Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons Review – Old school flair, new school gameplay

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons is a game with much more hidden beneath its surface. I quickly discovered that my preconceptions of what the game would be weren’t totally accurate, with a level of complexity I certainly wasn’t expecting from a game that looks like something I would find in an old pizza parlor. With no tutorial, the game throws you right into the action, which can make it difficult at first to realize the depth of mechanics hidden beneath.

Looking at previews of the game, I was initially a bit put off, in no small part thanks to the kind of jarring character sprites, which go for a kind of Metal Slug vibe that I don’t think is as strong in some places. However, where I expected a simple beat ’em up with an arcade cabinet vibe, I was surprised to discover that Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is actually a roguelike and perhaps the first of its kind.

In the dystopian setting of the year 199X, New York City lies in ruins after a devastating nuclear war. The once vibrant metropolis has become a desolate wasteland, where law and order have crumbled, and its citizens are left to fend for themselves in a post-apocalyptic nightmare.

Criminal gangs have risen to power, exploiting the chaos to establish their dominion over the city’s remnants. These ruthless gangs terrorize the streets, preying on the weak and vulnerable, and enforcing their rule through violence and fear. The city is now divided into territories controlled by different factions, each fighting for total dominance.

Amidst the grim landscape we find two brothers, Billy and Jimmy. Both skilled martial artists who care about their friends and their city. Witnessing the suffering and injustice inflicted upon their fellow citizens, they refuse to stand idly by and watch their city fall deeper into despair. With the help of their friends, the Lee brothers decide to take matters into their own hands, determined to drive out the criminal gangs and restore hope to their devastated home.

At the beginning of the game, you can choose from a total of four characters, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and unique special moves. Whether you prefer to be a swift and agile martial artist or a gun-toting cop, the starting lineup is fairly diverse, and you get to bring two characters into the game through multiplayer or with the tag-in mechanic. More characters are unlocked as you progress through the game, further expanding the roster. 

The gameplay feels super familiar to old-school arcade games, seeing you navigate through multiple side-scrolling levels, with each stage becoming increasingly challenging as the player delves deeper into the heart of the city’s dangerous underbelly. Armed with your character’s formidable special moves, you’ll face waves of enemies that vary in combat styles and strengths. Ruthless gang leaders will occasionally appear as formidable bosses, providing an even greater challenge.

The game can be experienced solo or with a friend in two-player co-op mode, allowing you to team up and face the dangerous streets of New York together. This cooperative aspect not only enhances the fun factor but also adds a layer of strategic gameplay as you can coordinate their attacks and special moves to take down enemies more efficiently.

One of the most intriguing features of Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons is the unique way the game integrates its coin-collecting mechanic. Instead of merely defeating enemies to score points, you will be rewarded with coins for each enemy you conquer. These coins act as the in-game currency, and they can be used strategically to purchase roguelike upgrades at the end of each level.

These upgrades introduce an element of unpredictability and replayability to the game. At the end of a level, you can access a shop where you can spend your hard-earned coins on various upgrades. These upgrades are randomly selected, so each playthrough offers a different selection of enhancements, making every experience unique.

The upgrades might include boosting your character’s health, increasing their attack power, enhancing their special moves, or even unlocking new abilities and combos. The strategic use of coins becomes paramount as you must decide between immediate power-ups or saving for potentially more powerful upgrades in later levels.

Coins are also used to purchase one-ups or “extra lives.” The cost of these lives changes based on the difficulty of the game, becoming cheaper the more you buff your enemies. This incentivizes you to play the game on more challenging difficulties and further plays into the arcade cabinet vibe the game has by mimicking the quarter-revive systems of old.

As you progress through the game, you will find yourself challenged not only by the tough enemies and relentless bosses but also by the decision-making process surrounding your coin usage. This adds an exciting layer of risk and reward that keeps you engaged and eager to try different strategies and playstyles. Running out of money means no retries, which means you need to start a new run. To my knowledge, this makes Double Dragon the first-ever arcade cabinet beat ’em up roguelike.

The fighting gameplay of Double Dragon is solid, though pretty simple and easy to get a grasp on. Each character only features about three special moves, which are fairly easily executed. This becomes much less of a problem, however, when you realize how expansive the roster is, and creating combinations of character duos makes up for the lack of fighting-game level depth.

As I said before, the art direction is hit or miss for me, strong and nostalgic in some places and weaker in others. The narrative is nothing too amazing, with a really interesting premise but not a lot of dialogue to really expand on it. You really don’t need it though, as the game just wants to drop you in and see you take on the gangs of New York.

Try Hard Guides was provided with a PC review copy of this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles in the Game Reviews section of our website! Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and Playstation.