Double Dragon

For the Sega Game Gear game, see Double Dragon (Game Gear).

n/a

Mega Drive Master System
Double Dragon
System(s): Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sega Ballistic
Developer: Arc System Works Software Creations
Licensor: Technos Japan, Tradewest
Original system(s): Arcade boards
Developer(s) of original games: Technos
Sound driver: Sound Images v1.0
Peripherals supported: FM Sound Unit
Genre: Action, Arcade
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code JP 1988-10-01 ¥5,5005,500 G-1369 US 1988-11 7012 EU 1988 MK-7012-50 PT 1991 MSJ7012 UK 1989-01 £22.9522.95 MK-7012-50 SE 19xx AU 19xx BR 19xx KR 1988-10 GB-1369 US 1992-04 $39.9539.95 ACLD009 US (Video Game Classics) 199x EU 1992 ACLD009 UK 1992-04-29 £29.9929.99 ACLD009
Non-Sega versions Amiga Amstrad CPC Arcade Atari 2600 Atari 7800 Atari ST Commodore 64 Game Boy Game Boy Advance IBM PC Lynx MSX Nintendo Entertainment System ZX Spectrum

Double Dragon (ダブルドラゴン) is a beat-'em-up by Technos released for the arcades in 1987. It is considered a spiritual sequel to Technos's previous hit Renegade. The original arcade game was a blockbuster success and established a number of conventions that would define the beat-'em-up genre, serving as a precursor to later games in the genre such as Final Fight and Streets of Rage. The game was ported to several consoles and home computers since its original arcade release, including to Sega consoles twice: the first time was for the Master System by Sega themselves in 1988, and later for the Genesis in 1992 by Accolade.

Story

Near the end of the 20th century, violence ruled the streets of New York City after the nuclear war and people began forming gangs to survive. On the outskirts of the city lived twin brothers named Jimmy and Billy Lee. The brothers used to run a martial arts school in the centre of the city which was burned down to ashes five years ago as a result of the nuclear war. Despite this, the brothers did not neglect their training for even a day.

The younger brother, Billy, was romantically involved with a female instructor named Marian, but Jimmy was secretly in love with her as well. One day, Marian was abducted by the Black Warriors, a savage street gang led by a man named Willy Mackey. The gang gradually grew in size after the nuclear war and they are now dominant organization of the city.

The Lee brothers set out to confront the Black Warriors and rescue Marian.

Gameplay

Master System version

Double Dragon is a belt-scrolling beat-'em-up, meaning that the ground is depicted from a titled perspective that allows movement sideways as well as vertically (in and out of the plane). The game can be played by up to two players simultaneously, with the first player controlling Billy Lee (who wears a blue outfit) and the second player controlling his twin brother Jimmy (in red). The objective of the game is to defeat every enemy from one area to the next until reaching the end of the stage and defeating a boss. The second player can join the game at any point (except during the last stage) by pressing on the control pad.

The brothers can move in any direction using the D-Pad. They punch with and kick with . Using the same attack repeatedly performs a combo that ends by knocking the opponent down. They can do an elbow smash that hits enemies behind them by holding the D-Pad in the opposite direction that they are facing while pressing . They can headbutt opponents with or . They can grab downed opponents and knee smash them with or throw them with . The characters can perform a flying jump kick by pressing + while moving with the D-Pad. Or they can perform a leaping reverse kick (a jumping kick in the opposite direction that they are facing) by pressing + when standing in place. These jump kicks are sometimes necessary to jump onto platforms in some stages.

In addition to their hand-to-hand techniques, the brothers can equip numerous weapons, which are found on the ground or dropped by enemies when they are knocked down. Weapons can be picked up with when standing over them and used with (replacing the punch). Weapons include whips and bats, which are swung at opponents and give the characters increased reach, and knives and dynamite, which are thrown at enemies. The characters can also pick up and throw large objects such as drums or rocks.

The brothers have health meters consisting of five segments and lose a segment whenever they take damage from an opponent. They lose a life if they take damage without any health remaining but revive in place after a moment if the player has extra lives remaining. There are also some basic platforming sections in which characters can lose a life if they fall off the stage. Each player starts the game with three lives, and players also start the final stage with three lives regardless of how many they had before. Players earn an extra life for every 30,000 points collected. The game ends if the player runs out of lives. The player has a limited amount of time to press to continue the game (resetting the score) after running out of lives. The game has unlimited continues, except for the last stage, which cannot be continued.

Stages

	The Slums
	Map: 1️⃣
	The Factory District
	Map: 1️⃣
	The Park
	Map: 1️⃣
	The Black Warriors Headquarters
	Map: 1️⃣

Mega Drive version

The game is a belt-scrolling beat-'em-up played as one or both of the Lee brothers. It can be started as a two-player game, or another player can join during gameplay by pressing  START .

The brothers move sideways with and as well as towards or away from the background with and . They jump with . Stages sometimes contain platforming sections (such as jumping over gaps). Some stages contain ladders or fences in the background that can be climbed with and .

