Those who have been gaming for a long time surely remember Double Dragon, the classic side scrolling beat ’em up which first hit the arcades back in 1987. The game featured a pair of martial artists and plenty of high-adrenaline fighting against hordes of enemies, with the game’s action gameplay being some of the most spectacular and entertaining seen in arcades at the time.
Although the game, like many back in the 80’s, featured the usual sexist premise of rescuing the protagonist’s girlfriend, while the game obviously looks horribly dated by today’s standards (and the less is said of the dismal 1994 movie adaptation, the better…). And believe it or not, developer Arc System Works will be releasing a new Double Dragon sequel early next year, which comes more than 25 years after Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone, the last arcade iteration of the game, was released.
This is certainly a nice way to commemorate the series’ 30th anniversary, while it is also noteworthy that the original game’s designer (Yoshihisa Kishimoto) is also project director for Double Dragon 4, meaning that this sequel to the legendary beat ‘em series is likely to capture the feel of the classic originals.
And looking at the game’s teaser trailer above it is clear that the game will look as old-school as the classic beat ‘em ups of the era, so it remains to be seen whether the gameplay will be entertaining enough for modern audiences, as things have moved on quite a bit since the Double Dragon games caused a furore in the 90’s.
There’s a danger that like this year’s Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour, the game’s old-school gameplay might have lost its charm and that players will not be fond of Double Dragon 4’s dated graphics. But still, here’s hoping that this Double Dragon sequel proves to be as appealing as the original games when it’s released early next year.
Note: Double Dragon 4 will be released on January 30, 2017. Available on PS4 and PC.