Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons

Double Dragon Gaiden:Rise of the Dragons
Developer(s)	Secret Base
Publisher(s)	Maximum Games H2 Interactive (Asia)
Rightsholder	Arc System Works
Release Date(s)
Nintendo Switch	JP: September 14, 2023 WW: July 27, 2023
Nintendo Switch	JP: September 14, 2023 WW: July 27, 2023
Platform(s)
Genre(s)	Beat 'em up Roguelike
Rating(s)
ESRB	04
PEGI	03
CERO	02

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is an roguelike beat 'em up game developed by Secret Base under license of Arc System Works and published by Maximum Games. A spin off from the Double Dragon series, the game was release on July 27, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch.

A free downloadable expansion, "Sacred Reunion", was released on April 4, 2024.

Plot

Prepare to throw down the Double Dragon way in this fresh addition to the iconic beat 'em up franchise. It's the year 199X, and nuclear war has devastated New York City leaving its citizens to fight for survival as riots and crime engulf the streets. The city has been overtaken by criminal gangs who terrorize its ruins as they fight for total dominance. Unwilling to endure these conditions any longer, young Billy and Jimmy Lee take it upon themselves to drive the gangs out of their city.

—Description from the official website

Gameplay

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a beat 'em up video game that incorporates roguelike elements to its gameplay. At the beginning of the game, the player has to select two different characters to play with from an initial roster that includes Billy Lee, Jimmy Lee, Marian and Uncle Matin. The player can freely switch between these two characters during the course of a mission, allowing them to develop diverse strategies and combos to fight against their enemies. The game features a local co-op mode where up to two players can join in simultaneous cooperative gameplay.

The player will earn tokens as they advance through the game, with which they'll be able to unlock up to nine more playable characters, for a total of 13, each with their own gameplay styles and strengths. This way, the player can choose their fighting duo taking into account the dangers and obstacles presented on each stage, with certain characters being able to overcome their difficulties more easily. The game's difficulty setting can be adjusted to affect the amount of tokens that are earned per session. Tokens can be spent in the "Token Shop" to purchase new playable characters, gameplay tips, etc.

The game features a dynamic mission select function, where the order in which the missions are selected will affect their length, number of enemies, and overall difficulty. A shop is accessed at the end of each mission, where the player can spend their earned cash to purchase upgrades for their characters. These upgrades are randomized each time, making each playthrough unique. Additionally, cash can be used to revive downed players during ongoing missions. A Modifier option is also available to enable permadeath or even infinite mode.

Development

Double Dragon Gaiden was first announced on May 3, 2023. An official website was made available the same day, featuring screenshots, in-game features, and gameplay footage.

Double Dragon Gaiden had been in the works for three and a half years. According to a June 26 interview that Siliconera conducted with Secret Base founder Raymond Teo, Arc System Works contacted him somewhere between 2014 to 2015 when they were looking into publishing his parody beat ’em Devil’s Dare. Because the game already had a publisher for the console version, they were unable to work together. Four years later, a new publisher was found to rerelease the title as Streets of Red: Devil’s Dare Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch, bringing much needed success for Secret Base. After the release of Double Dragon IV in 2017, Teo used a mock-up video of the game design and art style to pitch an idea to Arc System Works for a brand new entry into the series. The two sides spend another year of discussing and studying the material of the IP before they finally gave the green light in late 2019. The game's development was influenced by all the previous Double Dragon games, as well as various movies, comics and animated shows.

A third trailer was released on June 29, showcasing the game's roguelike mechanics, fighting maneuvers, Token shop, and unlockable characters. A ten minute video of gameplay was shown off on July 10, with Mike from publisher Modus Games giving an overview on the Okada Clan Headquarter mission. Another trailer was posted the next day that spotlighted both the main cast and some of the unlockable fighters, with Modus also providing character bios detailing their backstories and combat specialties.

One week after the game's launch, Teo revealed plans in an interview with Retro Gamer (Issue 249) to incorporate an online co-op mode for a future update.

Sacred Reunion

On March 15, 2024, a free DLC pack entitled "Sacred Reunion" was advertised for an April 4 release, promoting a trailer that teased Yagyu Ranzou being one of three new characters, two new modes (Survivor and Versus), the aforementioned online co-op, and other new upgrades. Three days later, Teo unveiled Sonny Lee as another playable character for the DLC pack. This was followed up on March 27 when Chin Sei Mei was finally revealed for the last trailer.

Reception

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons got a mixture of good to average reviews from media outlets. Marcus Stewart from Game Informer gave the Nintendo Switch port a 7.25 out of 10, finding the combat to be adequate and most rewarding when defeating multiple foes at once. However, he found the late levels designs, stage hazards, and offscreen attacks from enemies to be frustrating. For his conclusion, he noted, "Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons has some aggravating design choices that prevent it from reaching the heights of similar comebacks like TMNT or newcomers like Young Souls, but this is a respectable return for the Lee brothers. If you’re hankering to punch goons in the face, a good time can be had as long as you bring a measure of patience."

Nintendo Life's Tom Massey scored with 7 out of 10, applauding the tag feature, graphical art style, remixed soundtrack, and broad move set. For the cons, he thought the game still lacked a bit compared to its predecessors, feeling that the rouguelike aspect was oversold in the marketing. He also saw divisiveness in the cash system, and questioned the replayability factor. At the end of his write up, he says, "It’s a game that has secrets to uncover, twists to happen upon, and plenty of cash grinding and unlocking to do. While initially fun to work through, how many times you’ll feel encouraged to replay the campaign is questionable, especially with its overall pacing and neutered thrill of brutally knee-slamming someone in the face. Still, it’s certainly worthy of attention for beat 'em up fans looking for old things in new forms."

Techraptor writer Giaco Furino rated Double Dragon Gaiden with 7.5 out of 10, praising the controls, cash/token system, and visual style. The few things he didn't praise was the token shop having few game changing features and repetition from similar ground-level enemies. He concluded by writing, "With fun, bright graphics and a novel approach to level design, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons refreshes the classic beat-em-up genre, even if it can sometimes feel a bit repetitive."

External links

• Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons at Double Dragon Wiki
• Double Dragon Gaiden official website
• Double Dragon Gaiden Japanese official website
• Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons at Nintendo's official website
• Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons at MobyGames
• Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons at GameFAQs