The brothers punch with and kick with . The basic attacks consists of a left-right punch combo and a kick. After a couple of punches or a single kick, the enemy is stunned. During this period, the player can follow it up with an uppercut, a roundhouse kick, or a head grab (depending on the enemy type). During a head grab, the player can repeatedly kick an enemy with their knees with or throw him to the other side with . Some enemies can also be grabbed from behind during two-player mode, allowing the other player to attack them. Characters can elbow smash foes behind them with +. They can perform a jump kick by jumping with and pressing if facing left or if facing right. They can perform a jump kick by jumping with and pressing if facing left or if facing right. Or they can perform a leaping reverse kick by jumping with and pressing if facing left or if facing right. They can headbutt opponents with or .

There are also several types of weapons that are either found on the ground in certain areas or by disarming an armed enemy. Characters can pick up a weapon with when standing near it and use the weapon with (replacing punch). Certain large objects can also be kicked to the ground with .

The brothers have health meters consisting of five segments and lose a segment whenever they take damage from an opponent. They lose a life if they take damage without any health remaining, fall off the stage, or run out of time but revive in place after a moment if the player has extra lives remaining. The timer starts over if the players get a time over. Players earn an extra life for every 30,000 points collected. The game ends if the player runs out of lives, but it can be continued if the players have credits remaining. Players have separate lives but share credits. The players can decide the number of starting lives and credits (2, 4, or 6) in the options before starting the game.

Stages

	The City Slum
	The Industrial Area
	The Forest
	The Hideout of the Shadow Boss

Versions

Master System version

The Master System version is a downscaled adaptation of the arcade game similar to the NES version released before it. While the character designs are pretty similar to the NES version, the Master System version retains the two-player co-op mode and features level designs much closer to the arcade game (albeit without the vertical scrolling and climbable ladders and fences in some areas). Because the arcade version used a three button setup (with a dedicated jump button), the input method of certain moves such as the flying jump kick, backward spin kick and elbow strike were changed to better accommodate the Master System's two button controls. The consecutive attacks (the uppercut and roundhouse kick) and the hair grab are also performed a bit differently. The Master System only displays up to three enemies and a single weapon on-screen at once. Stages are not timed in this version.

Mega Drive version

In contrast, the Mega Drive version is a relatively straight port of the arcade with slight differences in graphics and sound. Most notably the backgrounds graphics are different, some of the character sprites (specifically Marian and Linda) are not 100% accurate, and the head-swapped boss characters (the mohawked version of Abobo at the end of Missions 1 and 3, and the Lee brother lookalike at the end of Mission 2) are replaced with plain palette swaps. While the arcade game presents itself as one continuous stage without interruption, the Mega Drive version, like other ports of the game, blackens the screen between stages.

Production credits

Mega Drive version

• Design and Programming: Tradewest
• Producer: Chris Bankston
• Testers: Robert Daly, Steve Graziano
• Manual: Jeff Wagner

Source:

US manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Double Dragon/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

File:MS TV advert NL.mp4

NL TV advert

File:MS TV advert NL.mp4

Print advert in Pixel (GR) #72: "Dekémvrios 1990" (1990-xx-xx)

Master System print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #111: "February 1991" (1991-01-16)

Mega Drive print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #124: "March 1992" (1992-02-15)
also published in:

• Mean Machines (UK) #18: "March 1992" (1992-02-27)

Mega Drive print advert in Joypad (FR) #6: "Mars 1992" (1992-02-1x)

Print advert in GamePro (US) #34: "May 1992" (1992-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #41: "December 1992" (1992-xx-xx)

Print advert in Excalibur (CZ) #12 (1992-09-01)

Physical scans

Master System version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 82 Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 79 The Complete Guide to Sega (UK) PAL 85 Computer Action (DK) 75 Console XS (UK) PAL 70 Computer & Video Games (UK) 76 The Games Machine (UK) 81 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 70 Player One (FR) 77 Sega Power (UK) PAL 85 Sega Power (UK) PAL 50 Sega Pro (UK) 77 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 70 Tilt (FR) 75

	75
Based on 14 reviews

Double Dragon

Master System, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, US
Cover
Manual

Master System, US (® from Tonka variant)
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, EU
Cover

Master System, EU (Sega®)
Cover
Cart

Master System, EU (8 languages)
Cover

Master System, PT
Cover

Master System, SE

Master System, AU (Hotline sticker)
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, AU (NIAL sticker)
Cover
Cart

Master System, AU (Bonus/hotline stickers)
Cover
Cart

Master System, AU (Distributed by Ozisoft sticker)
Cover

Master System, AU (Classics)
Cover
Cart

Master System, BR (cardboard)
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, KR
Cart

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 60 Console XS (UK) PAL 72 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 30 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 84 Game Zone (UK) PAL 52 Joypad (FR) PAL 78 Joystick (FR) NTSC-U 71 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) 31 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 40 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 40 Mega Action (UK) 82 MegaTech (UK) PAL 53 Mean Machines (UK) 59 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 59 Power Play (DE) 58 Sega Power (UK) PAL 13 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 72 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 72 Sega Force (UK) PAL 43 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 70 VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (US) NTSC-U 60 Video Games (DE) 54

	57
Based on 22 reviews

Double Dragon

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US (Video Game Classics)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Technical information

Main article: Double Dragon/Technical information.