Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons - Developer Interview

Learn about the upcoming beat 'em up's tag team system, characters, series references, and more!

Given that the arcade version of Double Dragon was the first cooperative beat ‘em up, the series has always been hugely influential. Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons from Secret Base and Modus Games is the next game in the series. To learn more about Double Dragon Gaiden’s origins, references, and more, we interviewed Raymond Teo, founder of Secret Base and director of the game.

Co-Optimus: Thanks for taking the time to visit our dangerously located headquarters for this obviously in-person interview. Double Dragon has meant a lot to me personally, as it was the first co-op arcade game I ever played, and the first article I ever wrote for Co-Optimus was about the ill-fated Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons. How did you get into the series?

Arcade centers were a lot less common here in Singapore back in the day, so my first experience with the Double Dragon series was actually through the NES. I was a kid back then, and would spend the holidays over at my cousin’s place. Being based in Asia and growing up with Hong Kong movies, a game with kung fu fighting just hit different from whatever else I was playing at the time.

Raymond Teo of Secret Base

Co-Optimus: The beat ‘em up genre has experienced a resurgence in modern years. Do you have a favorite among the recent beat ‘em ups?

Among the beat’ em ups in recent years, I definitely enjoy Streets of Rage 4’s survival mode DLC the most. The survival mode had some similarity with our roguelite-inspired gameplay, so reading that it was well received gave us a confidence boost that we were going in the right direction [with Double Dragon Gaiden].

Co-Optimus: Now that we know about your gamer cred, can you briefly tell us about your experience in game development?

I started working as a multimedia designer in 2006. There was barely a games industry in Singapore then, but we would occasionally get client projects to create simple advertising games. As a lifelong gamer myself, they were more fun and interesting to make compared to my other multimedia work. A little more than a year later, the local government had an initiative with Microsoft for people to make games for XBLIG (Xbox Live Indie Games), so I left my job to give it a shot. That game was Tobe’s Vertical Adventure which, if I remember correctly, was one of the earliest games from Asia to get released on Steam.

However, this was the late 2000s, so it wasn’t clear Steam was the way to go and I bounced around a little, releasing a zombie shooter titled, Bitejacker, on Flash, and Tobe & Friends Hookshot Adventure on iOS. [In 2014,] I finally released my first beat’ em up: Devil’s Dare on Steam. It caught the attention of Arc System Works (ASW), who I believe were exploring the idea of publishing indie titles at the time. I was already signed to another publisher, so nothing really happened.

Another three years later, Arc System Works acquired the Double Dragon IP and released Double Dragon IV. It was a great revival of the classic formula. I thought since they tried that, maybe they might be interested in a new direction, so I reached out and made my pitch.

Streets of Red: Devil's Dare (Switch and Steam)

Co-Optimus: That pitch eventually became Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons. How did you decide on your approach for the game?

The general approach of the game has not been looking at the classic formula and seeing how I should polish it, but rather how I should re-interpret it. Back in the day, Double Dragon was released after Renegade, and the big difference was that it featured [2-player co-op]. The industry has since moved past having two players as a selling point, but what else can we do?

[Eventually,] I came up with the idea of the Tag mechanic. Not only is it a fun combat mechanic, but it also addresses my concern where players only tend to find beat ’em ups fun [only when they] have someone else to play with. With the tag mechanic, engaging combat, and replayability in mind, we built [Gaiden’s] systems.

Double Dragon Gaiden

Co-Optimus: Can you briefly tell us what everyone on the team did for the game?

The core team is actually really small, as it was mostly me working on design, art and managing production, along with my programming partner, Sian Yue. We also had help from my students/interns/part-time designers, Rey and Nicholas, who came in around the post-alpha stage to help with data and level integration.

Of course, a game of this scope cannot be done with just four people. As it was developed [during] the pandemic, we ended up [seeking] help from lots of amazing freelance animators, composers, etc. Many stayed with us [for] months and years over the development [cycle] of the project.

Co-Optimus: What is the in-game story for Double Dragon Gaiden?

The game is sort of an alternate timeline prequel with a more grounded lore. It tells a story of a post-nuclear NYC that has been plagued by gangs and crime, where the young heroes were convinced to try to fight against the gangs in hope of bringing peace to the city.

Co-Optimus: Double Dragon Gaiden features four playable characters to start with (and 9 unlockable characters). Can you tell us about the four main characters?

One of [our] goals was to ensure that no two characters would play the same. This means that not only do they have different stats, they also have drastically different moves that allow you to handle different situations where each character would be better or worse at different things.

Even Billy and Jimmy play differently, with Billy being the well-rounded but fast character, with moves that are swift and flexible but deal less damage. On the other hand, Jimmy is a well-rounded, strong character, so his moves might start a little slower but hit heavier.

Marian is the long-range, glass cannon character that does a lot of damage from afar but doesn’t deal well [with] close combat. And finally, Uncle Matin, the grappler with a shield, is slower but can deal big damage and has good AOE.

Co-Optimus: Marian is interesting in that she started as a damsel in distress and has only been a playable character in a few games, the most recent of which was River City Girls 2. Which version of Marian most informed the character in Gaiden?

One interesting bit was that we actually never knew that Marian was going to be playable in River City Girls 2! We found out like everyone else, when the game was first announced by the amazing WayForward team, and by that time, our Marian’s character [design] was already done.

