Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons Reviews
Are you looking for a cute beat m' up? Then this is your game. It's nice to play together and you can unlock a lot of characters.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Even if Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is technically a new game or a "one-off" from the franchise, I can't say it's a comeback. The dazzling flame of novelty is quickly snuffed out, leaving a lukewarm experience marked by underdeveloped roguelike elements and difficulty balance issues. In short, it's fun, but only for very short periods.
Review in French | Read full review
A call back to the Double Dragon series golden days. Gaiden offers a fair beat 'em up experience, but its rogue-lite mechanics aren't well implemented.
It makes you want more. Very dynamic and eager to invite someone to play to unlock everything you have and continue feeding the content that the game itself gives. An imperative recommendation to any lover of the genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is one of the best games in the series, combining elements of a beat 'em up with those of a roguelike while maintaining the challenge for which Double Dragon is known. The sprite animation is superb. It's a decent buy for the price of $25. You can get a fantastic time on the standard difficulty. This game will put your understanding of beat 'em ups to the test on the more challenging modes.
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!
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons is set in the year 199X where a nuclear war has devastated New York City. Citizens are left to their own devices by fighting for their survival as riots and crime invade the streets. The city has been overtaken by criminal gangs fighting for total dominance of the now-destroyed Big Apple. It’s up to young Billy and Jimmy Lee to take it upon themselves to drive the gangs out of their city.
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.
The game ultimately can’t shake off the repetitiveness that eventually sets in, while the lack of rewarding incentives and awkward platforming do not help its cause. Yet, the combat delivers with great impact, helped by a colourful roster of unique characters and a smart tag-team system that expands the possibilities of combat approaches. All in all, Double Dragon Gaiden is a journey worth embarking on, even if it is for the first few runs to give players a taste of the various mechanics in play.
It’ll be interesting to see what other beat ’em ups get the modern retro treatment, maybe ‘Golden Axe’ or ‘Final Fight’? For now though, it’s time for the Dragons to rise from the ashes and beat down the streets once again, with hours upon hours of old-school couch co-op fun and soon, online as well. Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is the long overdue modern classic that fans have been waiting for.
Double Dragon Gaiden is another solid addition to a year of excellent brawlers.
A well crafted return for the legendary franchise, that mixes in an interesting way its beat'em up soul with some roguelike elements.
Review in Italian | Read full review
This gives me hope that maybe we will get a new main installment in the series sooner, rather than later, but as it is, Gaiden is a more than suitable re-introduction to a franchise that still has a fanbase, and can still attract new players.
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
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 continues the trend of the series’ ups and downs. While it has some truly great designs, it has a lot of frustrating choices that hold it back. I was really excited to see a new game in the series, but it feels like they just want to build something new with each entry instead of capitalizing on what made the original so great. With the recent revival of so many classic beat ‘em up franchises, Double Dragon Gaiden just doesn’t impress nearly as much as it should have.
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.
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.