Double Dragon Neon doesn't have much of a story, so nothing much has changed in this way over the years. The game begins with brothers Billy and Jimmy's girlfriend being kidnapped by a group of thugs. You and your brother then set off to find and rescue her all while beating up breakdancing gang members, dominatrixes, massive goons without shirts and plenty of other bizarre enemies. Soon, you will meet up with the dreaded Skullpocalypse. The game's characters are half the fun with Double Dragon Neon; with so many ridiculous characters with horrible voice actors running around, you're sure to get a few good laughs while being reminded of a time when these things would've been considered the industry normal.
In Double Dragon Neon, you use a mixture of light and heavy attacks and can perform a variety of combos to deal damage to your enemies. You can pick up plenty of weapons to help you fight along the way, and you can also equip a special move to deal out some quick damage when you get surrounded. You can also gain Gleam by dodging at the last second, high fiving your brother or performing other important tasks. Gleam allows you to deal more damage while activated. It's also important to remain on the look out for mix tapes while playing the game. Each of these will unlock a move or passive ability, and spending 10 mix tapes plus a piece of Mythril found from bosses will level up your mix tape move or statistic permanently. It's a fun progression system that always keeps the action moving forward.
The soundtrack in Double Dragon Neon is a clear throwback to the '80s with plenty of guitar riffs, funky sounds and '80s pop sounds. The game's classic sounds combine with revamped gameplay for a sense of nostalgia unlike any other. The real drawback here is the length of the game. Playing from start to finish, Double Dragon Neon will only last you around 1-2 hours depending on how much you die and have to restart. There are a decent amount of stages, but fighting the same enemies can get repetitive and the game leaves little replay value outside of cooperative play. Still, there's a lot of fun and good humor here that will make your first trip a blast, even if it is short lived.
When all is said and done, Double Dragon Neon is probably not quite worth the ten dollar asking price. The game is a wild ride from start to finish--the first time you play it. It's repetitive nature and short completion time leave the game with little replay value, and the game's slow moving, awkward characters can lead to some frustrating moments in combat. If you've got extra money to blow and a couple of hours to waste, Double Dragon Neon is a perfect game to play and earn some quick trophies, and don't forget PlayStation Plus members can pick this one up for free!
Double Dragon Neon is now available for PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Arcade and can be purchased for $9.99 and 800 Microsoft Points respectively. Double Dragon Neon is rated T by the ESRB for Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity & Suggestive Themes. For more information on the game, check out the official Double Dragon Neon website.
Game Information:
Developer: Majesco
Publisher: Wayforward Technologies
Platforms: Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3 (reviewed)
Release Date: September 12, 2012
