Developer: Technos Japan
Publisher: Tradewest
Released: 1988
Completed: February 16, 2020
Double Dragon was, and still is, one of my favorite arcade games. My local arcade had a cabinet, and even after more advanced games like Final Fight and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came out, I still found my way to ol' DD. That's not to say I didn't love the games that came after it, but I always found it funny that most of them didn't have nearly the number of moves the grandfather of the genre had. The punchy sound effects and killer music heightened an already great gaming experience.
I couldn't wait for the NES port when it was announced. I knew it wouldn't look as good, but the thrill of having Double Dragon at home would outweigh the depreciation in graphics quality. Then I got my hands on it...
Double Dragon NES is not a bad game, it's just not the arcade classic. It's its own thing. There are gameplay elements not found in the arcade original, for better or worse, but the transition from coin-op to console came with some major caveats.
For a game called Double Dragon, you would expect there to be a two-player mode, at the bare minimum. Two player simultaneous play was one of the highlights of the arcade version, but it's eliminated here. Instead, there's asynchronous multiplayer, where both players play as Billy and take turns upon the other's death. To attempt to make up for the lack of co-op, an exclusive battle mode was added that allows two players to duke it out using one of six characters, but even this is not without problems. Both players will always be the same character, so if you were expecting to pit enemy fighters like Williams, Linda, or Roper against Abobo, think again.
The Vs. mode feels like a booby prize for the lack of cooperative play, but that's not why anyone bought this port. We wanted the thug-bustin' beat 'em up action of the arcade original, and we kinda-sorta got it.
NES Double Dragon makes several key changes to the arcade original. The bevy of moves at your disposal in the coin-op are all here, and there's even a new one in the ability to straddle prone opponents and pummel them while they lay defenseless. The problem is you have to earn each move through a poorly conceived experience system. You begin the game with only the basic punch and kick - not even the jump-kick. Each enemy you hit awards points, and every 1,000 points earns you a new experience level, indicated by a series of hearts under your life bar. Punches earn the most points, but come with the added risk of trading blows with your enemies, sapping your precious lifebar. There is a glitch in the game's second level that allows you to earn points by beating up an invisible enemy that never dies, but if you want to go about it the honest way, you'll be 3/4 of the way through the game by the time you unlock the deadly elbow smash.
Due to the NES controller's two button layout, changes to the control scheme were a requirement. One button punches, the other kicks, and pressing both together performs a jump/jump kick. As new moves are unlocked, they're added to your repertoire, and most are handled automatically via contextual cues. For instance, pressing punch with your back to an advancing enemy will perform the elbow smash, and the game does an excellent job of knowing when you intend to punch forward or throw them bows behind you. Like the arcade version, the elbow is the game's easy mode and once unlocked, you can breeze through practically every battle with it.
This is made even easier by the fact that there are only ever two enemies on screen at any given time, and they are always the same. The arcade's cast is all here, with the exception of Jeff, the palette swap of the Lee brothers, and an all-new enemy, Chin, was added in his place. They all look shorter, particularly Abobo, who towers over the player in the arcade version but is short and stocky here, and the game has a decidedly more anime-inspired look than the more realistic aesthetic of the original. The variety doesn't matter, though, because you'll only ever take on two of the same type at a time. I guess the other Black Warriors are all patiently waiting for their turn just off-screen.
Now all this may come off as me disliking the game, but that's not so. I can acknowledge the game's many flaws, some of which I'm even leaving out because they ultimately don't impact gameplay, and still have a fondness for it. I do enjoy NES Double Dragon for what it is. The core gameplay loop of beating up enemies is still fun, even in smaller numbers, and there are even some new stages added to the NES version - some of which even require platforming, which we could arguably do without.
The graphics may have taken a big hit, but they're not unpleasant. They're colorful, and the characters are all easily distinguishable. Interestingly, the Vs. mode graphics are improved even further, featuring much larger, more detailed sprites and more animation than in the base game. It actually resembles a more traditional 1-on-1 fighting game.
One thing that could be an improvement is the sound. The sound effects aren't as good, and lack the small voice samples of the arcade (I miss Abobo/Bolo going "wehhhhhhhh!" as they throw you over their heads), but the music sounds phenomenal. The melodies are true to the source material, but I find it more pleasing than the already stellar arcade soundtrack. There's even some new tunes to complement the new areas, and they fit right in. Double Dragon easily has one of my favorite soundtracks of the NES era, right up there with the Castlevania and Contra titles.
There's no denying Double Dragon was disappointing in all it lacked from its arcade counterpart, but taken as more of an adaptation than a direct port, it's still a fun game. Think of it as based on the arcade version. The basics are all there, but the execution is different - almost like a cover tune. The original song may be the better version, but a band can often put a unique spin on it and make it their own. That's how I see Double Dragon on the NES - a unique, if flawed, experience that won't replace the coin-op, but complements it in its own way.
Double Dragon was completed on a real NES with no cheats.
Recent Comments