Double Dragon II: The Revenge

"Technōs created once again a vastly different experience with Double Dragon II on the NES."

Technos Japan·Arc System Works· December 22, 1989· Port

User Score

36 ratings

Technōs created once again a vastly different experience with Double Dragon II on the NES. The experience system was dropped, but the moveset still underwent a few changes. The elbow attack and turning jump kick are gone, but with the standard kick directed backwards they seemed a bit redundant anyway. There are two new ways to make enemies in a grapple suffer, elbow smashes to the head, and a high kick to propel them away. In the brief time window when the Lee brothers are crouching after a jump or after getting knocked down, it’s possible to perform a rising uppercut or a knee jump attack. The timing for these isn’t easy, but they are the most powerful moves in the game. On the NES, Double Dragon II is a much more innovative and unique sequel than in the arcade, but it marks also the time Double Dragon started its schizophrenic shifting between wildly different tones and gameplay styles. In a way it’s one of the best games to bear the Double Dragon name, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that Technōs had already started to loose a cohesive vision of what it meant to be Double Dragon, both in tone and in gameplay.

Released 22 December 1989 for Family Computer, Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 3DS and Wii by Technos Japan, published by Arc System Works. Rated E10+ by ESRB, B by CERO.