Double Dragon Gaiden – some things never change (Picture: Modus)
The oldest of old school beat ‘em-ups gets yet another modern update, this time with an emphasis on tag team combat.
Double Dragon typifies a certain kind of retro franchise, that while extremely influential in its day, and still receiving a regular supply of new entries, never makes any attempt to expand beyond its original remit. We complained as much when it came to the recent RayStorm compilation, and the fact that 2D shooters are all still stuck in the early ‘90s. That doesn’t mean they’re not fun but at some point it would be nice to see some forward momentum, and you could say very much the same thing about beat ‘em-ups.
Although it wasn’t the first (that honour goes to 1984’s Kung-Fu Master), Double Dragon helped to popularise the concept of the 2D scrolling beat ‘em-up and the theme of gang warfare, rather than just straight martial arts. The original 1987 coin-op was actually inspired by post-apocalyptic fiction like Fist Of The North Star and Mad Max, although that fact quickly became obscured by the various home adaptions, including the highly popular NES version.
Technically, Double Dragon is part of the wider Kunio-kun franchise, although given the lack of distinct gameplay features or characters, to the average player its various sequels and spin-offs are almost indistinguishable from similar franchises like Final Fight and Streets Of Rage. That creates a real problem for each new Double Dragon game that comes along, especially given how well Streets Of Rage 4 turned out.
PIC 1
Double Dragon Gaiden does not make a good first impression, with some very low budget graphics, that aren’t particularly reminiscent of any of the original games, and seemingly no unique gameplay ideas. Thankfully, there is a bit more to it than it first appears, although it’s no shock to find that the storyline, about dealing with the city’s gang problem by punching everyone in the face, is entirely inconsequential.
Punching and kicking people is literally all you do, as the game’s combat is less involved than either Streets Of Rage 4 or River City Girls, and they’re not exactly Virtua Fighter themselves. No doubt the game is trying to be authentic to the series’ origins but while the fighting might be simplistic there is a certain snappiness to it that is strangely mesmerising.
There’s also room for some more advanced techniques, like juggling enemies in the air and cancelling one special move into another. Plus, you get a special health reward when defeating three enemies at once for a ‘crowd control’ bonus, so it’s not entirely mindless. Although, oddly, only a few of the characters can pick up and use dropped weapons.
The focus of the action is not on individual moves but the new tag team system that means there’s technically always two characters in the fight, even if you’re not playing in co-op. You can swap fighters whenever the current one gets low on health. Or they can be called in to defend you, as a blow is about to hit, or extend a combo. Although that’s not a new idea for fighting games in general it’s relatively unique for scrolling beat ‘em-ups and easily the most interesting aspect of the combat.
Although the range of characters is limited at first they all have different abilities, not just in terms of individual moves but things like being able to pick up background objects and throw them or launching enemies into the air order for your teammate to attack them. Even bosses can eventually be unlocked, and they still exhibit all the same abilities they did when you fought them.
It’s not exactly complex stuff but the steady stream of unlocks and trying to work out a good team that complement each other – and your human ally if you’re playing in local co-op – is an interesting way to pay tribute to the two-player mode from which Double Dragon derives its name.
Double Dragon Gaiden – yes, that’s a bazooka (Picture: Modus)
The other attempt to deepen the experience is that you can choose which of the first four areas to tackle in whatever order you want. The longer you leave one the more difficult it gets, which is kind of interesting but really just means you end up tackling the hardest bosses first, so it’s a fairly straightforward decision and still doesn’t help avoid some nasty difficulty spikes.
Rather than the bosses it’s more likely you’ll make your choice based on the irritating platform sections, filled with spike pits and other traps, that fill some of the levels. This is obviously trying to add a bit of variety to proceedings, but it just feels frustrating and unwanted when you’re trying to fight bad guys at the same time.
The game also features a minor roguelike element, where the money you earn can be carried on to your next playthrough and used to buy perks that do things like increase your health or the power of your attacks. There are others that are little more complicated than that, mostly those revolving around your partner character, but like the rest of the game it all seems rather undercooked.
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Without any online options – it’s local co-op or nothing – Double Dragon Gaiden is just too expensive to justify its missed opportunities and the (small) handful of half-successful ideas. It’s been 36 years since the original appeared and it’s still the early arcade games that are the most enjoyable, while WayForward’s 2012 effort Double Dragon Neon remains the best of the modern interpretations.
Double Dragon Gaiden doesn’t add anything to the equation beyond a few simple gimmicks and while it does try to emphasise a distinct identity for the series, it doesn’t make any difference when the action is as routine and repetitive as this. It may have been the first of its kind, but Double Dragon has been roundly beaten by Streets Of Rage 4 and its other imitators.
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons review summary
In Short: An occasionally interesting attempt to update the Double Dragon formula, which understands the appeal of the original but fails to offer any longevity or variety.
Pros: The tag team element works well, with a wide range of genuinely different characters. Roguelike elements are interesting, if underdeveloped.
Cons: The combat is as plain and unexciting as the graphics. Very repetitive, with some frustrating difficulty spikes and platform sections. No online co-op.
Score: 4/10
Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Price: £19.99
Publisher: Modus
Developer: Secret Base
Release Date: 27th July 2023
Age Rating: 12
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Double Dragon Gaiden – some things never change (Picture: Modus)
The oldest of old school beat ‘em-ups gets yet another modern update, this time with an emphasis on tag team combat.
