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With the original Double Dragon, Yoshihisa Kishimoto realised a dramatic, violent expedition to save a kidnapped girl from a miscreant petrol gang. Although the genre had already been established by Irem’s Kung-Fu Master several years earlier, the scores of enemies, weapons, multi-plane scenery, two-player functionality, and broad range of attacks made it the biggest arcade smash of 1987. Although its direct sequels were lacklustre, 1995's Double Dragon for the Neo Geo (a fighting game spin-off often known as Double Dragon ’95 to differentiate) was notable. Designed to tie in with the questionable US-produced Double Dragon movie, it remains a very good game. Difficult, perhaps, with thankless AI, but the mechanics and balancing saw it played competitively far and wide. Sadly, the series didn’t revisit the fighting game format until 2002, when Rage of the Dragons surfaced as a late Neo Geo contender.

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Originally meant to be a sequel to the aforementioned 1995 release, licensing issues had Rage of the Dragons end up outside of canon despite featuring two brothers named Billy and Jimmy… Lewis. Its roots, however, are obvious, and it's still recognised by many as being part of the overall Double Dragon universe.

Co-developed by Evoga of Mexico and Noise Factory of Japan, it’s a remarkable-looking game. Bright, bursting with colour, and featuring superb animation, it stands alongside SNK’s Mark of the Wolves as an incredibly impressive, late-stage Neo Geo work. The backgrounds pop and the 16 characters — including playable bosses — are all excellent.

The likes of half-Chinese Lynn Baker bring a youthful flair to the proceedings, and the Enter the Dragon-inspired Mr. Jones enchants with some solid '70s afro-funk. There’s also a screen-dwarfing brawler named Abubo Rao, who clearly began as Double Dragon’s infamous Abobo before some tweaking was made. Interestingly, many of these characters also appear in the Neo Geo’s Power Instinct Matrimelee (2003) either as hidden characters or during super attack assists.

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Rage of the Dragons utilises four buttons across light and hard punches and kicks. It's a game famous for its range of special mechanics, including neutral standing dodges, a double tap dash, and a retreating hop. It's very Neo Geo in feel, sharing kindred elements with King of Fighters, including an escape roll to dodge and reposition, a parry counter, and four kinds of ranged jumps, some of which travel shorter distances but at faster speeds. These tools might sound complex, but they don’t take long to get used to, and anyone already accustomed to the Neo Geo’s fighting library will pick it up fairly quickly.

There are super attacks governed by a gauge at the foot of the screen, allowing for traditional flashy routines unique to each combatant, but its primary hook is that it's a tag team game. It’s certainly not the first of its kind on the Neo Geo, predated by the likes of Kizuna Encounter in 1996 - but it’s almost certainly the best. Unlike King of Fighters, where you pit three characters against three across a best-of-three match, here you can tag your characters in and out of the fray at will, with the character on the sidelines slowly recovering energy.

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Choosing your team is key, and learning each character’s strengths and weaknesses really offers strategic depth. While there are default teams prepared for you, you can also go fully custom and pair quick, lithe characters like Sonia Romanenko with rotund Kang’s considerable bulk. Every character has a First Impact attack engaged with HP and HK buttons in tandem. This will pound the opponent into the air, turning the background temporarily crimson, and a button sequence prompt will appear at the foot of the screen. If followed correctly, you perform a special five-hit combo unique to your character.

For an idea of how Rage of the Dragons works, if you engage a First Impact attack and land the combo, you can then tag in your partner to catch your opponent in a juggle, extending the damage much further. It’s a flexible system that feels right, and is nicely weighted and enjoyable to toy with. There are also Team Duplex Attacks where both of your characters attack simultaneously - although this only works with team presets.

Rage of the Dragons isn't easy, requiring skill and dedication to get the best of it. Thankfully, with its relatively slow input method of methodical taps over fraught and hasty mashing, it's both measured and manageable. With this updated 'NEO' version of the original, learning is far less a struggle. There are options for almost everything, from on-screen move lists to granular parameter adjustments across arcade mode and beyond. The in-depth training is excellently handled, with damage counters and a neat visible hit-box toggle that shows exactly where your attacks can and can’t land.

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Elsewhere, the game cooks online with rollback netcode, allowing you to pair with people of similar skill levels. Versus mode now has a new option for up to five-on-five battles, opening a new dimension of strategy in a spectacular battle royal. There’s a jukebox, showing off the game’s excellent soundtrack, and even a music edit menu where you can pick and choose your favourite tracks. There are lots of ways to adjust difficulty, screen sizes, and filters for pixel-perfect scaling and CRT effects. And, if you like in-game Achievements, there are plenty of those too.

One thing worth noting about Rage of the Dragons is that its AI was always infamously tough, and this remains unchanged. Newcomers may feel put off by early beat-downs, but shouldn't be dissuaded. Various difficulty levels allow you to adjust the challenge to your liking, and we highly recommend starting easier and then switching up when you become more proficient.

There’s no cross-play, which seems par for the course when it comes to Switch-based fighting games, limiting the online pool. Despite this, the rollback net code works well and the game runs smoothly. Most importantly, it holds up: Rage of the Dragons is the best fighting game that was almost a Double Dragon game. The characters are varied and incredibly fun to play, sporting wild pyrotechnic special moves and a wealth of satisfying combos to experiment with; and the zest Evoga's Mexican team brought to the party shines through. It’s a game, owing to its tag team format, that’s exciting from the get-go but will take a long time to master. For fighting game fans, this very polished re-release is a real treat.

Conclusion

Rage of the Dragons Neo is a peach of a game. Plucked from the Neo Geo library, it’s been brought back to life with a smooth online experience and a comprehensive package stuffed with bonuses. It’s not for everyone, and don’t be surprised if you get beasted online initially, but for those willing to eke out the depths of its tag team strategy and combo extension methods, it's a furious, flashy, adrenaline-fuelled affair that looks great, sounds great, and plays even better.