Review: Double Dragon Revive (Switch)
By The beat ‘em up category has seen a bit of a resurgence in the last generation, with original entries such as Fight’n Rage (2019) and more recently Absolum (2025) discovering new methods to advance the genre, while titles like Streets of Rage 4 (2020) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (2022) demonstrate how successfully classics can be updated. It makes sense, then, that Arc System Works sought a way to revive Technōs Japan’s Double Dragon, one of the forerunners of the entire genre.
However, following the lukewarm reception of Double Dragon Gaiden (2023), the developer opted to return to the conceptual stage when embarking on Double Dragon Revive. This installment is a much more straightforward addition to the enduring series. Despite presenting some intriguing concepts, Double Dragon Revive sadly lacks refinement and feels like a rather ‘average’ experience.
Surprisingly, it is heavily narrative-focused, featuring fully voiced and partially animated anime cutscenes. The plot unfolds (rather peculiarly) several years after a nuclear conflict, with society fragmenting into a series of rival city-states governed by various factions that have gained control. In Billy and Jimmy Lee’s hometown, a vicious group known as the Shadow Gang calls the shots, and the storyline begins with them abducting (once more) the boys’ childhood companion Marian, prompting the iconic duo to take to the streets to rescue her.
Clearly, a beat ‘em up isn’t typically played for a gripping and emotional narrative, but the storyline here actually feels rather compelling and surpasses the usual basic framework most offerings in this genre attempt to present. Those cutscenes effectively establish a moderately engaging universe and characters, even if at times they may seem a tad cheesy and exaggerated.
Regarding gameplay, this installment adheres to genre standards with a key twist: the action unfolds more on a 3D plane than strictly 2D. Otherwise, you still navigate from scene to scene, chaining combos against waves of adversaries and occasionally acquiring a knife or sledgehammer to deliver intense street justice. Another novel aspect is that you can leverage your environment to your benefit, such as slamming opponents into vehicles for quick eliminations that yield numerous points.
Double Dragon Revive incorporates all the fundamentals and even showcases some inventive ideas in its execution, yet the actual implementation of these mechanics falls short. Movement often feels stiff and janky, while the level design occasionally lacks variety. One particular stage involves a mandatory platforming challenge that the controls definitely aren’t suited for, and many encounters feature frustrating enemy placements that can lead to situations where you’re overwhelmed by firebomb-wielding foes attacking from off-screen. It’s the kind of game that evokes irritation, but not in the good way that numerous soulslikes and roguelikes manage to achieve.
Fortunately, the moderate complexity of your character’s moveset helps inject a bit more dynamism. Alongside the main brothers, there are two unlockable characters whose unique movesets bring advantages and disadvantages that introduce variety to the gameplay. Meticulously deciding when and where to execute specific moves, such as a screen-clearing special attack that builds up as you combo foes, enhances combat scenarios beyond being merely a button-mashing experience.
And naturally, in classic beat ‘em up style, you can be accompanied by another player in either couch or online co-op sessions (though no drop-in feature) for some classic multiplayer enjoyment. From my experience, the online environment on Switch is currently quite deserted, but the local co-op is as engaging as you would expect, often amplifying the enjoyment factor when you’re battling hordes of opponents in a friendly ‘co-opetition’. Limiting multiplayer to only two players feels a bit unusual, but after all, it is named Double Dragon, not Multiple Dragon.
Concerning replayability, there’s a sufficient amount of content here to justify the price point. At the end of each level, you’ll receive a ranking based on your score and overall performance, which, when paired with the roster of playable characters, offers a fair incentive for revisiting to try and master every stage with each character.
Once you’ve exhausted the main campaign, you can transition to the ‘Extra’ mode, where you can undertake a series of bite-sized missions that also include small vignettes that develop the story further. Provided that the core gameplay resonates with you, there’s plenty to be done here.
Visually, Double Dragon Revive leaves much to be desired, primarily adhering to a lifeless and generic-looking 3D art style that instantly makes the game appear inexpensive. Environments showcase detailed but ultimately forgettable designs, while the 3D models of the characters on screen are rigidly animated and lack charm. While nothing explicitly looks bad, the visuals don’t create a lasting impression.
Conversely, the anime-styled cutscenes are more visually appealing, but they only serve to further highlight how mediocre the rest of the game appears during actual gameplay.
On the other hand, the soundtrack does a commendable job supporting the action, blending a collection of house, drum and bass, rock, and pop tracks to create an energetic ambiance. It can be somewhat easy to overlook the music amid the shouts and sound effects of battle, but I found this soundtrack to be a robust partner to the action, successfully contributing to the scrappy atmosphere the developers aim to create here.
Conclusion
Double Dragon Revive is the sort of title that’s just frustratingly mediocre. It doesn’t drop the ball too severely in any significant aspect, but it also doesn’t really succeed in providing an enjoyable and engaging beat ‘em up. Intriguing gameplay concepts are hindered by uneven execution, and the lackluster graphical style requires some acclimatization.
This game will have its followers, and it’s worthwhile to consider picking it up during a hefty sale eventually, but it is certainly far from being among the titles I would recommend to someone aiming to enrich their beat-‘em-up collection. Perhaps Billy and Jimmy will impress us with their unavoidable next adventure, but this one is simply ‘acceptable’.