My name is Takaomi Kaneko of Arc System Works. In the past, I have worked on River City and Double Dragon 4 Series as a producer, illustrator, etc. When the PlayStation asked me to reflect on the series, which turned 35 this year, I decided to weave stories that I heard directly from the game’s creator, Yoshihisa Kishimoto, and then, in 1988, the director, and Tom Hullet.
Origin of the original co-operative mechanics
In the 1980’s, the gaming industry focused on the arcade industry, primarily on selling arcade machines.
Thus, the number of players for a particular game was established before development began, as the game had to adapt to the type of machine sold. So, Technos Japan’s internal sales team, who were very influential at the time, suggested that the development team would consider creating a game for a 2-player machine. The result was the first double dragon.
Later and similarly, the team proposed a title that would use a 3-player machine that would give life to the Double Dragon 3 from the 1990s. For the first time, the history of the series was changed to include a third player for the third title.
Since the strategy at the time was primarily focused on arcade sales, the cards that were mainly kept in the machine, the sales team made an important proposal to the development team, asking them to consider creating a game for a 2-player machine. . The result was the first double dragon. A similar proposal to use a 3-player machine was made in the 1990s by Double Dragon 3, so the story of the series was changed to include a third player for the third title.
Game balance for two players
Since the game was designed for arcades, there were no plans to balance the action. To encourage players to team up with friends, the Double Dragon was designed in such a way that it is extremely difficult for a typical single player to complete. This encourages collaborative play to overcome challenges and thus add more coins to the machine.
Cooperative play continues to thrive today, both locally and online, allowing players to complete challenges by inviting friends so they can overcome difficulties.
Decide whether or not to include friendly fire
Friendly fire was a relatively new concept in the 1980s. This adds a layer of combat tactics, as players need to communicate with each other throughout the game to avoid hitting each other. However, its inclusion in Double Dragon has increased from the interaction of players during site rehearsals.
In the arcade industry, these tests are used to get feedback from players. They let the development team see how the game is behaving, move the machine to a specific location, and observe players’ reactions. By then, Friendly Fire had already been designed and applied to the game. While practicing in the United States for the Double Dragon, the team noticed that many players, starting the 2-player game, were not only playing collaboratively, but also attacking each other. That process will be in the full version of the game.
More recently, games have distinguished between cooperative and competitive game modes, perhaps to avoid the frustration of players with friendly fire. But I believe the Double Dragon has been preferred for so long, partly because of the inherent danger of friendly fire. Enthusiasm has increased: a single punch, accidental or not, will persuade the affected player to fight and even take revenge. This led to one of the most memorable moments of the series, as the two players would face each other at the end of the game during a co-op match. The fact that twin children Billy and Jimmy could hit each other persuaded players to set their own rules and devise strategies.
It is worth mentioning the high difficulty of the game. The AI and battle of the Double Dragon must be as real in real life as possible. This, combined with the nature of the arcade games of the time, meant that playing as a couple would not be easy.
Tom Hulett is a waferward director who has created many co-op games like River City Girls. I asked him about the impact on the Double Dragon Cooperative game.
“In the late 1980s, the first machine we were looking for in an arcade was the Double Dragon,” he recalls. “Of course, it was an interesting action game with detailed graphics and an interesting setting. But the biggest attraction was being able to play alongside a friend, defeat the gang and work together to save Marian. It seemed almost impossible to defeat Abobo alone, but working together to defeat such a strong opponent was one of the few games offered at the time. The Double Dragon also had many different options: punches and kicks, jump attacks, knives, clubs and whips that had to be stolen from enemies! It sounds very simple now, but at the time it seemed like a playable kung fu movie. Double Dragon was not the first fighting game, but it proved most of the elements that players still expect to find in the genre today: after all, two-player cooperative mode.
As Mr. Hulett points out, most elements of today’s side scrolling games were introduced in 1988 in Double Dragon. It can be said that it was a game that deserved to be considered as the first fighting game.
I hope you enjoyed this look at the source of the game. Stay tuned for future Double Dragon developments.
Convenience for Double Dragon, Double Dragon II, Double Dragon III, Double Dragon IV and Arcade Archives Double Dragon and Double Dragon II PlayStation 4.
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