The first information suggests that the old style and atmosphere will be the goal of the return of Double Dragon in 3D, but at the moment we don’t know the name of the game.
According to the Japanese publication Weekly Famitsu, Arc System Works has announced a new 3D Double Dragon game that will be released for almost everything (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One… where is Nintendo Switch, is it being developed for the unannounced Switch successor?) sometime in 2025.
According to the magazine, Arc System Works (ArcSys) is aiming for an old-school side-scrolling action game feel, while the Japanese studio is also looking to offer an updated control scheme and more difficulty options for today’s audience, drawing on their experience in fighting games (they’re also behind the Guilty Gear IP, for example). It’s also official that Jimmy Lee, Billy Lee, Roper, and Abobo will all appear onscreen in “stylish” 3D, according to the announcement.
Since this is all we know about the project at the moment, it is worth summarizing the history of the franchise. The first installment of Double Dragon, courtesy of Technōs Japan, hit the arcades in 1987, followed by a port for the NES in 1988 and the Game Boy in 1990, but the game has also appeared on other platforms (SEGA Master System, SEGA Genesis, Atari Lynx, Atari 2600, Atari 7800…). The sequel, Double Dragon II: The Revenge, appeared in arcades in 1988 and on the NES a year later, with the third installment, Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone, appearing in 1990/1991 (with a different title on the NES: Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones). The final installment from the original development team was Super Double Dragon, released for the SNES in 1992.
Subsequent installments were released by Tradewest, SNK, Tectoy, and Aksys Games, but in 2012, Double Dragon Neon from WayForward Technologies was another solid point (even if the episode was a parody of the IP itself), and in 2017 came Double Dragon IV, courtesy of ArcSys.
We can’t wait to see what the new 3D installment will bring…
Source: Gematsu, Ryokutya2089
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