![]() Whilst it is understandable for a boss tyrant like Duke to deck their humongous lair in lavish intricately patterned rugs and luxury red velvet carpets, the final level in the Japanese version outstays its 23 minute long welcome. The overall play time averages one hour and for button bashing players, slugging through to completion alone, its gameplay drags. Arcade designers recognised a need resulting from the genre's grass-roots repetitive nature, something Technos did not account for. However, during a time when arcade developers were embedding variety into their brawlers, Return of Double Dragon seemed old school, even in 1992. These may not be original, but it is notable that they have been carefully drawn and shaded. Mission five’s slums consist of cracked paving stones, bronzed brick stair platforms, rusty oil drums and wanted posters. The player traverses Las Vegas, an airport, Chinatown, a Golden Gate Bridge truck ride and even rumbles through a forest to the obligatory big boss’s hideout, and the overall design is a pleasing mixture of bright colours and gritty details. Like other 16-bit beat-em-ups, this cartoon violence puts it more in line with Itchy & Scratchy than Manhunt 2, and these details work hand-in-hand with a medley of control commands and combine as a fun highlight of the game.Įven though it is confined to the dilapidated street premise, the backgrounds do strive to add visual variety. Swinging a Bo staff sees Billy’s hair swish with the momentum, both brothers pull a distinct open mouthed 'fight face' (which Bruce Lee would be proud of) and enemy sprites are so agitated after being on the end of a kicking, that they punch the floor in a hoodlum hissy fit. The Japanese version has three difficulty options and a choice of 5 to 9 credits, allowing the player to set up their game to be as challenging, or as easy as they desire.ĭespite the fact that even its largest characters looked decidedly weedy, it is possible to appreciate that the developers chose to concentrate upon expressive character animations. It incorporates a share credits facility, where second player Jimmy has a drop in/drop out option to join in the skirmish with Billy. The game also has a 'mode B' option to allow for the onscreen brothers to turn the fight on each other, right in the middle of the battle. Particularly as, unlike SNES Final Fight, Return of Double Dragon enables two players to team up in their mission. ![]() However, fans of the street-based genre did not need convincing to re-enter the world of the Lee brothers and face off against Duke and his dastardly gang of Shadow Warriors. The former dwarfed Return of Double Dragon's sprites with colossal characters like Haggar and Andore, whilst the latter infused much needed variety into a repetitive genre with intermissions of 'Sewer Surfing' and Mode 7 'Neon Night-Riders' special effects. These were the arcade conversions of Capcom's Final Fight and Konami's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. The one-year old SNES already had Rushing Beat/Rival Turf (Jaleco) and Sonic Blast Man (Taito), yet there were two other main contenders, both eager to snatch Double Dragon’s title belt. Return of Double Dragon was released relatively early into the SNES's life, and whilst one-on-one beat-em-ups were well represented by Street Fighter II, side scrollers were still finding their fists and feet. This was another addition in a saturated market and one which was deemed as too similar and lacking in the necessary rejuvenations, or innovation, to warrant another cleansing of the streets. To many retro gamers Double Dragon represents the epitome of the genre.ĭespite the popularity inherent with the title, when Return of Double Dragon was unleashed onto the SNES market in 1992 both the gaming press, and consequently the majority of gamers, did not welcome it with open arms. Technos evolved Renegade into the Double Dragon series, and introduced co-op play into 1987 arcades in the form of the tough-as-old-boots brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee. This urban jungle setting for Return of Double Dragon (Super Double Dragon in the West) is as synonymous with 2D side scrolling beat-em-ups as it was with movies like The Warriors, a film which provided inspiration for the granddaddy of the genre, Renegade (Technos's 1986 brawler). The scene is set: grimy, littered streets patrolled by ruthless gangs, whose sole intent is to cause mayhem in the neighbourhood. ![]()
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