Double Dragon IV

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
49

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 18
  3. Negative: 8 out of 18
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Gaming Age
    Feb 13, 2017
    83
    Double Dragon IV is fun for a limited time. while it captures the look and feel of the classic games, it tends to get a bit stale and starts to grind on your nerves. Its awkward platforming and imperfect controls hinder the overall experience, while the lack of online play hurts as this game would be perfect for some drop in / drop out action! Overall, I still liked the entire package and can ignore its minor issues long enough to have a great time. New players may find it boring, while fans of the classic games will feel right at home. Pick this up if you want to try out what beat-em ups were like in the '80s!
  2. COGconnected
    Feb 3, 2017
    75
    It’s a love letter to the franchise’s history, and really it’s only for fans of the series.
  3. GameCritics
    Feb 20, 2017
    65
    Despite how fabulous the extra stuff is, though, Double Dragon IV just isn’t a good game. It is, however, a compelling and fascinating oddity. For franchise fans it’s a must-purchase, since it’s as much a historical trip as it is a new entry. While I can’t recommend it based on gameplay, the fact that it’s such a straight-faced resurrection of a long-dead style alone makes it worth a look.
  5. EGM
    Feb 7, 2017
    60
    Double Dragon IV is a sequel that came about three decades too late. While it’s a great follow-up to the games from the 8-bit era, it also unintentionally shines a light on the shortcomings of the time—which only the most diehard of fans will be able to overlook.
  6. PlayStation Country
    Feb 4, 2017
    60
    As a positive, cautious first step with a beloved series, Double Dragon IV provides an enjoyable combat experience. The chosen art style undermines the game’s quality somewhat and the retro principles can lead to moments of frustration but I think this is worth your time. It’s unrefined and lacks bravery but it’s not bad.
  7. USgamer
    Feb 2, 2017
    60
    Double Dragon IV feels like the developer Arc System Works discovered an unreleased old NES game and emulated it on PS4. Its graphics, sound, and gameplay are utterly authentic to the period. Unfortunately, so are its cheap shots and frustrating design elements. It's certainly a lot of fun to play for a while, but once its nostalgic novelty wears off, only hardcore retro fans will likely want to come back for more.
  8. Destructoid
    Jan 31, 2017
    60
    Arc System Work's staunch dedication to the retro aesthetic for Double Dragon IV is admirable, but still falls short of the mark even when juxtaposed to several of the series' own entries. Punch and kicking dudes as Billy and Jimmy still works, but many elements of IV just feel a little too off-brand for my liking.
  9. Game Informer
    Jan 29, 2017
    60
    Double Dragon IV has some nostalgia value for longstanding fans of the franchise or those that just want a glimpse of what brawlers looked like in times long gone, but it offers little in terms of compelling gameplay or interesting mechanics. I’m a big fan of seeing old series recapture glory, but in this case, Double Dragon is an experience better left in the past.
  10. Video Chums
    Feb 2, 2017
    53
    Double Dragon IV is a return to the good old days of beat 'em ups that fans may enjoy but it's also a flawed experience that modern gamers will likely be baffled by. Although it's not as good as I was hoping, I'm glad to see Bimmy and Jimmy kicking ass in 2017.
  11. Digitally Downloaded
    Feb 16, 2017
    50
    It does seem as though Arc System Works were relying entirely on the nostalgia to sell Double Dragon IV. And while it captures the essence of those original games it falls short of being a good game today simply because the original hasn’t aged well. It would have been pretty rockin' back in the 80s though.
  12. ZTGD
    Feb 9, 2017
    40
    Double Dragon IV sounds like a surefire winner on paper. Craft a sequel to one of the most beloved arcade games of all-time, keep it retro in spirit, profit. However, seeing as the game was announced and released in just over a month it feels like about that much effort went into crafting this game. Will we ever get a solid follow-up to one of the greatest arcade games of all-time? Things are not looking promising for Billy and Jimmy.
  13. DualShockers
    Feb 9, 2017
    40
    Sadly, I would only recommend Double Dragon IV to you if you are a Double Dragon fanatic or very die hard beat ’em up fan, and if that’s the case, you probably already own it. It is fairly cheap, but even then, I have played much more enjoyable games for the same price.
  14. Push Square
    Feb 8, 2017
    40
    Double Dragon 4 plays the nostalgia card harder than most, but its narrow-sighted reliance on this has left it feeling like a relic that perhaps shouldn't have been disturbed. The combat can be simplistic fun but is ruined by cheap AI, and the trio of modes don't offer much to stick around for. The presentation is a cool look back at the 80s school of design, but once the novelty wears off, you're left with a frustrating beat-em-up that inadvertently highlights the leaps in gameplay, animation, and visuals that games have made over the last three decades.
  15. Post Arcade (National Post)
    Feb 7, 2017
    35
    Double Dragon IV serves as an inelegant reminder that sometimes the past is better left in the past.
  16. IGN
    Feb 1, 2017
    35
    I am certainly not immune to the charms of 80s and 90s game design, but the NES version of Double Dragon wasn’t a great example for Double Dragon 4 to follow. It’s not just that this simplistic beat-em-up formula didn’t age well graphically or mechanically, it’s that it simply isn’t very fun or engaging to play in 2017.
  17. Attack of the Fanboy
    Feb 4, 2017
    30
    Even for those looking for a nostalgic trip through time, you are just much better off playing the original game and avoiding the mess that is Double Dragon IV.
  18. We Got This Covered
    Feb 4, 2017
    30
    A Double Dragon for the current generation could have been a great thing, but this semi-revisiting of the franchise's heyday falls way short of the mark.
  19. Metro GameCentral
    Feb 1, 2017
    30
    The ‘80s nostalgia is laid on so thick you could almost choke from it, in this joyless proof that too much nostalgia can be a bad thing.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

