For many, Double dragon will be the definition of 1980's arcade gaming, it was another
coin-guzzler that captured the imagination of young boys everywhere with its colourful graphics, rad music,
2-player co-op, and of course lashing of violence. In fact, it is
probably still one of the most brutal side scrolling fighting games to
this day, thanks mostly to the wicked headbutts, elbows to the face and knees to the groin that the
enemies receive from our heroes, Billy & Jimmy.
There
were numerous sequels but, with the exception of the marvelous NES
version of Double Dragon 2, they never captured the same magic as the
original. It didn't help that there was never a decent home port of the
arcade game, strange considering the machines of the 16-bit era could easily have hosted an arcade perfect port.There was a respectable sequel on the Super Nintendo in the form of Super Double Dragon (which many
argue to be the best game in the franchise), but other than that we
Double Dragon fans have been pretty short changed. Until now.
Double
Dragon Neon arrives in a period where the scrolling beat-em-up has
laying dormant for some time now. Various 3D efforts such as PS2 & Xbox title The Warriors offered a decent fighting experience, and for the
old school 2D affairs we have had an HD update of Final
Fight, the excellent Castle Crashers, and a Scott Pilgrim game, but we are yet to see an original beat-em-up similar to the 80's games. Double
Dragon Neon realises this, and aims to bring back the spirit
of the original, while adding it's own twist on the franchise.
Visually, the
game will divide fans of the original into two camps. Those who love
the new revamped look, tongue in cheek style, and over the top nods to
80's games and movies, and those who feel this doesn't really resemble the Double
Dragon they know and love. I can see where they are coming from as, apart from the
two main characters and some remixed tunes, there really is little here
to connect this to the original Double Dragon. But in a way this is a
good thing. Free from the shackles of having to stick closely to the
original, WayForward have made the game in their own style. The
graphics have a real flare about them, the garish neon colours and character
costumes screaming 80's cool. The music is deserving of special praise
as it is fantastic. Well produced tunes that could have been released in
the 80's to a great reception, elements of comedy that evoke a
wide smirk, and of course neat remixes of the music from the original.
The soundtrack is also available to download for free from the artist's
bandcamp page, and I urge you to do so. It really brings the game to
life.
As
for the gameplay itself, well you know what to expect. Walk from left
to right, engaging enemies and pummeling them senseless, repeat ad infinitum. The thing is it never becomes tiresome. Moving your character
around is a joy, and the attacks feel solid when they connect. There
are multiple weapons to be found such as a whip, baseball bat, knives,
shurikens, grenades, and a plastic comb (yes really). There is a throw
move, along with a fabulous attack where you grab two stunned enemies and bash
their heads together (complete with comedy bowling strike sound), and a
great move where you can administer a sound beating to a fallen foe.
It's a shame you can't just grab enemies by walking into them (a la
every other beat-em-up game) instead having to stun them first. But you
get used to this and it soon feels natural.
The
game really comes into its own in 2-player 'Bro-Op'. Find
another willing participant to play alongside you and you will have the
time of your life. Tag teaming enemies is great fun, and you really feel
you are dishing out the pain as a combined effort. Add to the mix the
ability to high-five one another for extra damage or to share your life
bar, and it becomes one of the best local 2-player games on XBLA. We are
promised a forthcoming patch that will allow online Bro-Op, but it
hasn't surfaced yet, so one wonders if it will actually appear at all.
The
game's main antagonist is a, pretty obvious, ripoff of the 80's cartoon
villain Skeletor, here named Skullmageddon. At first he feels
slightly out of place in the game, especially as he looks like a
relative of Tekken's Yoshimitsu, yet sounds like a camp 60's Batman
villain. He does grow on you though, and as the game progresses and he
continues to taunt you, he becomes almost endearing. There
is added depth to the game in the form of 'mixtapes', which you collect
from vanquished foes and can also be purchased from the few shops
scattered throughout the levels. There are 20 mixtapes in total, 10
special moves (One inch punch, spinning kick etc) and 10 that affect
your stats (high attack but low defense for example).
Bosses
deserve special praise as they are creative and a joy to fight. From
Skullmageddon himself (3 times), to the Mega Man-alike cyborg (with a
fantastic nod to the terrible artwork adorning the western game boxes on
the NES releases), to the Little Shop Of Horrors inspired man-eating plant
battle. Defeating them gives the player Mithril, a metal used as
currency to increase the level cap of the mixtapes (up to level 50).
This means that there will be lots of repeat boss battles in order to
level up your character to stand a fair chance on the harder difficulty
levels (unlocked by beating the game).
Personally I loved every minute I spent on it. It is an unpretentious game that knows it's core gameplay is from a much simpler gaming era, but it adds enough sparkle and flare to make the experience seem new and fresh. I think critics often knock these types of game because they haven't brought anything particularly new to the genre, but sometimes they don't have to. The scrolling beat-em-up is a genre on life-support and Double Dragon Neon is the defibrillator that will bring the genre kicking and screaming back into the limelight.
An absolute must-buy for those who love arcade beat-em-ups from yesteryear!
The Good:
- Amazing Soundtrack
- Great graphical style captures the 80's vibe
- Solid and enjoyable fighting
- Varied levels
- Mixtapes add depth
The Bad:
- No online multiplayer
- Could have done with more grab moves
Developer : WayForward
Also available on : PSN
Price : 800 points / 7.99
Price : 800 points / 7.99
