Double Dragon II The Revenge[a] is a side-scrolling beat ’em up produced by Technōs Japan originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1988. It is the first sequel to Double Dragon, released during the previous year. The sequel involves Billy and Jimmy Lee in a mission to avenge Billy’s girlfriend Marian after she is shot to death by the Black Warriors leader Willy, who is retaliating against the Lee brothers after his defeat at the end of the previous game. Double Dragon II was initially developed as an upgrade kit for the original Double Dragon, but evolved into a stand-alone game due to an increase in memory size, resulting in the developers reusing assets for both games.[5]
Gameplay
The arcade version of Double Dragon II: The Revenge begins with Marian, the damsel in distress from the original Double Dragon, being shot to death by the leader of the Black Warriors. Once again, the players assume the role of brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee, who are now tasked with the duty of avenging Marian’s death. The arcade version of the game is essentially an improved version of the original title. The biggest change in the game’s controls are in the replacement of the original’s punch and kick buttons with two directional-based attack buttons (Left Attack and Right Attack) similar to Renegade. Pressing the attack button of the player’s current direction will do a standard series of punches, while pressing the opposite attack button will perform a back kick. A few new moves are added as well, including a Hurricane Kick.
Similar to Double Dragon, the game is divided into four areas or “missions”: a heliport, a lumber storehouse, a farm, and the gang’s new hideout. The player must defeat a boss at the end of each mission, as well as one or more sub-bosses along the way. Many of the enemy characters from the first game return for this one, but with altered appearances and new attacks, and the variety of weapons they use has been altered. Weapons carried by enemies include shovels, knives, chain whips, and grenades; in addition, crates, logs, and steel balls can be picked up and thrown. The enemies are as follows:
Reception
Reception
| Publication | Score | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amiga | Arcade | Atari ST | ZX | |
| ACE | 720[16] | Positive[17] | 725[16] | |
| Crash | 85%[18] | |||
| Sinclair User | 87%[19] | |||
| The Games Machine (UK) | 83%[20] | 83%[20] | 82%[20] | |
| Your Sinclair | 8/10[21] | 77%[22] | ||
| Commodore User | 7/10[4] | |||
| MicroHobby (ES) | 78%[23] | |||
In Japan, Game Machine listed Double Dragon II: The Revenge on their April 1, 1989 issue as being the seventh most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[24]
In the United Kingdom, the game was number three on the Atari ST sales chart in early 1990.[25] In 2013, Arcade Sushi placed the game 9th on their “10 Best Retro Beat ‘Em Ups”.[26]
Legacy
Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons is a beat ’em up loosely based on the arcade game Double Dragon II: The Revenge, developed by Korean game studio GRAVITY and published by Barunson Creative Co. Ltd.[27] The title was first announced in 2011, but was shelved for release for two years. It was eventually released on April 5, 2013 as a digital download for the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade service.[28] The game was met with an overwhelmingly negative reception, being considered as one of the worst games of all time.
Notes
References
- ^ “Double Dragon II – The Revenge (Japan)”. The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to:a b “Overseas Readers Column: Parallel Case Influenced Manufacturers’ Marketing At AMOA Expo ’88” (PDF). Game Machine. No. 353. Amusement Press, Inc. December 15, 1988. p. 26.
- ^ “Double Dragon II – The Revenge (USA)”. The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to:a b “Double Dragon 2: The Revenge”. Commodore User. No. 65 (February 1989). United Kingdom: EMAP. January 26, 1989. pp. 96–7.
- ^ “Kishimoto on Double Dragon II: The Revenge“ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
