fresh ideas, rather than just feeding off nostalgia.
As a result, over the past few years, we’ve seen the re-release of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game, the return of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, and now Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons.
Did the little-known team at Secret Base manage to organize a spectacular comeback, or were fans once again fed the same old routine? Let’s find out.
Old with a new twist
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons greets players with a traditionally banal plot: a new mayor has arrived in town and tasked the heroes with cleaning the streets of rampant gangs.
This time, the Lee brothers are joined by their old friend Marian, who has finally stopped being a damsel in distress, and their uncle Matin, a former soldier and new character to the series.
It’s an unusual starting lineup for Double Dragon, but this isn’t the first, second, or even third change to the familiar formula.
You can only go on a “cleaning” mission with two heroes, even if you are playing alone. But instead of a controllable AI partner, the developers have offered a tag mechanic, well known to fans of fighting games.
While one character is beating up enemies, the second is behind the scenes waiting for their turn. The hero on the “bench” is also capable of “licking wounds,” but only to a certain extent. By the way, “friend’s help” is the only way to interrupt someone else’s attacks or combos.
Changing heroes consumes energy intended for special attacks. Hits dealt to opponents speed up the recovery of the bar, but you shouldn’t mindlessly spam “supers,” otherwise you’ll get beaten up without being able to counterattack. Plus, the game rewards you with food for killing three or more enemies at once with a “super.”
This is almost the only way to replenish your health — other “healers” are rare and, if they do appear, it’s closer to the end of the level. Therefore, it makes sense to line up your opponents in a row or (depending on the type of special attack) lure them closer and hit a whole group at once.