Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons Critic Reviews

The most interesting part of Double Dragon Gaiden's legacy is that it arguably shows there is a whole lot of untapped creative latitude when it comes to freshening up traditional concepts and mechanics. Most commendably of all, late game difficulty spikes notwithstanding, Double Dragon Gaiden manages that rarest of feats by fashioning an irresistibly engaging genre effort that cribs both from the old and the new to give wannabe brawlers one of the best genre entries since Streets of Rage 4 punched its way into our hearts.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons comes during a time where we wouldn't mind some good ol' fashioned beat 'em up side scrolling games. A huge roster of characters and a great new tag team feature really push the franchise forward. While it gets everything right, it baffles me that we have to wait for online co-op. Still, that shouldn't deter you. Double Dragon fans should grab this right now.

If Double Dragon IV left a bitter taste in your mouth and you’ve been waiting for the franchise to return to its former glory, it’s time to celebrate because the Lee boys are back and fighting fit. With its furious fisticuffs and a wealth of smart evolutions to the series’ established formula, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a must-play for fans of the beat-’em-up genre.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a side-scrolling beat'em up that basically restarts the franchise respecting its roots, valuing the classic style of the genre and updating specific concepts that guarantee the reference for old school fans. At the same time, it proves to be a beautiful gateway for new fans of good old-fashioned beatings in the best pixel art style.

If what you’re looking for is a quick burst of arcade action, or just a decent action game you can jump into and play for 10 to 20 minutes, Gaiden’s got you covered. It doesn’t have quite as much depth as something like Streets of Rage 4, but its crowd-control mechanics are an entertaining addition to the basic beat-’em-up formula.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a surprisingly clever and fun brawler that manages to add some neat touches to a well-trodden genre. The run-based nature of it gives players plenty of decisions to make and the game is good at giving you options. The pixel aesthetic works well and the action is very easy to read. There's a lot to manage on screen but I find the special attacks provide frequent and effective crowd control. The gameplay is familiar but the new tweaks have been really refreshing.

Double Dragon Gaiden is another solid addition to a year of excellent brawlers.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is missing a little zest, something extra. When I dived back in after that first run, the fun and the warts and all were still there. Combat was a blast and my newly unlocked characters asked me to play the game in a different way and tackle its gauntlet of gangs in a different order. And much like the classic Double Dragon with its handful of stages, that’s eventually all that would become of it. Maybe the game needs permanent unlockable buffs, more levels, better ways to spend tokens, and more ways to tweak the difficulty. All games must run their course and, depending on who you are, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons will be a long ride or a short one. Thankfully either imperfect journey is still fun.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a solid successor to one of the most iconic beat 'em up series out there. If you're up for some brawling fun with an interesting roguelike structure then definitely give it a go but watch out for those TNT blasts.

The breath of Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons burns hot thanks to clever tag combat and a big roster of diverse characters, but it doesn’t burn very long as you hit some poorly executed platforming, uninspired roguelike elements, and a shallow end game.

Since it's confined to two player local co-op, it's not as exhilarating as the six player online chaos in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. It also lacks the consistently updated polish of Streets of Rage 4, yet Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons adds roguelite progression, which makes it a strikingly replayable contribution to the modern side-scrolling beat-'em-up resurgence.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons revives a fundamental beat-em-up dynasty, with variable paths and multipliers making it a worthy multiplayer investment.

Double Dragon Gaiden focuses on replayability to its detriment. Solid combat mechanics give way to balance considerations made to justify all of the difficulty sliders and upgrade systems. If I had to pick between a game with a lot of “replayability” versus a game I simply like to play, the latter will win out every time. Double Dragon Gaiden isn’t far off from being enjoyable on the merits of the gameplay alone, but it’s far enough to consider going back to the dojo and polishing its Sou-Setsu-Ken technique.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons does a reasonable job of bringing back a classic series, but it’s unfortuantely hit and miss. Some imaginative stage design, a fantastic soundtrack, and stages changing dependent on the order you pick are all satisfying additions. But a focus on making money to earn tokens, some nasty difficulty spikes, and what feels like forced replayability detracts from the experience. This is close enough to a classic Double Dragon title that it’ll likely attract some fans of the originals. However, it’s also an example of a game that could have gone a little further and perhaps should have considered taking some inspiration from other successful recent revivals in the genre.

There’s a lot to like about Rise of the Dragons, even if it doesn’t fully click and deliver a new all-time great brawler. The core action is fluid and enjoyable, some of the unlockable characters are a blast to play, and the roguelite elements work well enough (even if it’d probably be better to just play as fully powered characters from the get-go). However, the stages and the boss fights aren’t unique enough to make this a truly memorable experience. It’s doesn’t add a ton to the franchise’s legacy, but it’s easy enough to settle into and be a worthwhile new diversion, especially in co-op.

It’s commendable that Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons tries to do something a little new with the formula – although Streets of Rage 4 did get their first with its Survival mode which also features roguelike elements. There is fun to be had here, but ultimately, the late-game difficulty spikes are a major hurdle to get over – and the moment-to-moment action never reaches the heights of some of the best in the genre.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is an entertaining beat 'em up with many unlockable characters, but its relatively long load times and inconsistent difficulty make for an occasionally frustrating brawling experience.

It's hard to recommend Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons to anyone but the the most hardcore fans of the series. Everyone else should probably give this one a pass.

An occasionally interesting attempt to update the Double Dragon formula, which understands the appeal of the original but fails to offer any longevity or variety.