Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons Review (PC)

Marian has a gun and is not afraid to use it. She’s in the casino zone, where there are plenty of enemies who can pull out their own small arms to open fire. So I jump around a little, avoiding all incoming fire while emptying my own clips at promising groups of opponents. As in all other good beat ’em-up titles, they still stream from doors, eager to enter a battle they have no chance of winning.

Of course, these mobs aren’t here to defeat the player, just to offer speed bumps on the path to a big boss. He springs into action and calls plenty of enemies to back him up. Marian takes hits after she’s caught in the middle of a group.

I launch into my special to thin the crowd a little, using a big rocket launcher to deliver a lot of damage quickly. I then call in my other character, Billy Lee. He drops in, stunning opponents for a second, and starts using his fast punches to thin the crowd. Another special kills multiple opponents at once, and a nice hot dog drops. I switch back to Marian, who has already recovered some health and pick it up to get her to 100%.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons is developed by Secret Base, with publishing by Modus Games. I played using Steam on the PC. It is also offered on the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X and S, and older devices from Microsoft and Sony. The title takes the classic arcade beat 'em-up mechanics the franchise is known for and adds modern touches.

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The narrative is a throwback to the days of arcade machine domination. The year is unclear, 199X, but New York City is devastated by nuclear war and ruled by four powerful gangs. Local government is unable to deal with the situation, but the mayor appeals to Billy and Jimmy Lee, young martial arts experts, to help him in subduing crime.

The brothers are joined by Uncle Matin and Marian as initially available playable characters. There are another nine to unlock using money earned during runs. Each of them has a unique approach to combat and a special ability. It gives players something to aim for, supplementing the relatively flimsy story. Simple motivations like beating up all the gang members worked in the past, but modern Double Dragon needs to add some depth.

Before they get to the action, players can define the parameters of their experience. Veterans will want a more difficult experience that can return more tokens. It’s a nice modern touch that makes Double Dragon Gaiden eminently accessible to fans of the franchise and newcomers. I tended to play with permadeath even when I didn’t give my enemies any advantages. It keeps the tension level high.

Mechanically, the game is designed to appeal to fans of the genre. Characters use movement and chained strikes to deal with opponents as they move from screen to screen. The groups get larger and gain extra capabilities as gamers get deeper in a level. Finally, a boss appears with a unique set of abilities and the ability to bring in groups of henchmen.

It’s a formula that worked in the past and still delivers well-paced, engaging combat. Try to strike as many opponents as possible at all times and kite them around to create nice, easy-to-defeat groups. Watch AND learn opponent patterns to defeat them faster. It is a good idea to focus on avoiding incoming damage before going on the offensive.

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As opponents are eliminated, players get both money and energy to power their special attack. Use it when needed but don’t forget the same energy allows players to swap between characters. The one in the reserve slot will gain health, while the active fighter can bring a new skill set to a situation. The two brothers play almost the same, but Marian uses a gun, which requires a shift in tactics, while Matin is slower but can do a lot with his riot shield.

Regardless of who suits one’s playstyle best, try to execute as many Crowd Controls as possible, eliminating more than three opponents at once. The rewards, especially the health pickups, can make the difference between a good and a bad run. Also, break everything to get extra money.

Double Dragon Gaiden layers some rogue-lite elements over its combat. There are four gang layers to choose from at first, and when players clear one, the difficulty for the rest is increased. After completing a level, gamers can choose to spend their money on upgrades or on tokens, basically deciding if they want a longer run or to cash out. The game offers local cooperative play, and getting a friend guarantees extra tokens at the end of the session.

Tokens are the only currency accepted by the game’s shop. The most important unlocks are the extra characters, one of which costs a whopping 50. Dedicated fans of the universe can also spend theirs to unlock art and music. It feels a little weird that game hints are also featured in the shop.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons is a good-looking pixel-driven action game. It aims for how an arcade looks in a gamer’s memories, with plenty of small details for player characters and bosses but with relatively sparse environments. The perspective can play tricks on players from time to time, especially during the limited platforming moments. The music is very good, with some surprising ideas and plenty of nostalgic elements, while the combat effects are designed to sound arcade-like.

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