Double Dragon IV Heads To Steam And PS4 Next Month To Celebrate 30 Years Of Bare Knuckle Brawling

Gamers of the 1980s are likely to recall Double Dragon, a beat 'em up arcade scroll game that traded bare knuckle action for quarters. It may not seem like that long ago, but once 2017 rolls around, it will have been 30 years since the Double Dragon series popped up in arcades around the country. Yeah, that makes us feel old, too. We're also stoked because there is a new Double Dragon game, Double Dragon IV, headed to Steam and PlayStation 4 next month.

That's right, the old school series is making a comeback and this time you won't need to lug a pocket full of quarters anywhere. Arc System Works bought the rights to the Double Dragon series last year and will celebrate its 30-year anniversary by releasing a brand new title to a couple of modern platforms on January 30, 2017.


A Google-translated press release indicates that three of the original game's developers are involved in the project, including director Yoshihisa Kishimoto, character designer Koji Ogata, and composer Yamane IchiHisashi.

It appears that Double Dragon IV will maintain the same retro look and feel of the first few titles, but with some new elements and slightly improved graphics. It also looks like there will be three modes: Story, 2 Player Duel, and a mystery mode labeled with three question marks.

The Double Dragon series has been released to several different platforms over the years. While it started off as an arcade title, versions would follow on the NES, Game Boy, Atari 2600 and 7800, Genesis, Lynx, Game Gear, and Neo-Geo. The series would also find its way to mobile with releases for both iOS and Android.

Double Dragon IV for Steam and PS4 will cost 800 yen (around $6.84).