Double Dragon typifies a certain kind of retro franchise, that while extremely influential in its day, and still receiving a regular supply of new entries, never makes any attempt to expand beyond its original remit. We complained as much when it came to the recent RayStorm compilation, and the fact that 2D shooters are all still stuck in the early ‘90s. That doesn’t mean they’re not fun but at some point it would be nice to see some forward momentum, and you could say very much the same thing about beat ‘em-ups.
Although it wasn’t the first (that honour goes to 1984’s Kung-Fu Master), Double Dragon helped to popularise the concept of the 2D scrolling beat ‘em-up and the theme of gang warfare, rather than just straight martial arts. The original 1987 coin-op was actually inspired by post-apocalyptic fiction like Fist Of The North Star and Mad Max, although that fact quickly became obscured by the various home adaptions, including the highly popular NES version.
Technically, Double Dragon is part of the wider Kunio-kun franchise, although given the lack of distinct gameplay features or characters, to the average player its various sequels and spin-offs are almost indistinguishable from similar franchises like Final Fight and Streets Of Rage. That creates a real problem for each new Double Dragon game that comes along, especially given how well Streets Of Rage 4 turned out.
PIC 1
Double Dragon Gaiden does not make a good first impression, with some very low budget graphics, that aren’t particularly reminiscent of any of the original games, and seemingly no unique gameplay ideas. Thankfully, there is a bit more to it than it first appears, although it’s no shock to find that the storyline, about dealing with the city’s gang problem by punching everyone in the face, is entirely inconsequential.
Punching and kicking people is literally all you do, as the game’s combat is less involved than either Streets Of Rage 4 or River City Girls, and they’re not exactly Virtua Fighter themselves. No doubt the game is trying to be authentic to the series’ origins but while the fighting might be simplistic there is a certain snappiness to it that is strangely mesmerising.
There’s also room for some more advanced techniques, like juggling enemies in the air and cancelling one special move into another. Plus, you get a special health reward when defeating three enemies at once for a ‘crowd control’ bonus, so it’s not entirely mindless. Although, oddly, only a few of the characters can pick up and use dropped weapons.
The focus of the action is not on individual moves but the new tag team system that means there’s technically always two characters in the fight, even if you’re not playing in co-op. You can swap fighters whenever the current one gets low on health. Or they can be called in to defend you, as a blow is about to hit, or extend a combo. Although that’s not a new idea for fighting games in general it’s relatively unique for scrolling beat ‘em-ups and easily the most interesting aspect of the combat.
Although the range of characters is limited at first they all have different abilities, not just in terms of individual moves but things like being able to pick up background objects and throw them or launching enemies into the air order for your teammate to attack them. Even bosses can eventually be unlocked, and they still exhibit all the same abilities they did when you fought them.
It’s not exactly complex stuff but the steady stream of unlocks and trying to work out a good team that complement each other – and your human ally if you’re playing in local co-op – is an interesting way to pay tribute to the two-player mode from which Double Dragon derives its name.
Double Dragon Gaiden – yes, that’s a bazooka (Picture: Modus)
The other attempt to deepen the experience is that you can choose which of the first four areas to tackle in whatever order you want. The longer you leave one the more difficult it gets, which is kind of interesting but really just means you end up tackling the hardest bosses first, so it’s a fairly straightforward decision and still doesn’t help avoid some nasty difficulty spikes.
Rather than the bosses it’s more likely you’ll make your choice based on the irritating platform sections, filled with spike pits and other traps, that fill some of the levels. This is obviously trying to add a bit of variety to proceedings, but it just feels frustrating and unwanted when you’re trying to fight bad guys at the same time.
The game also features a minor roguelike element, where the money you earn can be carried on to your next playthrough and used to buy perks that do things like increase your health or the power of your attacks. There are others that are little more complicated than that, mostly those revolving around your partner character, but like the rest of the game it all seems rather undercooked.
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Without any online options – it’s local co-op or nothing – Double Dragon Gaiden is just too expensive to justify its missed opportunities and the (small) handful of half-successful ideas. It’s been 36 years since the original appeared and it’s still the early arcade games that are the most enjoyable, while WayForward’s 2012 effort Double Dragon Neon remains the best of the modern interpretations.
Double Dragon Gaiden doesn’t add anything to the equation beyond a few simple gimmicks and while it does try to emphasise a distinct identity for the series, it doesn’t make any difference when the action is as routine and repetitive as this. It may have been the first of its kind, but Double Dragon has been roundly beaten by Streets Of Rage 4 and its other imitators.
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons review summary In Short: An occasionally interesting attempt to update the Double Dragon formula, which understands the appeal of the original but fails to offer any longevity or variety.
Pros: The tag team element works well, with a wide range of genuinely different characters. Roguelike elements are interesting, if underdeveloped.
Cons: The combat is as plain and unexciting as the graphics. Very repetitive, with some frustrating difficulty spikes and platform sections. No online co-op.
Score: 4/10
Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: £19.99Publisher: ModusDeveloper: Secret BaseRelease Date: 27th July 2023Age Rating: 12
Email [email protected], leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.
MORE : Double Dragon IV review – when retro goes too far
MORE : Double Dragon II: Wander Of The Dragons review – worst game ever
MORE : Xbox fans get access to over 1,000 retro games with new Antstream Arcade app
Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at [email protected]
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
Sign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they’re seen on the site.Sign upPrivacy Policy »This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