?
  1. Eurogamer
    Mar 7, 2017
    Stripped of the context of time (the 1980s) and space (the amusement arcade, where every life has a financial cost attached), that spell has been severely weakened.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 29
  3. Negative: 7 out of 29
  1. Wayneok
    Feb 7, 2017
    4
    Saying I had high hopes for this is an understatement. The NES series of Double Dragon games is like an old friend. Double Dragon II inSaying I had high hopes for this is an understatement. The NES series of Double Dragon games is like an old friend. Double Dragon II in particular remains one of my favorite games of all time. Seeing the familiar aesthetic in the preview screenshots filled me with an old sense of joy. Double Dragon II has returned!

    I was never particularly taken by the arcade series for a number of reasons. I always felt the controls were loose, the collision detection was inconsistent at best, and brutal at worst. The AI was cheap and reactive and combat felt "one-for-one". I knock you down. You get up and knock me down. Repeat.

    In contrast, Double Dragon II felt natural. The controls were tight. The enemies seemed to have distinct personalities (all 5 or 6 of them... this was NES after all.) Billy and Jimmy had a simplistic move set that was easy to get the hang of, but deadly when mastered. (Flying knee! KERPOW!)
    Combine this with memorable setpieces, an eerie atmosphere and combat that was just plain fun and you instantly have everything that Double Dragon IV is not.

    Sad, but true.

    Playing Double Dragon IV instantly evokes the frustration I felt playing the arcade versions of the game.
    Despite having a similar moveset (albeit with a few added extras) the brothers feel clumsy and lumbering.
    Enemies hover just outside the "hitbox" when you attack them and then manage to slip a few attacks between your flurry of punches. Hi Billy... this is floor. You'll be spending a lot of time together.
    The reactive AI from the arcades is in full force in this game. At one point I was surrounded by 7 enemies... who were standing dead still. Why were they doing this? They were watching me stand dead still. Tap the control two steps forward. Lo and behold, we all moved two steps together and then stopped dead. Two steps back? Guess what happened. It was like watching an 8-bit line dance where you knew as soon as someone throws a punch all hell was about to break loose. Eventually i did throw a punch which floated through the air like without connecting with so much as a pixel. What did connect was every single attack that was thrown my way. The line dance was over. Hmph. Everyone is a critic.

    After playing the game for 10 minutes I was already spamming the "rising" special attacks to clear through the enemies. In fact, this easiest way to play the game is to wait for an enemy to knock you over and then thin the crowd using a super uppercut or flying knee. Effective? Very. Fun? Not so much.

    Is it worth playing? Definitely, if you are a fan of the game.
    The retro aesthetic and feel is not the problem here. The mechanics feel broken. The storytelling is weak, and the memorable moments just aren't there.

    Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll fire up Double Dragon II and take my frustrations out on some goons who don't mind a fair fight!    … Full Review »
  2. JimmyJoined
    Feb 6, 2017
    10
    I read a bunch of reviews from many big gaming publications and it makes me wonder what's wrong with the management of those editorialI read a bunch of reviews from many big gaming publications and it makes me wonder what's wrong with the management of those editorial agencies. They are clearly assigning work the wrong people. If your reviewer only knows about NASCAR you don't make him review a Formula 1 game. Reviewers need basic understanding of what a product is and to what kind of audience is the product designed for. This game was clearly designed for people who wanted a trip to the 80s, The game meets those requirements perfectly. There are no errors in accomplishing that purpose. The game is exactly what fans of the series wanted and therefore it deserves the highest recognition.… Full Review »
  3. TightNinja
    Feb 4, 2017
    10
    If you over the age of 30 and remember playing Double Dragon on NES. GET THIS GAME NOW!! It is a true sequel to the NES series. Although IIf you over the age of 30 and remember playing Double Dragon on NES. GET THIS GAME NOW!! It is a true sequel to the NES series. Although I would have liked a modernized version (Neon sucked). This will do in the meantime… Full Review »
See all user reviews »