Andy O’Flaherty reviews Double Dragon II: The Revenge on the Nintendo Entertainment System…
There is an extremely high likelihood that the vast majority of people reading these words have at the very least heard of Double Dragon. The original arcade game, released in 1987, was a landmark title that revolutionised the way games in the fighting genre were played. Weapon pick-ups? Check. Co-operative multiplayer gameplay? Check. Over-powered boss battles? Check. Interactive environments? Check. Indeed, the original game was ported to just about every home system under the sun (to varying degrees of success), but it was the NES version of the game that stood out, thanks to the game being re-worked towards the systems’ strengths as opposed to being a straight up port of the arcade game. Double Dragon would go on to be a massive success, becoming one of the most recognisable arcade franchises in video game history. It was inevitable that a sequel would follow, and in 1988 we got one…
Double Dragon II, then. Perhaps not as iconic as the original game, but it also received its fair share of home ports, and today we shall be looking as the NES version, which is one of the 30 included games with the Nintendo Classic Mini. Originally released by Technos in 1990, much like the first game this home port has been tailored specifically for the NES. Many issues with the NES port of the original game have been resolved for the sequel (namely the lack of multiplayer and the drab visuals), and of the 3 Double Dragon games on the NES this is by far the best.
Double Dragon II follows the exploits of brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee as they take revenge upon the gang that murdered Billy’s girlfriend Marian (which is actually shown in the arcade version). Players take control of the 2 brothers as they fight their way across cities, helicopter interiors (really), underground bases and forests. There are a nice selection of environments to fight through, and the graphics are clean and crisp. The animation seems a lot smoother than the first game, and there is a greater variety of colours on screen – especially in the backgrounds.
Sonically the game is excellent, with catchy music that perfectly complements the on-screen action, and clear sound effects that help convey satisfaction as you bust heads on your way to glory.
In terms of gameplay Double Dragon II seems a bit odd at first. You have two attack buttons – one attacks to the left, and the other to the right. This remains true regardless of your characters’ orientation, so if for example you are facing right, the left attack button will be a rear attack and the right attack will punch in front of you. If however you were to turn to the left, the left button will now attack in front, and the right will now be a rear attack. This takes much more getting used to than you would think, but once mastered it gives the player great freedom in being able to attack all around at any point in time. You can also use various grapple attacks and combos, but sadly there is no progression system to unlocking new moves like in the first NES outing. The gameplay switches between standard layered stages and single plane stages, with the latter placing a strong emphasis on platforming. These parts can be a bit awkward to control since you have to press both attack buttons to jump, and later on can be a bit on the frustrating side. There a quite a few stages, and considering each player has only 3 lives and no continues, beating the game is certainly a challenge. There are more than a few areas where one wrong step can kill the player, and this combined with some enemies’ ability to throw you can result in some extremely unfair deaths.
All in all though, this is a vast improvement on the original NES Double Dragon. The brilliant 2 player mode, excellent music, interesting stages and satisfying gameplay shine through despite some extremely tough and borderline unfair sections. This is a game that I guarantee will have you coming back to the Nintendo Classic Mini to play time and time again!
Pros:
+ Crisp and clean visuals
+ Excellent multiplayer
+ Fun and varied gameplay
Cons:
– Platforming sections feel awkward
– Some parts can be frustrating
– Only 3 lives and no continues
Rating: 8/10
The original NES game was used for this review.
Andy O’Flaherty
Originally published November 2, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
