Arc System Works has announced recently that the latest installment of the beat ‘em up video game series “Double Dragon,” “Double Dragon 4,” will be officially released on the PlayStation 4 and the PC on January 30.
“Double Dragon” is a familiar game way back in the late 80s from the Nintendo Entertainment System and it has been with a Japanese game development company until 2012.
Arc System Works purchased the rights to the franchise in 2015 and it spared no time in creating a version of the game for the PlayStation 4 and the PC with the help of the core development people from the previous Japanese game development company.
Apparently, Arc System decided to release “Double Dragon 4” this year on the PlayStation 4 and the PC because 2017 marks the 30th Anniversary of the franchise.
A surprise trailer
Arc System Works published a surprise trailer recently revealing “Double Dragon 4,” and tied it into the celebration of the franchise’s third decade this year, reports Gamerant.
The trailer briefly showcases each of the first three games in the series, namely: “Double Dragon,” “Double Dragon II: The Revenge,” and “Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stones.”
That’s all capped off with the reveal of “Double Dragon 4” which appears to use the NES sprites of “Double Dragon II.” It’s a retro revitalization like what Capcom once tried to do with “Mega Man.”
To accentuate the excitement of the trailer, Arc System Works also announced that the game would launch on January 30 for the PC and PlayStation 4.
A noteworthy franchise
“Double Dragon” is a noteworthy franchise in so many ways, despite its near absence from the modern gaming landscape.
With eight games in the series, a major film, a cartoon in the mid-90s, and a couple of cross-over titles including the warmly remembered “Battletoads” mashup, the franchise really has a legitimate history in the gaming industry.
However, due to a bankruptcy and the eventual purchase of the property by Arc System Works, it has given the franchise a new life, culminating in the release of “Double Dragon 4” on the PlayStation 4 and the PC on January 30.
The game uses the same sprites as the Nintendo Entertainment System version of “Double Dragon II.” That design choice stands for protagonists Billy and Jimmy as well as several of the enemies that players will encounter in the new game based on its trailer.
The gameplay in “Double Dragon 4” also seems similar to the mechanics of the original games. There are knees, uppercuts, grabs, and mid-air spin kicks.
But judging by the footage, “Double Dragon 4” does seem to be putting some priority into a combat system that encourages combining those into strings of attacks. Or it just seems that way to make the game’s trailer seem that much cooler than the other games.
Some gamers are actually asking whether there has been a previous “Double Dragon 4” and the technical answer is that there was sort of one when it almost came out to the arcades after “Double Dragon III” as “Super Double Dragon.”
“Super Double Dragon” was actually made with an all-new, inexperienced director and a lot of content were cut from the final product. It never even saw release in arcades, which was a large part of the franchise’s popularity up to that point.
After the poor performance of “Super Double Dragon,” “Double Dragon V” was ultimately licensed to a third-party and the franchise has suffered since.
Then there was also the “Double Dragon Neon” which attempted to reboot the series back in 2012 but the franchise has since suffered from declining reception from traditional gamers.