Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons Review - A Smashingly Good Time

Of all the games series in desperate need of a prequel, we’d be willing to bet that Double Dragon didn’t rank too highly on many people’s list. And yet here we are, with a Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons review. Other than being a mouthful, that title says everything you need to know about the game. It’s Double Dragon. It’s a prequel. And there’s more to it than just Jimmy and Billy.

The game beings by offering you a fully customisable difficulty setting. Players can adjust stats such as health, enemy aggression etc. in exchange for altering the rewards they will receive. However, as with many games, it doesn’t offer a decent explanation as to precisely how this will affect the game. As nice and welcome as the feature is, there’s a necessary amount of trial-and-error to find you perfect balance.

After this – and before any actual action – player is treated to a lengthy 16-bit stylised intro. Or should that be ‘subjected’? You’re a teen in a city overrun by gangs. The mayor won’t do anything about it, so it’s up to you. And this is where the game finally sorts itself out.

You can select two characters for tag team action. When one dies, the other comes into play. You can then choose which level to play in any order you like. Punching, kicking and comboing your way through in fighting gameplay that’s a bit more stuttered than modern rivals such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, but no less fun. The depth of the combat system deserves all the compliments it will surely receive.

It won’t be long until you’re learning some fantastic techniques. A jump attack to grab a mid-air enemy, throwing them into the on-foot troops to stun them and then following-up with a special attack to take out several at once. The latter of which is controlled by a slowly recharging meter – filled quicker by landing attacks – and contributes to a second combo score. This ‘special KOs’ score can also be added to with weapon kills, and will offer bonuses to your in-game currency.

This currency can be used in two ways. Firstly, at the end of each level you can purchase one of four random upgrades for each character. The usual bonuses such as health increases and faster special meter recharges are all accounted for. Or, you can save the currency to exchange for tokens upon a game over (or completion), which can then be used to unlock new content.

The result is a complicated system of compounding metrics. Do you want to play on easy and go for completion, or head straight into hard to earn more currency? You may get your ass handed to you, but you’ll also be highly rewarded. It’s a design that encourages great investment in repeated plays and challenging yourself with more vicious enemies.

Already stated in this Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons review is the combat system, the risk/reward mechanics and the customisability. Add all of this to the huge variety of weaponry, enemies, unlockables and gameplay modes, and you’ll see why it ranks highly among its peers. In fact, along with the likes of Streets of Rage 4 and the TMNT revival, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is one of the best scrolling beat-’em-ups in years.