Double Dragon II: The Revenge is a side-scrolling action beat-'em-up produced for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1989. It was published in North America by Acclaim Entertainment, who took over from Tradewest.
This game was a nice improvement over the first Double Dragon on the NES I have posted about before.
The Story
The twin brother Double Dragons - Billy and Jimmy Lee - are back to avenge their girlfriend, Marian! In order to defeat the sinister Shadow Warriors, the fighting duo are challenged in 9 dangerous missions, facing various evil enemies! The non-stop action becomes intense as they fight in the ultimate battle between good and evil. A battle that decides the fate of the world!
The Graphics and Sound
The graphics got better than the first game with large character sprites and improved animation. The music is kinda okay, and the sound effects are just of the average standard.
The Gameplay
The techniques and controls have changed differently from the first game. In the first game, A was punch button and B is the kick button. This time, A button is for attacks to the left, B is for the right. Depending on what button you press and which direction your character is facing, different attacks can be done. Even more moves are available from crouching, jumping and holding positions. This time, your characters do not have to learn these moves as they progress - they got them already.
Secret Power Moves can be done by pressing the right buttons at the right time but also require the most practice. You can find and use weapons that enemies attempt to attack with, in order to get the edge.
The controls seem to work well, again using the same two-button jump technique that is used more in this game. There is an importance on jumping because of the many annoying traps in the second half of the game. One wrong jump can cause instant death, so you'd better be good at it.
Also there is no continue or save feature, and you have got a challenging game especially at the highest of 3 difficulty levels. However, if you can beat the game on that level, you'll get a secret surprise.
My Verdict
Double Dragon II on the NES is a good, but a bit different, brawling action game with the same style as the original before it. It offers slightly more replay value with the 2 player coop and more skill levels making it a better follow-up to the first game.
Get this gaming gem on the NES or play it on emulators. Go and have fun with a 2 player friend.
I never sunk the time into this one to really appreciate it, not like the first Double Dragon which I have a ton of fond memories of.
With emulators now you can try it again.