Modus Games and Secret Base have confirmed a release date for Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, which is coming to Nintendo Switch.
This cooperative beat ’em up game has looked to revitalise the iconic franchise, promising to present players with “incredible, seamless tag team abilities and a multitude of strategies for devastating combos, defensive and offensive moves across the game’s 13 unique playable characters.”
Set in 199X, New York City has been devastated by nuclear war. Its citizens are left to fight for survival as riots, crime and chaos flood the streets, and criminal gangs terrorise what remains as they battle for dominance. No longer willing to endure these conditions, Billy and Jimmy Lee set out to reclaim their city.
They will be joined by Marian who returns as a fully realised, firearm-wielding ranged fighter and newcomer Uncle Matin, who is a riot-shield-wielding powerhouse. You will be able to tag in and out thanks to the game’s two-player local co-op, with the order in which you choose your mission affecting their length, number of enemies and the overall difficulty.
You will earn cash by using a Special KO on your opponents, while health boosts come as a reward for performing Crowd Control modes. The cash that you accumulate can either be saved or spent at the end of each stage to unlock powerful upgrades for your chosen characters. If your session ends in defeat, any remaining cash can be converted into tokens that can be used to permanently unlock extra characters and bonuses.
The publisher has outlined the game’s key features, which include:
- Tag Team Action: Choose two fighters and seamlessly switch between them, giving you a multitude of strategies for devastating combos, defensive and offensive moves.
- Beat ‘Em Up With Roguelite Elements: Experience endless playthrough possibilities with a dynamic mission select function; the order in which you choose your mission will affect mission length, number of enemies, and overall difficulty. Choose where you improve with randomized purchasable upgrades for your characters at the end of each mission, or save your cash to revive your players in-mission.
- 13 Unique Playable Characters: Start the fight with Billy, Jimmy, Marian, and Uncle Matin. Earn tokens along the way to unlock a diverse roster of 9 more characters, each with their own playstyle and strengths. Strategically choose your fighting duo by taking into account each characters’ strengths and weaknesses.
- Shape Your Experience And Rewards: Adjust game difficulty to affect the amount of tokens earned per session and use those tokens to unlock content from the Token Shop including characters, tips, and more. Modifier can be used to enter permadeath or even infinite mode.
- Local Co-op: Grab a friend and clean up the city streets together in local co-op mode that supports up to two players.
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons will release digitally on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch worldwide on 27 July 2023.
