Product Info

Platform

Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC

Publisher

QUByte Interactive

Developer

QUByte Interactive

Series

Double Dragon

Genre

Action, Adventure, Fighting, Party

Players

1-2

File Size (Minimum)

1014 MB

Release Date (NA)

Nov 14, 2024

Purchase From

eShop

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Steam

Rage of the Dragons NEO is a tag-team fighting game that revives the challenge and fun of old school fighting games.

Bringing it Old-School

Originally released in 2002 for the Neo Geo home console, Rage of the Dragons is back in a port for modern consoles and PC, Rage of the Dragons NEO. It’s a spiritual sequel to the Double Dragon spinoff fighting game that was released in 1995. Those who grew up playing classic titles such as Street Fighter and King of Fighters will enjoy this hidden gem that revives the spirit of ’90s fighting games.

The port plays in the original 4:3 format in pixel art style, a nostalgic nod to arcade fighting games. However, Rage of Dragons is no slouch in terms of gameplay: it requires you to learn each character’s unique moveset in order to succeed. Playing the Arcade mode in easy mode is no walk in the park for newcomers either as the game challenges you to work around the CPU’s constant blocking and foot attacks. Going up to hard mode, prepare for some nasty combo attacks. You should get a feel for which two fighters work best with your skills and go from there.

The soundtrack also brings the ‘90s vibe with its fast-paced and energetic original tracks. It provides the perfect backdrop for the intense battles. Not only does it add action but also an emotional layer that pulls players further into the fight.

Ways to Battle

This tag-team fighting title game consists of fourteen playable fighters. Fans of old school beat-em-ups will recognize two that are highly reminiscent of Billy and Jimmy from Double Dragon. It was originally intended to be them, but since the creators could not get the rights to the franchise at the time, the characters’ last names were changed slightly.

NEO offers not only Arcade mode but a few other options as well, such as Versus mode, Training, Dragon’s Challenge and Online Matches. Versus mode is basically Arcade mode without a story ending and is for quick matches against a friend of CPU. However, you can adjust the CPU difficulty to be much easier than the one in Arcade mode. A great way to learn the basics and develop your fighting combos is in Training. It’ll help you build your knowledge of the game’s mechanics without having your butt instantly handed to you. Combos especially are good attacks to learn here because they require a set of button inputs as you run towards your opponent. Dragon’s Challenge is a set of matches where you play against multiple opponents in a row and receive bonuses that can help you survive until the end, such as restoring 30% of your health gauge and adding valuable seconds to the timer.

Online matches are a tough one to enjoy unless you coordinate and have a friend who’s ready to play, too. There simply aren’t many players online to begin with. This is a feature you shouldn’t have high hopes for right now unless this game makes its way to popular fighting competitions and gains recognition.

The Final Match

Rage of the Dragons NEO is a treat for long-time fans of fighting games and newcomers alike. Just be prepared to have your butt handed to you a lot.

A PlayStation 5 code provided for this review.