An official website forDouble Dragon 4emerges online, confirming several features including Story, Duel and Tower Modes, as well as Share Play on PS4.
Earlier this monthArc System Works, current owners of theDouble Dragonproperty, announced plans to release a new game in celebration of the series 30th anniversary.Double Dragon IVwould be a follow-upto the three originalDouble Dragongames, prior to the series branching off in a different direction post-Nintendo Entertainment System. Arc System Works has since published an official website forDouble Dragon IV, offering up new details on the sequel.
The most prominent revelation on theDouble Dragon IVwebsite is a timeline informing players as to where the co-op brawler fits in the series' canon.Double Dragonisn’tDark Soulsin any sense, with regards to lore and history, but fans learned to appreciate what few story details were there during the NES era. The timeline is now as follows:
In the originalDouble Dragon, Billy and Jimmy rescue Billy’s kidnapped girlfriend Marian from the Black Warriors. InDouble Dragon III, Marian is once again kidnapped (though in Japan’s version, Marian isn’t in the game at all) and Billy and Jimmy must travel the world to inevitably save her from an Egyptian curse. InDouble Dragon II, the Black Warriors straight up kill Marianand the Double Dragons are simply out for vengeance. With Marian out of the picture, where willDouble Dragon IVgo?
Unfortunately the new website provides scantDouble Dragon IVstory hints. Players can expect both Billy and Jimmy to be back with plenty of the memorable Black Warriors enemy types also returning. There don’t appear to be any alternative protagonists like Chin Seimei and Yagyu Ranzou inDouble Dragon III,but there is an image with dialogue teasing Billy and Jimmy traveling to San Francisco.
In addition to helpingreestablish theDouble Dragoncanon, the new official website also goes over some of the game modes and features ofDouble Dragon IV. Story Mode is a given, butDouble Dragon IVwill also feature both Duel Mode and Tower Mode. Duel Mode turnsDouble Dragoninto a fighting game, with new characters being unlocked by playing through the story - including the bulky, bald, behemoth Abobo. Tower Mode is as it sounds: defeat rooms of enemies to climb the tower, unlocking new characters to play as along the way.
Finally, Arc System Works also announced that theShare Play feature will be enable for PlayStation 4. A player who ownsDouble Dragon IVwill be able to invite another player online to play the game – even if that second player does not own the game. Unfortunately the Share Play has a 1-hour time limit, which makes Story Mode all but impossible, but the other Modes should work perfectly. Local co-op and online co-op between two people who both own the game will work fine.
Double Dragon IVis planned for release on PC and PlayStation 4 on January 30.
