RETRO REBOOT | Double Dragon (Nintendo Entertainment System)
The home port of the grandfather of brawlers overcomes some jank to be a very fun game
RETRO REBOOT
"ColonelFancy" Mike Lind
7/21/20264 min read
Developer: Technos Japan
Published by: Tradewest
Release date: 1988
Double Dragon is a series I can talk about for a long time. Even though nobody within earshot would listen to me babble about two brothers that walk to the right and beat up a seemingly endless line of thugs, but I digress. This has been one of my favorite video game series of all time. My very first memory of Double Dragon was watching my older brother play it in a corner store. I was only about four years old, so I watched over the shoulders of he and my cousin playing it on an arcade machine. they reached the end of the level, and suddenly the hulking form of Abobo smashes through the brick wall. My jaw hit the floor as he appears and makes short work of them. I wouldn't have a chance to play the arcade game until a few years later, so much of my core experience came from the NES title. The great Yoshihisa Kishimoto, who sadly passed away earlier this year, made a port that is missing in some areas, but it's still quite enjoyable.
While the basic premise of the game remains intact, this home version does come with some drawbacks. Due to the limitations of the Nintendo hardware, there is no two-player co-op support, one of the stronger features that made the arcade game so appealing. There's never more than three active characters, Billy Lee and two of the Shadow Warriors, on the screen at a time.
And Billy is the only playable character, but there's a reason for that change when you reach the end. After you defeat the gun-toting thug, Willy, that two-timing snake JIMMY reveals himself to be the true leader of the gang who apparently wanted Marian for himself!!
You. BASTARD.
How in the hell do you walk that back for Double Dragon II? "The Revenge" should be Billy giving Jimmy the roughest noogies this side of Uncle Ted (for those who know...you know).
So the visuals are pretty decent. There's a good number of glitches and flickering here and there, which is common for Nintendo games, but other than that, it does a commendable job of emulating the stages from the arcade game onto the 8-bit hardware. Colors are bright, the character sprites are distinct, and the animation is fine for what it is.
It is a little repetitive to have to battle palette swaps of baddies every screen. And other than Chin Saimei and Abobo, who have unique movesets, Will, Roper, and Linda don't fight all that differently from each other, beyond the weapons they carry. Speaking of which, due to the aforementioned limitations, you can't carry weapons beyond the wave of the enemies you defeated. A bit of a downer, but understandable. It still looks good.
A substantial change to Double Dragon's gameplay is how the combat is structured. Billy's moveset is locked behind experience points that you gain from pummeling members of the Shadow Warriors (or Black Warriors...?). For every 1,000 points, you unlock new skills.
One heart - Standard punches, kicks, and a headbutt
Two hearts - Finishing blows to punch and kick combos, and uppercut and roundhouse kick, respectively
Three hearts - Jumping Rider kick. not very powerful, but an essential defensive attack
Four hearts - Hair pull, knee strikes, and throw
Five hearts - Mounted punches on downed enemy (doesn't work on Abobo)
Six hearts - Back elbow. Incredibly strong
Seven hearts - Jumping Hurricane Kick, the strongest attack in the game
Despite my loathing of skill trees in modern games, I have always been a big fan of this in the NES Double Dragon. Sure, it can be boiled down to grinding for the sake of grinding, especially if I want the strong moves early on, but it adds an interesting dynamic that doesn't exist in many other games in the series. You also gotta stay on one's toes, because the Shadow Warriors will also pick up on some of these new attacks, primarily the jump kick.
I'll plant my stake in the ground with the music, I love the Double Dragon theme being emitted from the NES more than the arcade. Maybe that's the nostalgia talking, or my fascination with chiptune, Double Dragon's OST is packed with memories. And the renditions are genuinely good, the game is packed with tasty tracks that highlight what the Nintendo is capable of. Sound effects are crisp, and the landed blows are satisfying. this game does not miss in the audio department.
There is so much I can say about Double Dragon. Even the Vs. Mode (Mode B) has some enjoyment quality, as it does find a way to get some two-player action in there. Yeah, it's a little on the clunky side, and it's too bad that you can only select the same character. But for a crude fighting game, it was quite ambitious for the time, especially for the NES, as I think you get quite the bang for your buck.
NES Double Dragon is a perfect example of a game that has some shortcomings, but is otherwise a pretty good play. A decade ago, I made a video about my experience with various Double Dragon games throughout my years, that's how much this series and the Kunioverse meant for my influence and upbringing. Even though Double Dragon II: the Revenge is a better game in a lot of metrics, every now and then, just to kill some time, I'll fire this up and have a go for about a half-hour.