Classic 80’s Beat ‘Em Up series Double Dragon is receiving a surprising new entry at the end of this month. Japanese fighting game developers Arc System Works has announced Double Dragon IV. It’s coming for PC (Steam) on January 29th and PlayStation 4 on January 30th in the US. The price is only listed in yen right now, but it converts to about $6.99 US.
The press release states that, “Billy and Jimmy Lee are back and they’ve brought the 80’s with them except the battlefield has moved to Japan!” Notably this new entry features several of the original Japanese developers, including series creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto.
Like previous entries Double Dragon IV stars the two Lee brothers as martial artists on a vengeance-fueled rampage. They punch and kick their way through 2D side-scrolling levels dripping with 80s fashion and style. This new pixelated entry apparently takes place after the events of 1988’s Double Dragon II: The Revenge, one of the first video games I ever played.
Naming this new entry “Double Dragon IV” is a bit confusing. The series lasted through the 16-bit era (SNES and Sega Genesis) up to Double Dragon V. A few handheld and mobile remakes have been produced over the years.
The most infamous remake was Double Dragon Neon, a funny self-aware parody of the series. Double Dragon Neon was developed by WayForward Technologies and was released in 2012. If infuses a colorful art style and solid 2D Beat ‘Em Up gameplay starring the Lees. It was technically a reboot story-wise. But with Double Dragon IV we’re returning to the original story-line.
Double Dragon IV launches on January 29 (PC) and January 30 (PS4).
