Arc System Works has today announced that the beat 'em up Double Dragon IV will be hitting the Nintendo Switch eShop next week; the official page gives a Japanese price, though we'd anticipate a Western release on the same day or shortly after.
The series takes place after Double Dragon II, following the adventures of Billy and Jimmy in their quest to create as many dojos as they can across the land, however they are suddenly stopped in their path by their archenemies and must do battle once again for peace.
Double Dragon IV will feature three main modes on the Nintendo Switch:
- Story Mode
- Follow protagonists Bill and Jimmy as they attempt to thwart the plans of "The Renegades". Play in either single player or local co-op with new characters available to unlock.
- 2P Duel Mode
- Take on friends in a one on one fight. All characters unlocked in the story are available for battle with enemies even playable.
- Tower Mode
- Climb to the top of the tower by defeating all enemies and no continues meaning game over is game over.
You can watch the original Double Dragon IV introduction trailer below:
For Nintendo Switch the game will be playable in all three modes (TV, Tabletop and Handheld) to either fight it out in co-op or take on the story mode in single player. The game is being released to celebrate Double Dragon's 30th anniversary and will be available from 7th September on the Switch eShop for ¥800 Yen (£5.99 apx). It's a game that wasn't universally loved when released on other platforms, so it'll be interesting to see how it's received on Nintendo's system.
Will you be learning the secrets of Sosetsuken? Let us know.
[source perfectly-nintendo.com, via arcsystemworks.jp]
Comments 57
Loved these types of games when I was younger
I was very disappointed when it seemed they wouldn't bring it to Switch (instead giving it that farming game and....Othello)
Very glad to see that they are actually porting it all along
Didn't this game review incredibly badly when released earlier this year?
Bloody terrible,
It's about time....
"River City Ransom: Underground" totally outclassed this one, but I still manage to enjoy it. I have it on STEAM... but I do believe I will double dip.
Finally, hope they fix the screen tearing issue that plagues the PS4 version though. Now that Sonic Mania and the endless wave of NeoGeo titles proves that nostalgic could sell on the Switch, Arc System Works finally noticed. Hopefully Crapcom notice too.
Not sure about this one , but might be tempted if they keep it at £5.99
If this game plays half as well as the Originals it is going to be amazing!
Destructoid used an image from Double Dragon Neon in their post about this and I got excited for a second. Haven't heard many great things about IV, though...
I've beaten Double Dragon 1-3 on the NES, so I MUST get this game to add to the list
@FragRed It sure did. I purchased it thinking that maybe the critics were overly harsh on a nostalgic game...unfortunately the game is a mess. Poor level designs, abysmal story that would be better with no story, sluggish framerate at times, and REALLY bad punching sound effects (they changed them from the NES originals)...it's just a bad return for the series. DD Neon was the right return for the series IMO.
It's a shame because Arc System Works does a great job with their games, but this feels like a misstep. Now if Arc System Works and Konami would even consider doing a Hard Corps Uprising 2 for Switch (or even port the first game for starters), that'd be a perfect fit for Switch.
Isn't this meant to be absolutely trousers?
Hm. My wife and I enjoy playing the Double Dragon game on the NES Classic from time to time, even if it is a bit too difficult for us apparently to beat. This may be worth it still though.
They forgot Double Dragon 2 on the Nes wasn't just a beat them'up but also a very good action platformer with plenty of good level design ideas. I didn't find this in this Double Dragon 4.
hmmmm idk if my childhood will allow me to like this game.
This ran terribly on my PS4 Pro, it wasn't even vsync'ed with tearing all over the place. Who makes an 8-bit game that can't even churn out frames evenly? Unless there has been some major tinkering to fix things this will be an easy one to avoid.
@retro_player_22 Capcom did notice. To the point that they got away with charging 34.99 for Street Fighter 2. I know what you mean though. So many old school Capcom franchises would feel right at home on Switch including the Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 and 2 and the Disney Afternoon Collection. How they got past the Switch really is beyond me
Looks awful.
Reread reviews from critics and players. Watched the first five mins on youtube. Sadly still looks bad, which is sad because I love I and II.
@fox_mattcloud That game was developed before there was any feedback possible from how retro games were selling on the Switch - it was part of the original announcement. I almost wonder if Legacy isn't coming ot the Switch (so far) so that they can release 1-10 for like 8-12 bucks a pop as single releases on the eShop and make more money. Licensing stuff would probably mean they'd have give us the Disney Collection as a collection though. Also both those collections aren't developed by Capcom themselves but by a 3rd party. So there may be a temporary excuse there.
Is this game really not worth 6 bucks? Are you all saying that just because it doesn't hold up to DDII or is the game actually that bad?
Now I'm sad that I got it on Steam. And it was not a long time ago. I'll probaly not double dip on this one.
Ah, good to see they are actually bringing it to Nintendo
Meh, I loved DD back in the Nes days but I'm not feeling this 8 bit style. I know it's supposed to be a throwback to the Nes games but I wish it had a more arcade feel to it. I skipped this on PS4 and I will be doing the same for Switch.
