Having been released in arcades in 198, the original Double Dragon is approaching its 25th anniversary. Developer Brizo Interactive, and publisher Aksys Games, have jumped the gun slightly by releasing a rehash of the original game a year early. Whilst the game follows closely to the format of the beat ‘em up classic, the artwork has been redone in a manga style, and a couple of new levels have been added, bringing the total up to six, and bonus levels have also been added. Considering the 2007 Xbox Live Arcade remake didn’t exactly set the world on fire, could this attempt fare better on iOS devices?

DOUBLE GOOD

Double Whammy - By today’s videogame standards, Double Dragon is tough. You start the game with three lives, and depending on the difficulty setting, a number of continues. While these alleviate some of the difficulties encountered when facing an army of thugs with just your fists of fury, making it through the whole game on a difficulty setting higher than easy is definitely a challenge. However, it’s not impossible, and with practice, you work out how to navigate your way through a stage, punching and kicking as you go. Seeing the end of level boss collapse from your onslaught is always a welcome sight.

Double Dose - Double Dragon is an expensive game, let’s just put that out there. Whilst it is currently available for a promotional $3.99, the usual price will be set at $6.99. Luckily, the game has a decent amount of content for the price, with a large list of characters to choose from that are unlocked with each completion of the game. The ability to level up each character with extra moves and abilities adds some replayability. The story mode itself is fairly long, with six story levels, and two bonus levels, and there is a Bluetooth-enabled co-op mode as well as time attack. If you enjoy the game, you’ve certainly got plenty to do before you can say you’ve finished.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Double Crossed - One thing that videogame developers have (mainly) eradicated from the industry in recent times is the necessity for pixel perfection. This involves missing a jump by a matter of millimetres, despite seemingly landing on a platform, or, in Double Dragon’s case, missing a punch or kick due to an enemy being an invisible layer away on the screen. While 20 years ago, this would have been excused as an impossibility for the developer to remove from the game, in the modern day, it is highly frustrating. This problem also extends to picking up the myriad of weapons that lie strewn across the streets.

Double Dutch � Now here’s a problem that doesn’t come from the age of the game, instead it comes from poor quality testing. Double Dragon contains spelling mistakes on the loading screens and mismatched item descriptions on the menu. There are issues which shouldn’t arise in a game which, for the app store, is charging a premium price. It may merely be the writer becoming a pedant, but poor presentation is nearly inexcusable in a free game, let alone one people are expected to pay for.

Double Up � For a portable game, I usually expect to be able to pick up the game, play for five minutes, and then put it down again, either having had the game autosave, or being able to save at any point manually. Mobile games are designed for portability, so easy saving is expected as a standard feature. Strangely enough, Double Dragon doesn’t contain any save function at all during the story mode, so if you have to pick up a call, get off the train or engage in conversation, unless you pause the game and leave it running until you’re ready to play again, you’ll have to start the story mode again from the beginning. This was standard fare for the 1980s and early 90s, where even a death meant restarting, but for a gaming system designed for quick bursts, this seems to go against the app store mantra.

Double Dragon isn’t a bad game, and I did have a lot of fun playing through it multiple times, aside from the occasional bout of frustration. However, a game released in 2011, whether a retro update or not, needs to be judged by 2011 standards. Considering the issues listed above I can’t recommend Double Dragon as a portable game, unless you have a lengthy commute to work or plenty of time to kill outside of the house. If you’re a huge fan of the series, or love retro beat ‘em ups, chances are you’ve already purchased the game. However, if not, I’d suggest giving some thought to whether you’re willing to spend a decent amount of money on one slightly above average game, or to spend that money on a couple of superior experiences.