After you topple the first gang, the others will move to fill the vacuum, which means additional sub-bosses, harder-hitting foes, and additional stages in the remaining territories. Once you've set all modifiers, you can choose which of the four gangs to attack first, à la Mega Man. There's even a permadeath modifier for the truly brave. You can change player health, revive cost, enemy aggression, etc. Modifiers allow players to adjust the difficulty of each run, in order to earn more (or fewer) tokens, which unlock items in the token shop.
The main rogue-lite elements in the game are modifiers, dynamic levels, and upgrades. Currently, the game sits in an awkward place between the two sides, suffering from the repetition of the rogue-lite but not fully benefiting from the sub-genre's excitement and unpredictability. Indeed, I wish Secret Base had leaned more into the rogue-lite market, or simply stuck with an entirely bespoke campaign. A lot of fans balked when they learned their beloved arcade beat-'em-up had embraced roguish tendencies, but that hesitation was misplaced. While Rise of the Dragons benefits from reliable momentary gameplay, it loses something as a result of its quasi-rogue-lite formula. And if you're playing with two players in local co-op - which really is the best way to experience the game - each player can carry two characters, allowing four fighters in the field. Instead of depleting your special meter to deploy a powerful move, you can use it to "tag" in your secondary character to either extend a combo or break up an enemy's combo.
This system adds layers of risk and strategy that make the moment-to-moment gameplay quite entertaining.Ĭombat is elevated further through character switching. Furthermore, if you use Special KO to eliminate three or more opponents at once, you'll earn food to replenish HP.
Streets of rogue mutators stop unlocks upgrade#
Only by defeating an enemy with a Special KO will you earn cash to upgrade your characters and unlock tokens. If your special move knocks out a bad guy, you'll notch a "Special KO", which is the mechanic around which the entire game revolves. You can still execute a flurry of basic attacks, but you can also perform one of three special moves once your special meter is full. But Secret Base has tweaked the mechanics to focus more heavily on combos and character switching - to strong results. The general thrust of the game remains unchanged: punch and kick your foes into oblivion to save the day. Like its arcade and console predecessors, Rise of the Dragons is a 2D side-scrolling beat-'em-up. There are two endings, one "bad" and one "good", but neither is completely satisfying. The characters are two-dimensional and the plotting predictable. When the newly-elected mayor comes to brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee asking for help, the young martial artists snap into action to drive the gangs out and return peace to their beloved city.ĭespite the dramatic setting and the inclusion of icons Billy and Jimmy Lee, the game's story never really goes anywhere. From the chaos rise four criminal gangs, who terrorize the streets and citizens of the Big Apple. It's the year 199X and New York City wallows in the devastation of nuclear war. The premise in Rise of the Dragons is a nice nod to the past - the sort of apocalyptic plot line you'd find in a 1980s arcade game. Does that freshness translate to greatness, though? Featuring new rogue-lite mechanics and chibi art, it's a fresh take on the 36-year-old property. Several years after Dotemu breathed new life into Streets of Rage and TMNT with Streets of Rage 4 and Shredder's Revenge, respectively, publisher Modus Games and developer Secret Base have revivified Double Dragon with Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons. The parade of revitalized beat-'em-up franchises continues with Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons. By Evan Norris, posted on 27 July 2023 / 2,352 Views
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