Double Dragon Revive Review
2025 has seen a wave of retro revivals, with classics like Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden successfully modernizing their roots without losing their original spirit. Double Dragon Revive hopes to follow in their footsteps, bringing the long-dormant brawler back for a new generation. With wrestling game veterans Yuke’s at the helm, can their experience in hand-to-hand combat translate into a worthy return for one of gaming’s most celebrated beat ’em ups?
A Familiar Yet Uninspired Story
Double Dragon Revive features a straightforward story that leans heavily on the franchise’s history to give your quest some purpose. There’s nothing particularly exciting or memorable about it, and it largely stays in the background of the experience. Brief cutscenes set up each chapter and help tie areas together, even if the overall narrative remains conventional and bland. However, no one’s playing for a well-crafted, thoughtful narrative — it’s all about kicking the crap out of countless thugs, and that’s where the game shines.
Ready for a Fight?
Streets of Rage 4 and Shredder’s Revenge took the aging beat ’em up formula and updated it, adding layers to brawling that ease the monotonous button-mashing the genre is prone to. For the most part, Double Dragon Revive manages to follow suit.
The responsive controls allow you to battle against a screen full of foes with ease. You can unleash combos using light and heavy inputs and use wall bouncing to extend your hit count. Weapons scattered throughout the environment let you brutally annihilate anyone in your path. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but thankfully, you’ve got plenty of attacks in your arsenal to handle those moments.
Once your gauge fills, you can unleash a brutal special move with an area-of-effect impact, perfect for thinning out crowds or creating space against tougher foes.
A welcome new addition is the set of defensive options, something many genre peers have overlooked. Alongside blocking and dodging, you can now counter incoming strikes, encouraging you to read enemy patterns rather than rely on relentless button mashing.
Everything’s a Weapon
Each stage offers numerous opportunities to utilize the environment to your advantage. You can line up an enemy for a heavy attack to send them crashing into hazards, or grab and throw them into objects for a brutal environmental elimination. You can even swing from bars to launch into the air and deliver a devastating strike — and that’s just the start.
There’s real creativity in how the surroundings tie into combat, marking a clear step up from what most games in the genre offer.
Underwhelming Platforming and Difficult Bosses
To add variety, the developers introduce light platforming segments where you must quickly move from one place to another while avoiding hazards. Unfortunately, this is where the game really falls flat. While the idea suits a brawler in theory, the rigid motions do not work well when trying to leap from one spot to another. The concept is great, but the execution feels off.
Bosses culminate levels, each with unique attack patterns that require you to read and counter strikes. Most have a gimmick that adds tactics to the fight and makes each encounter distinct. However, there is a definite difficulty spike at these points, which hinders those crucial final moments. This results in some frustrating encounters where certain fights can feel unfair.
Lacking Identity
Visually, Double Dragon Revive lacks personality. For a series so integral to gaming history, it’s in desperate need of modern flair. Yuke’s has opted for a generic aesthetic reminiscent of a PS2-era brawler. While the game doesn’t look bad, it fails to stand alongside its contemporaries.
Where Streets of Rage 4 embraces a slick, stylish look and Shredder’s Revenge dazzles with expressive pixel art, Double Dragon Revive feels dated. That lack of visual identity may turn players away. Environments look rough and could benefit from much-needed polish. Coupled with an uninspired soundtrack, the overall presentation feels dated and lacking the energy a revival like this deserves.
Final Verdict
Double Dragon Revive isn’t the rebirth fans were hoping for. Its combat impresses with a variety of defensive and environmental mechanics that add real depth to each fight, but other elements drag the experience down.
Sudden difficulty spikes create frustration, and the light platforming sections feel underdeveloped. The presentation also needs an overhaul, as the uninspired visuals and soundtrack fail to capture the energy and attitude that once defined the franchise.
There’s a solid foundation here, but it’ll take more than nostalgia and new mechanics to truly bring Double Dragon back to life.
Note: A PS5 code was provided for this review.
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