WayForward's announced a release date for their "love letter to the 80's" on their facebook page this morning. Double Dragon Neon will be available on both PSN and XBLA September 12, for $10, or 800 Microsoft Points.
This re-imagining is a fan service to anyone that actually remembers pumping quarters into an arcade cabinet. True to its name, the game is rife with vibrant, electric color. Like its predecessors, Neon is a side scrolling beat-em-up where brothers Jimmy and Billy Lee must rescue girlfriend Marian from a gang of thugs, aptly titled Skullmageddon in this latest Dragon incarnation.
Neon's Assistant product manager Pete Rosky recently said of the game, "We're actually re-imagining the whole franchise, so it's not 1, it's not 2, it's not 3, its not any one of those. Lots of elements of all of them are thrown in for nostalgia; it's an all new game on its own. The bottom line, it's a reimagining in the sense that we wanted to give you a new experience, but make it feel like Double Dragon. And that's kind of where our hearts were, and that's what I think the game is."
Combat begins fairly basic, but abilities can be added as you progress via the mix tape system. You begin the game with a blank tape, and can add different "songs" (abilities) to it by purchasing them from a character called the "tapesmith."
Two player gameplay is strongly emphasized with different high-five options, which can result in sharing health and ability energy. This isn't WayForward's first time rebooting a "classic." They're also responsible for A Boy and his Blob re-make, as well as Contra 4 on the DS. Both were well received. We'll have to wait until September to see if Neon does the same.