Buying it. Just take my money.
I didn't even think this would come over, but it's an insta-buy for me. I'll deal with the imperfections later... it's DOUBLE DRAGON TIME!
This is one of my childhood favorites, and back then, both part 1 and 2 were great fun to play, but they have aged quite badly.
I can understand that, because of the anniversary, they went with the looks of the original game, but in my humble opinion, they should at the very least have gone for the look of the third game, which was already looking considerably better. Still dated, of course, by today's standards, but much better nonetheless.
I always preferred the Commodore Amiga version. It had more colors and better sound than the console versions:
Other than this game, the only other Double Dragon game I could still recommend, is the Neo Geo spin-off, which is just a 1 vs 1 fighting game, and not a side-scrolling beat em up. Still great fun to play, though, so if by any chance Hamster decides to release it on the Switch, then it should be more or less a must-buy for fans of the genre, and the intro really set the tone:
Here's some gameplay in single player mode:
Do not buy this game. It feasts on nostalgia in the worst way possible and not in a fun but also progressive way, like in Sonic Mania and Mega Man 9/10. In fact, just buy Double Dragon Neon isntead
I was gonna say another plus for the Switch but then I read the comments above. I will wait and see if Switch version has added improvements. I also bought it for PS4 but didn't dive in yet.
No thanks, will be waiting for Wild guns 2 and Windjammers to be Switch bound.
DD4 did not need to be retro and control retro (the bad kind of retro) when NEON exists.
Its super Double Dragon on SNES that I want. Its the best in the serie.
This game is awful. I was so deeply disappointed with it. Don't get it guys. Honestly it could've been waaaaay better. ...All in just my humble opinion....
I liked it well enough on PC. I'll double dip.
Passing on this one. I really wanted to like it but with the flat level design and simple AI I just can't double dip. Put it this way, if this really was an 8-bit NES release, this would be in between 1 and 2 on an evolutional scale for the series. I would literally see this as Double Dragon 2 and the real Double Dragon 2 would be 3, instead. (and the real Double Dragon 3 wouldn't exist, lol)
@ThanosReXXX I played NEOGEO Double Dragon a year or two ago at an arcade bar. It wasn't as bad as I remember. I'll probably give it another go if it comes out out on ACA (It's licensed, though, so maybe, maybe not?)
@masterLEON I never thought it was bad at all. It's not the best Neo Geo fighter around, but certainly one of the more entertaining and varied ones, even with it's small roster of characters.
I just like all the over the top stuff, which the game intro nicely illustrates...
I haven't played double dragon since some time in the 90's on a cheap handheld that only had that game. Fun times waiting in the cafeteria lunch line. Lol
Loved Double Dragon 2, but considering I could hardly make it through the trailer for this one makes me think it ain't my cup o' punch.
Oh well, least once on the Virtual Console's here, they'll no doubt bring 1, 2 and 3 to the system and you can somewhat have the whole "8 Bit saga" (Bar games like Neon and others)
Meh. Neon wasn't worth it. Not sure if I even finished it. Even in co-op it was total meh. This doesn't look any better than DD II.
its where demon's souls got it's physics from!
@MegaTen Never play the SNES japanese version. I will take a look to it. Thanks for your advice.
Yuck. I'd rather have WayForward's Double Dragon Neon instead.
Hey! WayForward! Sounds like a lot of people want Double Dragon Neon on Switch!!!
@ThanosReXXX hmm I played the neogeo game a ton as a kid. Good times (not the best fighting game in the world but I wasted several hours on it).
Hey I'm pretty sure I suggested this would make sense on Switch a few insane rants ago lol
@Ryu_Niiyama My point exactly, so you'll get no argument from me. And that is also why I already said these things in one of my previous comments...
@sillygostly
I was gonna say the same thing... Double Dragon Neon was pretty good... DDIV reviewed so poorly, I never even gave it a shot.
Dragon master gotta be strong!
Fight for right battling wrong with the power of the Dragon! Live the code the code of the Dragon, with the might the might of the Dragon, with the mark the mark of the Dragon!
Neon was absolute dog crap, I've been looking forward to this one being more enjoyable.
"following the adventures of Billy and Jimmy"
Eh, its Bimmy and Jimmy!
It's still not released on PS4 in Australia, so Nintendo will get my money now, not Sony.
Didn't Hamster release DD1 and 2 on PS4 as part of their ACA releases? Hopefully they come to Switch too. (Never really liked the home versions)
Why in this awful Graphic Style? Why couldn't they use 16Bit Graphics? Man, this sucks!
I'd prefer to have double dragon neon!
Isn't this game supposedly pretty atrocious? 'I'm a hardcore fan of Bimmy and Jimmy's adventures but this one was so bad, I didn't even bother. It has absolutely horrible word of mouth.
Double Dragon Neon meanwhile I can confirm is actually pretty awesome, if not a bit random in some ways.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...