Double Dragon: Neon – a celebration of 25 years of Double Dragon

Majesco Entertainment Company have announced Double Dragon: Neon, an 80’s take on the classic Double Dragon series.

Double Dragon helped define the 80’s for video games, being one of the first successful beat’em ups when it was released in 1987. And yet, it never had many 80’s characteristics, like having a mix-tape while beating the crap out of thugs, going to space and beating the crap out of thugs, high-fiving while beating the crap out of thugs and being mesmerized by gaudy neon lights while beating the crap out of thugs.

But now, to celebrate 25 years of Double Dragon, Majesco have announced Double Dragon: Neon, which will contain all that and be a ” face-melting 80’s tour de force! Featuring bodacious characters, gnarly combat, and a retro aesthetic, it’s pure over-the-top baditude…to the max!”. That quote pretty much sums up that Double Dragon: Neon will have an 80’s/early 90’s vibe.

For Double Dragon fans worried about who could possibly pull this off, they need not fear for Majesco have selected WayForward as the developers. If you’re familiar with the works WayForward has done – A Boy and his Blob, Contra 4, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and BloodRayne: Betrayal – then you’ll know they can do wonders with past licences.

“Double Dragon: Neon is far from a standard retro remake,” said Sean Velasco, Director, WayForward. “It’s WayForward’s love letter to the decade that spawned the franchise – the music, the style, and culture of the 80’s pulse through the nucleus of Double Dragon: Neon. But don’t think this is a simple graphical facelift; with our innovative ‘mix tape’ level up system and power-up high-fives, we pushed it to the limit!”

There is a basic story to Double Dragon: Neon: “Taking place in a hyper-saturated omniverse, players beat up baddies across earth and beyond against the Black Dragon Clan’s most nefarious leader yet– the supernatural scourge Skullmageddon. You could go it alone, but why wouldn’t you want to grab a buddy and take your game to the next level with drop-in, drop-out online ‘Bro-Op’?!”

Double Dragon: Neon will be released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network this summer. No price has been announced yet. And if you’re lucky to go to PAX EAST, you can get more information (and maybe be able to play a gameplay demo) on Double Dragon: Neon