Arc System Works, developer of Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ, is bringing back a games icon, with a new entry in the Double Dragon franchise, called Double Dragon Revive. And I couldn't be happier. The combo of this developer with the 80s retro game could be a perfect hit of nostalgia and fresh ideas.
Every year a fairground would come to my town and along with it a noisy, sweaty arcade. Inside, wedged between Rastan Saga and R-Type would be Double Dragon, a co-op combat game with a stylised forced perspective and peculiarly bulbous character design. It looked, well… odd, quirky, hideous even. But it played like a dream. And that art style? It gnawed at me and grew, and it could never be matched, even when others tried.
Releasing for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam in 2025, Double Dragon Revive will mix the classic side-scrolling combat gameplay with Arc System Works' fighting game know-how - its Guilty Gear series is one of the best of the genre. The art direction looks good and in-keeping with a developer with a talent for anime visuals and splashy animation.
The game characters are being revamped in full 3D, with redesigns and new designs aiming to bring the world of Billy and Jimmy Lee up to date. Achieving the balance of reflecting on old designs and delivering a new art direction is a tricky one to grapple with, many game remakes have got it wrong over the years.
You can pre-order Double Dragon Revive from the Arc System Works website, but If you can't wait until 2025 then I'd suggest picking up an Evercade EXP (one of our recommended best retro consoles) and the Technōs Collection 1 cartdidge, which includes NES versions of Double Dragon, Double Dragon 2: The Revenge, Super Double Dragon as well as other similar games. The cart will also run on the excellent Super Pocket handheld, currently on sale.
