The granddaddy of all arcade beat'em ups. If you want to talk about a game series that paved the way for a genre, this is definitely it. Now, as big a Double Dragon fan as I am, I would be remiss if I didn't say this series has aged like a cup of yogurt in front of a radiator when compared to succeeding brawlers. There's still a charm to revisiting this series, preferably the Nintendo port. 

Developed by Technos Japan and published by Tradewest in the United States, the Nintendo port of Double Dragon was released a year after its arcade predecessor in 1988, this cart changed some aspects of the arcade version. Due to the limitations of the NES at the time, the first Double Dragon lacked co-op. No more than three active sprites could be on the screen at one time, and to save space, you were generally attacked by two of the same enemy: two Wills, two Ropers, two Chins, and two Abobos. It always looked like a thug had just honored their doppleganger coupon and looked to cut you off at the pass.

Exclusive to this version is an EXP system, where landing strikes earns you points. When you reach 1000, Billy learns new attacks like uppercut finishers, back elbows, throws, and jump kicks, indicated by the hearts underneath your health bar. I always found it necessary to sit at the beginning to the game to smack the two Wills around until I acquire at minimum three hearts, that's where you at least have the jump kick. It's not a powerful move, but it gets you out of some tight pinches when enemies surround you. 

Some of the missions are also different, incorporated in this version are some alternate levels. Mission 3 has sub areas in caves that have some of the most frustrating elements in the game; hazards and platform jumps. Double Dragon doesn't boast the most responsive or intuitive controls, so you know what it definitely needed? Trying to stick a landing on moving conveyor belts and avoiding falling stalactites while trying not to accidentally use the shoulder dash (or headbutt??) by double tapping forward making precise movements. 

Double Dragon looks pretty good, it's a compelling NES title that does a great job redesigning the sprites of the characters and the backgrounds, dare I say they're more memorable than the arcade. That might come from growing up with this port more. There's a little bit of graphical clipping and flickering, but there's virtually no slowdown when the action picks up. For the Vs Mode, which serves as a crude fighting game for the time, uses a modified engine with bigger, more animated character models. 

Yeah, this was a pretty lame mode in hindsight, but like Karate Champ, you just keep playing it. And to its credit, it's very ambitious. For data compression, players one and two select the same fighter and each of the six fighters can pick up a different weapon that's in the middle of the stage. Each of them fight differently and it's entertaining to wail on each other until it gets old.

While the platform portions are a pain in the neck, the combat is solid enough. You have your basic punches and kicks, and the aforementioned special attacks (just back elbow everything, it defeats most enemies in one shot). Enemy patterns are easy to figure out and once you nail their tendencies down, the game is a breeze. In the second Mission, you can simply end it by either throwing Chin off the stage entirely, or triggering a glitch where after he exits the door, simply retreat back down the ladder and YOU WIN! He's easier to beat than Glass Joe! If anything, nailing the enemies and beating them can be a cinch. The stage hazards like Mission 4's stone wall can kill you instantly. There's no pattern or sense of rhythm to it, the bricks come out and you can be auto-killed in a combo almost instantly. You just have to get really lucky and hope you don't lose a life or lives in the process. There's no temporary invulnerability or boost damage of any kind. And as mentioned, there's no continues, so getting any kind of reasonable practice in this area is really hard. It's about as trial and error as you can get in an NES game.

 What I think is the funniest part of this game is the end. When the reveal is just JIMMY LEE, it raises so many questions. Like being the true leader of the Shadow Warriors is one of the most unspoken heel turns in 8-bit history. Secondly, all of this over Marian? Dude, that's your brother's girlfriend, so absolutely dirty pool.

Along with the Kunio-kun series, Double Dragon is a game that embodies retro and technos Japan was one of the faces of arcade beat'em up goodness and laid the groundwork for series like Final Fight and Streets of Rage. The second game, Double Dragon II The Revenge is a much better and more definitive brawler, but the first game makes for great Let's Play material in the modern age.

I've also produced a video covering various games in the Double Dragon series a few years ago, which can be seen here: https://youtu.be/41erHEscR4I

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