Billy and Jimmy Lee are back in Double Dragon Revive! The boys have escaped the cameo hell of River City Girls to once again hit the streets. It’s time to make use of their Sosetsuken fighting abilities and remind players why the Lee boys were the original walk-and-brawl boys.
Back to the Beginning
Double Dragon Revive revisits the original story of Double Dragon, one that sees the Lee brothers take on the Shadow Gang, who rule over a post-apocalyptic world with an iron fist.
As you might expect of a remake, it doesn’t do a whole lot to change the basic narrative from the original game. However, it does add a little more detail to the motivation behind the Shadow Gang’s kidnappings. As well, while Marian still gets kidnapped, she doesn’t remain captive for long and soon joins the brothers and Yagyu Ranzo (from Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone) on their quest to stop Machinegun Willy and his Shadow Gang.
The story is mainly told through some rather nice static drawn images, and the added depth to the story at least gives reason for the palette swap enemies that come in later on. It’s just a shame that the franchise seems destined to replay the original game over and over again, especially since we have had an official Double Dragon IV.
Go Right!
Double Dragon Revive is a beat ‘em up or “belt scroller”, which seems to take most of its inspiration from various games within the rest of the franchise along with a handful of other games. On paper, it’s your traditional “walk to the right and beat people up” game, but you’ll find enough nuance in the combat system for it to be a fun and rewarding experience, if not slightly lacking in originality.
There are the standard punch and kick combos, along with a special attack move; in Billy’s case, you’ll see him doing his iconic spin kick. You also have moves like a launcher attack to send enemies into the air, a back attack for enemies sneaking up on you, and low attacks to help break guard states. It’s all pretty standard stuff as far as the basics go.
What does stand out a bit more is that the game allows you to mix in “gimmicks” such as environmental attacks and weapons. It also features heavy usage of “juggling” your foes where you can keep them in the air using the right attacks. This keeps them unable to attack, and deals some tasty damage to go along with it.
Using gimmicks effectively and reaching higher combos builds your special meter. When this is full, it allows you to use a devastating screen-clearing attack. With the way the game is so heavily built around juggling enemies and keeping your combo up, getting to grips with how the different attacks link together is essential. When it clicks, it really brings out the best in Double Dragon Revive.
The Best Offense Is A Good Defence
Another new feature for this title’s combat loop is that some enemies will telegraph attacks or flash. If you hit them with a special move at the right time, not only do you negate the damage, but you perform a critical counter on them. This leaves them dizzy, deals a health chunk of damage, and fills that special bar even quicker. Other defensive options include a dodge option with a few invisible frames to take advantage of and a block that lessens damage when you have no other option.
The movement and combat in Double Dragon Revive feel really good, much better than you might expect from watching gameplay. It isn’t until you get it into your hands and start to play it that you feel some of the fighting game DNA that oozes through its veins. But to get the most out of the game, you’ll have to test out how to chain all your abilities together.
In terms of gameplay modes, there’s a standard story mode which is 8 stages long and clocks in at just under 2 hours (skill depending), which is quite lengthy for the genre. There is also an extra “challenge” mode that offers situational challenges to test your knowledge of the game, and as a reward, it unlocks a little extra story based around the enemies in the game such as Abobo or Roper. These can be quite gimmick-heavy and will take a few attempts to take down, but they offer a little extra gameplay for budding martial artists.
The difficulty of the title is fairly manageable for the most part. Boss fights will challenge you, especially the last few, with one of them making you fight 4 bosses at the same time; that one was certainly a skill check but felt great when I finally cracked it. Sadly, not all bosses are made equal and the first couple could have done with a little more to make them stand out from just standard fights.
Double Dragon Revive offers co-op gameplay, both local and online. It’s not crossplay, so it depends on your console how many people in the wild you’ll come across. I enjoyed playing the local multiplayer, but didn’t manage to get into any online games.
There is a gallery mode too, with plenty of artwork and cutscenes to unlock. The game is fairly feature rich for the genre, which somewhat offsets a higher-than-normal asking price for this type of game, which I know will be a sticking point for some. Personally, I think it’s reasonably priced for what is on offer, and it is a lot of fun to replay through the game with the four different characters and chip away at the extra challenges.
(Figuratively) Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry Series
The most discussed aspect of Double Dragon Revive has been the art direction of the title; it has a very distinctive look, reminiscent of the early 2000s of gaming. This isn’t just in the game’s graphics (which really aren’t matching up to current titles in fidelity anyways), but also in the art style. Everything has that 2000s nu-metal style to it. Just add some early-aughts Limp Bizkit or Linkin Park playing in the background and Diesel-sponsored costumes, and it’d feel just like an AA 2000s release.
It is 100% a personal opinion how you take the art direction, and it does seem a step backwards from Double Dragon Neon or River City Girls 2. That said, I have such a soft spot for these weird attempts at modernizing franchises that I don’t mind this type of look. At least it stands out against the other games in the franchise and brings a sense of nostalgia for what was a golden time in gaming, at least for me.
The voice acting is fine, but it doesn’t stand out. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is outstanding with some brilliant original tracks and remixes of iconic music from the franchise. The one thing this series always excels at is having a great soundtrack, and fortunately, Double Dragon Revive carries on that tradition.
Verdict
Double Dragon Revive will not be the return to form that it should have been for some. Others may look beyond the iffy art direction and new-yet-dated graphics and find a very competent and, dare I say, fun brawler with a healthy dose of combat. You’ll find me in the camp of the latter.
It’s always welcome to see the Lee Brothers, and while it’s not quite as addictive or fun as Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons, it offers plenty for fans of the genre and the franchise. It’s one I’ll return to time and time again, and I would love to see a sequel to see how the developers would tackle a remake of Double Dragon II in this style.
DOUBLE DRAGON REVIVE IS RECOMMENDED
If you’re into beat ’em up games, check out our review for River City Saga: Three Kingdoms Next!
Many thanks go to Arc System Works for a Nintendo Switch review code for Double Dragon Revive.
Pride of utopia & greatest thing ever, I found the One Piece, Collected the Dragon Balls & won the Mortal Kombat Tournament in one night, it was quiet for me that night! Follow me on Twitter @powahdunk
