Double Dragon on the NES was an incredible beat ’em up game. It was one of the earliest entries in the genre. Over the years beat ’em ups have evolved and become more complex. Despite all the advancements…Double Dragon has stood the test of time. It is often regarded as an all-time classic. And for good reason.
Let’s take a look at what makes this game so good…
Controls
The controls in Double Dragon are super simple. Four directional movement, punch, kick and jump. Nothing too crazy right? Exactly. And it works incredibly well. The player is not overburdened with elaborate button combinations to start throwing down. Just move over here…and punch this dude in the face. The controls in this game are so easy to grasp…anyone can just pick up and play.
Combat
Much like the controls, the combat in this game is relatively simple at its core. Punching and kicking enemies is the standard. But as you move through the game…new combat techniques become available. Soon the player can grab, throw, knee enemies in the face (extremely satisfying) and do spinning roundhouses. This adds a nice sense of progression to the combat. Not to mention you can also use weapons (super cool)…which provides another dimension to this street fighting brawler.
Enemy Delivery
The enemy delivery in Double Dragon is spectacular. Many games will overburden players with too many enemies to help ramp up difficulty. While the player will encounter multiple enemies at once in this game…it never really feels like too much. The enemies seem to spawn in a way that is manageable. Enemy spawns are usually telegraphed nicely as well. The player always feels like they can win the fight…and that is a testament to incredible enemy delivery and level design.
If you spend a few minutes with Double Dragon you will quickly understand what makes this game great. It was not a complex game…but you really feel like you are an unstoppable street brawler while playing. The developers achieved this through a simple control scheme, progressive combat and outstanding enemy delivery. So give Double Dragon its due. This game helped pave the way for the entire beat ’em up genre as we know it today.
Hopefully you enjoyed this post about Double Dragon. Let us know if you have any questions or comments. Thanks for reading!
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