Super Double Dragon
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| Super Double Dragon | |
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 North American cover art. |
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| Developer(s) | Technos Japan Corporation |
| Publisher(s) | Tradewest |
| Designer(s) | Muneki Ebinuma, Atsuyushi Nishizawa |
| Series | Double Dragon |
| Platform(s) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Release date | NA October, 1992 JP October 16, 1992 EU September 30, 1993 |
| Genre(s) | Beat'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Cooperative |
| Input methods | Joypad |
Super Double Dragon, known as Return of Double Dragon (リターン・オブ・双截龍 Ritān obu Daburu Doragon?) in Japan, is the fourth game in Technos Japan's Double Dragon series of beat-em-ups. It is also termed Double Dragon IV. Unlike the previous Double Dragon, which were all originally released as arcade games and then adapted to the Nintendo Entertainment System (or other platforms), Super Double Dragon was made exclusively for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with no prior arcade version and no other console ports. It was released in North America and Japan in October 1992. The North American and European release of the game were co-published by Tradewest and American Technos, instead of Acclaim Entertainment (the company that published the two NES sequels).
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[edit] Gameplay
As in the previous Double Dragon games for the arcades and NES, the player takes control of either, Billy and Jimmy Lee, twin martial artists trained in the art of Sōsetsuken. The objective of the game as usual is to clear all stages from enemies and defeat the stage's boss. Unlike the previous Double Dragon games for home consoles, the player now has a specific button assigned for jumping, instead of having to press the punch and kick buttons at the same time, thanks in part to the inclusion of four face buttons of the SNES control pad. The game also has a button that allows the player's character to block attacks from enemies. If the player block certain enemies' punches, he will be able to grab the enemy's arm and either: punch or kick him repeatedly and throw him over the shoulder. The player can also put staggering enemies into a hair grab, much like previous Double Dragon games, and perform similar techniques. Other new techniques includes a jumping back kick and a low-to-high kick combo.
The player also has a "Dragon Power" gauge below the energy gauge which can be filled out by holding down the L or R shoulder buttons, allowing for additional techniques. If the player press the punch or kick button when the gauge is less than half full, then the player will perform a Spinning Back Fist or a Jumping Round Kick. If the player press the punch or kick buttons when the gauge is more than half-full, then the character will perform a flying hurricane kick. The player can also allow the gauge to filled up completely, allowing the player to use the more powerful punch and kick attacks for a limited time.
This is the first Double Dragon game where Billy and Jimmy were given a different set of basic techniques. The explanation given in the Japanese version's manual states that Billy and Jimmy mastered different forms of Sōsetsuken, with Billy being a master of Nanha Sōsetsuken (the Southern style, which specializes in flexibility), while Jimmy learned Hokuha Sōsetsuken (the Northern style, which has stronger techniques). This is also the first game were Billy's and Jimmy's sprites were drawn differently within the game, maintaining consistency with Technos Japan's official illustrated depictions of the Lee brothers at the time (where Billy is drawn with brown hair and Jimmy with blond spiky hair).
Weapons featured in this installment includes a nunchaku, a bō, boomerangs, knives and incendiary bombs. The player can also pick a drum can or a large rock and throw it at the enemy. One particularly level in Mission 4 allows the player to use punching bags to attack enemies with. Unlike the previous NES games, weapons can be carry from one fight to another, even if their original owners are killed, but they can not be carried to a new area.
There are a total of seven stages in the game: a casino in Las Vegas, an airport, a martial arts gym in Chinatown, a fight over a moving truck that's crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, the city slums, a forest/mountain region and the mansion of the Shadow Warriors. The enemy characters consists of: Williams and Roper, returning bad guys from the previous Double Dragon games, who are depicted wearing matching vests and pants; Jeff, a palette swap of Billy Lee; Baker, a thug who wields two Chinese broadswords (Shuangdao); Steve, a martial artist in a business suit; Jackson, a former heavyweight boxer; Cheng Long-Fu and Long-Biao, twin Chinese martial arts masters; McGuire, a clown-like fat man who can block the player's attacks with his gut; Carlem, a tall fighter with a powerful kick; and Duke, the leader of the Shadow Warriors and a former friend of the Lee brothers.
[edit] Production
[edit] Original plot
Unlike previous games in the series, Super Double Dragon does not have an in-game plot. This was not done by design, as cut scenes were prepared for the game, but were not used in the released version due to time constraints.
The proposed storyline does not continue from the events of previous games, but would've been an all new plot. Set in Los Angeles (rather than New York City, the setting of the previous games), Billy and Jimmy Lee set out to investigate the disappearances of several of their students after the arrival of a criminal organization known as the Shadow Warriors. Helping them on their investigation is Marian Kelly, now a policewoman (an occupation she also had in the comics and cartoon series; the latter was under production while the game was made).
Eventually the leader of the Shadow Warriors revealed to be a man named Duke, a former childhood friend of Lee brothers, who is now a corrupted martial artist. At this point, Marian would've been taken captive and the Lee brothers would pursue the gang to Duke's Mansion. In the originally planned final battle, after defeating Duke and saving Marian, Duke's evil self would manifest into his own shadow (similarly to the player fighting his own clone in Double Dragon II: The Revenge). By defeating Duke's Shadow would, the Lee brothers end his life, but at the same time his soul is now redeemed. The game would end with the main characters visiting Duke's grave.
In the finished game, only part of the plot is mentioned in the manual and Marian the policewoman does not appear in the game at all (although artwork of her was featured in the original Japanese manual). The English version only features a simple scrolling text epilogue, while the Japanese version only has the closing credits.
[edit] Version differences
While neither the Japanese (Return) nor the English (Super) versions of the game are true to the designers' original vision, the Japanese version was based on a more completed build of the game and features various notable enhancements and changes. Among them:
- An Option Mode is added, in which the player adjuct the number of buy-in credits and difficulty level from one of three settings. The game also features Music and Sound tests.
- While the English version only has one difficulty setting, it is considerably harder than the ones in the Japanese version, which includes different enemy ratio and more damage done by weapons.
- Most of the background music are played in different context in the Japanese version. The American version uses a new title theme (which is also the final stage theme), while the Japanese title screen plays an arranged version of the standard Double Dragon theme (which is also used in the final battle and is played in the American version in Stage 5). The themes for Stages 1, 3 and 4 from the American version are used in Stages 4, 5 and 7 respectively in the Japanese version, while new themes composed for Stages 1 and 3. The themes for Stages 2 and 6 and the ending theme are the same for both versions. All of the game's music can be heard in the Japanese version's music test on the option screen, including a tune unused in both versions.
- In the Japanese version, if the player has a weapon currently equipped, it can be exchanged with another on the floor.
- Likewise, the player will pick up the boomerang when it is thrown and then returns to the player's direction.
- The hurricane kick knocks over enemies with single hits in the English version, while it does multiple hits in the Japanese version.
- And finally, the final stage has two new areas. After the grand hall, the player will go through a series of stairways and then a huge room where all of the previous stages' bosses are confronted before the battle with Duke.
[edit] External links
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