Conclusion:

Double Dragon Gaiden is beholden to some unique ideas, and they’re fairly well-applied. You can experiment with mix-ups and tag team advantages, and multiplayer makes things altogether more enjoyable, although it’s restricted to local co-op. But, being associated with Double Dragon is arguably to its detriment. It’s a game that has secrets to uncover, twists to happen upon, and plenty of cash grinding and unlocking to do. While initially fun to work through, how many times you’ll feel encouraged to replay the campaign is questionable, especially with its overall pacing and neutered thrill of brutally knee-slamming someone in the face. Still, it’s certainly worthy of attention for beat 'em up fans looking for old things in new forms.

Joys:

• Plenty of unique ideas and nuance in the mix, with an interesting tag team feature
• Graphically nice, with a fondly remixed soundtrack of familiar motifs
• Plays well for the most part, with a broad moveset to toy with

Cons:

• The roguelike nature of it feels oversold and the cash system may be divisive
• Lacks the visceral bite of its predecessors
• The replayability factor is questionable

Score: Good - 7/10