I first started hitting arcades in the late 80’s and one of the first games I remember playing was a 1987 beat-em-up. Double Dragon. Probably not the most appropriate thing for a seven-year-old, but I shot a lot of quarters at it and spent a lot of time playing the NES port afterwards. Since the late 80s/early 90s, the Double Dragon series has gone through a number of strange iterations and updates, with a new one coming in 2025 based on the original game.
Revives Double Dragon was produced by Japanese developer/publisher Arc System Works, who acquired the rights to Double Dragon in 2015 after original developer Technōs quit. Different Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, which is Released in 2023 and had a very distinct cartoon style, Revitalize relatively speaking, it tends towards an ultra-modern and more realistic vibe.
It reminds me a bit of the recent Street Fighter games; similarly, the characters look like a vastly expanded set of moves to get through waves of bad guys. There aren’t many details about the game yet, though Arc System Works notes that it’s not just a button masher, saying it “requires adaptation and variety.”
Visual style isn’t the only thing that sets it apart Revitalize from Rise of the Dragons. The 2023 game features rope-like elements, 13 playable characters, and a tag team that lets you switch between those characters. Revitalize, as the name suggests, will likely stick more closely to the tried and true Double Dragon formula. It remains to be seen how much this will resonate with gamers in 2025, but there are nostalgic 80s kids who will give it a shot. It will be available on PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Steam.
