Play Return of Double Dragon Online

Summary

Return of Double Dragon feels like a familiar SNES beat‑'em‑up with a fresh twist. The title’s music is shuffled around – the Mission 1 theme from Super Double Dragon now plays in Mission 4 – giving each stage a slightly different vibe. You can even retrieve a boomerang after throwing it and land multiple successive hits with the hurricane kick, something the original didn’t allow.

Enemy placement has been re‑mapped, and weapons such as knives and incendiary bombs deal less damage, forcing you to rely more on timing than raw firepower. Enemies also duck and break combos, so you can’t just spam the same moves forever.

A guard button and a Dragon Power gauge add new depth: holding L or R fills the gauge, unlocking a flying hurricane kick and temporarily boosting regular attacks. Billy and Jimmy keep their distinct looks, but Jimmy’s punches are slower yet harder, and his roundhouse kick is noticeably quicker.

The hidden Option Mode lets you tweak difficulty, add extra credits, and even listen to the soundtrack and sound effects. The final mission also tacks on two extra levels before the showdown with Duke, extending the challenge for completionists.

Storyline

Return of Double Dragon puts brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee on the trail of a mysterious criminal group called the Shadow Warriors. According to lead designer Muneki Ebinuma, the duo begins their investigation after a number of local martial artists vanish, eventually confronting the gang’s leader, Duke, who turns out to be a childhood friend of the Lee brothers.

The game’s instruction manual and packaging also reference a policewoman named Marian, intended to aid the brothers much like the comic and animated series, though she never appears in the retail version.

In the version that shipped to stores, no explicit storyline is presented on‑screen; players simply fight through the enemy gang without any narrative explanation.