Co-Op Multiplayer
Roguelike
Arcade
Retro
Beat-Em-Up
- Price: $24.99
- Release Date: Jul 27, 2023
- Number of Players: 1 - 2
- Last on Sale: Sep 30, 2024 [$12.50]
- Lowest Historic Price: $12.50
- ESRB Rating: E10+ [Everyone 10+]
Reviews:
-
The classic early beat-em-up has gotten a decent upgrade, better than the usual for it, but it has a weird flow overall
There’s no question that when it comes to the OG beat-em-up style games from the arcades, Double Dragon was one of the most notable. While not perfect by any means there was just something to its style that simply worked quite well. Early ports to the likes of the NES were even better than average overall, making the franchise feel like it was on very firm footing. But then, at least in my eyes, the series lost its way for a while. Strange choices and many of the titles simply not being much fun were the norm for a while, but with Rise of the Dragons it feels like it’s back on firm footing again, even if it still makes some distinctive choices that can seem odd. My first runthrough I was actually pretty frustrated with play. I just wasn’t feeling very powerful, and try as I might with the pretty limited options for attacking I just couldn’t get into what felt like an effective rhythm with the base attacks… sort of following the traditional school of thought that your special attacks should be reserved and more precious. Well, that doesn’t fly with this game, and it’s really the special attacks that change the typical flow to make it feel distinctive. Depending on how many enemies you can knock out with one special you’ll get all manner of bonuses, and even better that’s how you’ll be able to replenish your health. It’s really this change from the norm that helps the game stand out, though I’d imagine it will get mixed reviews. On the one hand, pulling off a huge combo can be quite satisfying, but perhaps the focus ends up being a bit too much in that direction, making the normal bread and butter beat-em-up experience suffer in the process. If you’re a fan of the series, or are simply down to check out how differently this ends up playing, it may be worth a shot for genre fans.
Justin Nation, Score:Good [7.9]