Secret Base’s Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons ($24.99 digital, $29.99 physical) takes you on a nostalgic beat 'em up ride featuring new and familiar characters. Series fans know what to expect: wave after wave of post-apocalyptic goons that you bash with fists, feet, special abilities, and weapons. Besides the classic gameplay, the brawler has light roguelite elements that encourage multiple playthroughs. That said, the difficulty spikes, relatively lengthy load times, and repetitive gameplay sully the action a bit.
(Credit: Maximum Games)Return of the Dragons
Rise of the Dragons tasks you with thrashing hoodlums while upgrading abilities and learning new martial arts techniques. Despite being made to play at home (for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation, and Xbox), it makes you feel as though you're standing at an arcade machine thanks to the in-game tokens that let you unlock new characters and continue playing after losing lives. It's a cool detail that highlights the care put into creating a game with a retro arcade vibe. Likewise, the environments are unexpectedly charming. You’ll brawl across several eye-catching stages, including a subway system, a government building, and a surprisingly gorgeous junkyard.
Storywise, Rise of the Dragons serves as a series prequel. Taking place in the year 199X, it reveals the circumstances that set the stage for the franchise's many legendary battles. New York is overrun by various gangs after a nuclear war, so the four default characters must take them down to restore peace to the city.
Like Streets of Rage 4, Rise of the Dragons is a relatively short play that lasts roughly three to five hours. It has just five missions, but you can tackle them in any order. In fact, the game automatically adjusts the difficulty so you'll always face a challenge. It’s a roguelite, so each playthrough is a unique run. You can spend tokens on other items, including gameplay tips, art, and music tracks.
Series mainstays Billy and Jimmy Lee return, and they have differing skill sets. For example, Billy is a bit faster than his brother, and his special move causes him to leap across the screen to take out enemies in a flashy fashion. Jimmy, on the other hand, is a bit slower than Billy, but he has powerful close-range attacks. You can also play as Marian (another series mainstay) and Uncle Matin (a series newcomer), the two other default characters.
(Credit: Maximum Games)On each run, you pick two characters and switch between them whenever the special meter is fully charged (it fills as you attack enemies). This is a nice touch that gives you two full health bars to work with while brawling. If a character loses health, however, they can't return to action until the next level. That penalty adds a strategic angle, making you swap between fighters as their health dwindles.
You can team up with a friend in local, co-op battles, but that's the extent of the multiplayer action—you can't save the city in online bouts. If you want to play a beat 'em up with online multiplayer, check out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge.
(Credit: Maximum Games)Classic Gameplay, But With Issues
There are many enemy types with different attack patterns, and you'll encounter new, more difficult foes in greater numbers with each mission. Some are big and slow, with powerful attacks that you should avoid at all costs. Others are faster, dealing quick jabs while remaining elusive. Some strike from afar with ranged attacks. Overall, it's a good amount of variety that keeps you on your toes.
However, sometimes the old-school arcade feel proves frustrating. I'd often walk up to an enemy, press an attack button, and miss because I was the slightest bit off from where the foe stood. In addition, there aren't many attack options besides your regular and special attacks, so the fighting becomes a bit repetitive. The goons aren't particularly challenging, which makes the button mashing grow dull over time. That is, until the boss fights occur and the difficulty dramatically spikes. Rise of the Dragons could definitely benefit from a more balanced challenge.
(Credit: Maximum Games)The mobs carry weapons into battle, such as knives, glass bottles, and bombs that do big damage, so you should quickly disarm them with your attacks and grab the weapons to use against them. Thrown weapons are a fun element that adds offensive variety, since the game mainly focuses on melee attacks.
That leads to another gameplay complaint: It's difficult to hit downed enemies with some characters. For example, Billy whiffs if you continue to attack an enemy who's knocked to the ground, while Jimmy continues landing hits. I wish each character could keep whaling on enemies when they hit the floor.
Rise of the Dragons' loading times is another issue, especially for a small title that isn't graphically demanding. You can expect 30-second loads when you boot the game and between levels.
(Credit: Maximum Games)Flawed Dragons
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a fun, simple game with a well-executed retro vibe. However, long loading times, striking issues, and inconsistent difficulty make the game feel dated at times. If 2D beat ‘em ups are your bag and you don't mind these issues, Rise of the Dragons is worth picking up. If you’re craving something similar, but with a bit more polish, check out Streets of Rage 4 or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge.
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