One of the all-time classic beat ’em ups is officially heading to iOS this year with Double Dragon Trilogy, developer DotEmu has just announced. The package will include three full games: the original Double Dragon, Double Dragon 2: The Revenge, and Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone. The games will feature an “Arcade" mode where you’re tasked with completing the game from beginning to end in one shot, or a “Story" mode where you can unlock each stage as you complete it. There will also be three difficulty modes: one tailored specifically for smartphones, the original arcade difficulty, and a new “expert" mode. Check out the trailer.
More features include Game Center leaderboards and achievements, local co-op mode via Bluetooth, choice between a remastered soundtrack and the original, and support for gamepads (and official iOS 7 controllers, whenever the heck those show up). If I had to choose one developer to handle the ports of these arcade classics, it would be DotEmu hands-down. They have done masterful work bringing other arcade classics to iOS so I’m stoked that they’re at the helm here.
Interestingly, you may remember back in 2011 when another official “remake" of Double Dragon hit the App Store, and it was actually quite good. That version was handled by different developers, and was based on a version of the game from the obscure Zeebo platform, but it was still quite fun. I’m not sure what will become of that version of Double Dragon, or if the two games can simply live in harmony. We’ll see.
Double Dragon Trilogy is set to release by the end of the year.
