Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons Reviews
I loved Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons as a fan of the genre and a fan of the franchise. The Gaiden moniker is certainly apt as this doesn’t look or feel like a traditional Double Dragon, but as we haven’t had an original title from the series in six years, it’s hard to argue whether this is a side or mainline release at this point. Its addictive and random nature is fantastic for the genre, but I can imagine that coupled with the art direction, it isn’t going to be a street everyone will want to walk down. Tokens cashed in, this is a fantastic addition to the genre and franchise and hopefully, it spurs more Dragons in the future!
There’s some undeniable fun to be had if you can look past the hit collision issues, or the lack of proprietary support for online coop. The roguelite elements are interesting but don’t feel essential in any sense, almost as if a mandatory box to tick and tickle the fancy of some fans. As a throwback to one of the all-time brawler greats, Double Dragon Gaiden is competent, but doesn’t really pack the punch that the series deserves.
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons dives headlong into renewing the franchise, even though it respects the classic a lot and avoids mischaracterizing it, thus preserving the nostalgia factor. The changes that bring new perspectives to the gameplay and fighting strategy in the campaign are very welcome, thus differentiating the title from its contemporaries. The stumbles in difficulty and the injustice caused by wrong decisions, however, take the shine out of the journey – both solo and in duo –, which is fun most of the time, until it becomes extremely frustrating.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a very good brawler, not just for fans of the series but for anyone that wants to sit down for a satisfying blast of one-two-punch action. It’s great to see a brawler add more depth to the single-player experience by allowing you to pick two characters and swap between them on the fly. It’s not quite as enjoyable as playing in local co-op mode with a friend, but it’s a welcome feature. Gaiden may be a side story compared to the main series, but it’s easily one of the best entries I’ve played. It’s just such a blast to jump in and attempt a run. With a similar feeling I got playing brawlers back in the retro days; only the controls are much tighter. Whether alone or with a friend, Gaiden will surely keep you entertained on your next game night.
“Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons” features an amazing cast with awe inspiring combos and styles. Sadly, the game ends up being dragged down by poor level design and a “roguelike” mode that barely fits the formula.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The legendary franchise is back with Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, a delightful gameplay, pixel art and an irresistible chiptune soundtrack. A videogame that puts Billy and Jimmy Lee in their rightful place: among the beat 'em up elite and in the top 3 games to enjoy with friends.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
One of the most enjoyable co-op experiences.
Overall, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons has creativity sparks in its fun and fast moments, but it's necessary to be willing to face its blunders.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a more than interesting beat 'em up. The return of the mythical Technōs Japan franchise -now in other hands- is modernized, including roguelike mechanics that give fresh air to such a classic formula, and more updated gameplay. It's not quite perfect and it has several edges to polish, but it's a good starting point for the future of the saga. Double Dragon Gaiden is a game that should be taken into account by both the classic fan of the franchise and the beat 'em up lover in general.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The core loop of the new Double Dragon game might prove to be a little bereft of content for those looking for something to really sink their teeth in and enjoy in the long run. In short bursts, though, and with a like-minded pal to play together with, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons can serve as a decent distraction in the Switch multiplayer space.
A solid side-scrolling action adventure beat-em-up. I loved being reunited with Double Dragon in all its revamped glory and enjoyed my time playing it. I’ll no doubt dip into the game from time to time or even play it split-screen with friends and family. There’s tons of replayability and it’s challenging enough especially with the various difficulty modes for it not to get boring quickly.
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons updates the classic brawling franchise with new mechanics and gameplay loops that feel fun, impactful, and chaotic in all the right ways.
Despite it's issues, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is easily a highlight of the franchise's modern era. It's simple, yet addictive combat, impressive animation and replay value makes it among the best Double Dragon games we've had in decades.
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a smart reinvention of the side-scrolling beat-em-up with its roguelite spin, selectable missions, and explorable environments. There’s some really clever ideas bubbling around in this game, in fact it probably holds the key to the future of the genre in its DNA, but sadly Secret Base don’t lean into it quite enough and give us the content to sustain the concept.
I did have a fun time with the title and hope that Secret Base can get a second crack at this IP, perhaps the Lees can call their toad buddies for another romp. They definitely did put an interesting spin on the beat’em genre with things like the increasing length and difficulty depending on the order of selection, the crowd control system and the rogue-like elements. If you’re a connoisseur of the beat’em up genre, these boys are on the rise and they’re definitely worth a playthrough.
Overall I’d argue this is probably the best Double Dragon game yet. It does just enough to modernise the franchise without straying from the path well traveled and alienating fans of the franchise.
The classic early beat-em-up has gotten a decent upgrade, better than the usual for it, but it has a weird flow overall
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is the revival we’ve long yearned for. It’s sleek, with crisp visuals and, excuse my pun, a punchy combat mechanic. Nothing felt sluggish, with zero stutters or freezes to speak of. The optimization is pristine, and the soundtrack is, as the kids say, lit.
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons isn’t dragged down by the classic problem of doing too many things at once and not succeeding at any of them. Instead, we’re left with a solid experience that can stand alongside the best in the series while also being a good entry point for those who might want a less demanding roguelike in their lives. Having accessible entry points into new genres is good. Having fun multiplayer experiences are even better. Don’t ignore Rise of the Dragons, because there are some classic-laced-with-modern shenanigans here that are worth checking out.
Building on classic roots and updating it with modern gameplay, presentation, and progression, Double Dragon Gaiden is an absolutely fantastic beat 'em up. Near-perfect from start to finish, it is a polished example of just how much you can do with a retro property when you’re willing to innovate and modernize the rock-solid core.