E3 2012 Hands-On: Double Dragon Neon (XBLA/PSN) - Preview
by Gordon Bryant , posted on 05 June 2012 / 3,253 Views
A pleasant surprise at the Majesco booth (it wasn't listed in the Majesco line-up online), Double Dragon Neon is a retro styled 2-player co-op sidescrolling brawler said to incorporate all sorts of gameplay features from every Double Dragon game to date.
The title is Double Dragon Neon, and I have to say the title is very appropriate. The graphics are cel-shaded, rather than sprite-based, so they really pop out at you, and the whole color palette is filled with radiant oranges and bright pinks ripped right from the 80s. They were going for retro, and aesthetically they did a damn good job, but where the 80s really comes to life is through your ear drums. The soundtrack sounds like this could be the spiritual sister game to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time on the Super NES. That game may have not been from the 80s, but anyone who plays it knows where the audio inspiration lay.
The story follows Billy and Jimmy Lee, once again on a quest to rescue their love interest Marian from the evil Skullmageddon, which is about as complicated as rescuing the princess. Naturally, they punch, kick, and fireball their way through the Skullmageddon thugs through 16 levels, each with 5 areas.
I played two levels, and the game is as basic as you would expect from a sidescrolling beat-em-up. Square to punch, triangle to kick, and circle to grab when the opponent is stunned. You can jump, dodge-roll, or juggle enemies depending on how you play, and there are quite a few systems in place to give you some variety. The first and most prominent gameplay feature is the bro-op, a high five mechanic that allows the two brothers to share one of four high-five types, each with their own special attributes, such as special attacks or health sharing.
In addition to your basic combat and bro-op high fives, there are also Tape-Smith shops, which allow you to trade in cassette tapes for upgrades on your character. It looks like a lot of fun, and it takes you all over earth and space, so this is one campy retro throwback that could be worth your time.
Double Dragon Neon is developed by WayForward and is due out sometime this summer on XBLA and PSN.