As to which Marian most informed the character in Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, there actually isn’t one particular version, but [we looked at] the various backstories across the different mediums. What I learned was that apart from her identity as a damsel in distress, she’s actually mentioned as a police officer, and if I remember correctly, even trained with Billy and Jimmy growing up, so we took that and built upon it.

Visually, she was influenced by Marian in the opening cutscene of the PC Engine version [of Double Dragon II]. However, since [our games takes] place earlier, she now has shorter hair.

Co-Optimus: Uncle Matin is a unique character that has never appeared in a Double Dragon game before, though a sign saying “Matin” appeared in the first mission of the original game. In working with Arc System Works, did you receive any input about what Technos originally intended that sign to mean?

Actually, we didn’t discuss a lot about that. But I can say that Matin is a bit like a fatherly figure to the Lee Brothers, so he’s also much older. As for why he has never appeared down the timeline, I would say that this is sort of an alternate timeline, which is fun because it allows us to progress the story to maybe fill that gap or allow him [to reappear in the series] in the future.

Co-Optimus: Let’s focus on gameplay for a bit. Double Dragon Gaiden features a new tag-team system and some new types of moves that players are rewarded for using during missions. Can you tell us about these mechanics and moves?

The Tag System is pretty robust. It works like most other tag team fighters - except we’re bringing it into a beat ’em up, and we try to use that in interesting ways. For example, when you get hit by one enemy, the others might take the opportunity to gang up on you, and you might want to switch out your character to knock out the crowd. And when a character is tagged out and resting, they can recover some of their lost health, so you want to manage when you would tag them in again.

On top of that, each character can perform up to three special moves. If you defeat an enemy with a special move, they will drop cash, which you can use to purchase revives or upgrades.

Both the special move and the tagging mechanic share the same meter as well, so players must learn to balance and manage their resources and not spam special moves, leaving yourself vulnerable without a partner to tag when you need it.

Co-Optimus: How many different weapons does Gaiden have for players to wield, and do they wear out after use?

I can’t remember the exact numbers, but I think there’s more than 10 different types. You can swing or throw, and Billy and Jimmy use them differently as well. Some of them [will] break, but there’s always some lying around, so grab them before someone else does!

Co-Optimus: Gaiden is the first roguelite in the series. How do the game’s roguelite elements work?

It’s important to note that the game is first and foremost a beat ’em up, borrowing inspiration from roguelite games to improve the game’s replayability, rather than a roguelite game with extra emphasis on combat.

At the end of each section, the player is given an opportunity to purchase one out of four random upgrades for each character with the cash they’ve earned. On top of that, players are given random challenges which they can attempt to earn more cash. The sub-bosses that appear in each level are also random, to spice up the challenge.

Most importantly, there is no persistent upgrade which requires you to grind and get better. Each run is entirely skill-based, and if you are very good at it, you can finish the game on your first try. However, with each run, depending on how well you do, you can earn tokens that allow you to unlock more characters, tips, artwork and music, so hopefully there are reasons to keep you coming back for more.

Co-Optimus: One of Double Dragon Gaiden’s cool features is that players can select from missions focused on different gangs, playing levels in the order of their choosing. Can you tell us about these gangs?

The game was very much influenced by the classic cult movie, The Warriors, so we wanted to create gangs with different looks and identities. On top of that, we’ve always wanted to bring back as many of the recognizable characters as we can from the mainline series, so what we ended up doing was to have each gang representing one of the classic villains - some more directly, while others took reference and general inspiration from them.

Co-Optimus: Willy, the boss of the first Double Dragon, is depicted as the leader of the Killers in Gaiden. Traditionally, Willy has been a leader of the Black Warriors/Shadow Warriors. Are the Killers a reference to Double Dragon lore?

Yes, indeed! It's a very small part of the original lore, where it was mentioned that Willy was the leader of Killers before he founded the Black Warriors/Shadow Warriors. Since we are making an alternate timeline prequel, this seems like a great time to make use of this super trivial knowledge I have.

Co-Optimus: Speaking of references, Gaiden clearly draws characters and cameos from past games in the series, such as Chin Tai Mei from Double Dragon II, Haruko from Double Dragon III, and even Duke from Super Double Dragon. Double Dragon IV, on the other hand, isn’t exactly known for introducing memorable characters.

Co-Optimus: Now then, Double Dragon Gaiden features 2-player local co-op. Can you tell us about the game’s cooperative experience?

Two players can juggle enemies together, or perform moves which create opportunities for others. Or when one gets hurt, they can easily be swarmed by the massive number of enemies, and if there’s another player around, you might want to help and free the player.

But combat aside, one interesting mechanic is that the two players share the same cash pool. So, you actually have to decide who should purchase the revive and who should not, based on the randomized upgrade option provided. Money is also used to revive, and each time you do the price for the next revive will increase, so you want to be careful about dying too much and causing problems for the other player.

Co-Optimus: One feature that Gaiden lacks compared to beat ‘em ups like TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, River City Girls 2, and Streets of Rage 4 is online co-op. Is there a possibility of adding online multiplayer after release?

Yes! As you can imagine, we are a significantly smaller team [than the developers of those games], and given the scope of our project, we had to first make sure we make a good, solid game. Now that that’s done, we are working on the online multiplayer, and hopefully we’ll have it [ready] sooner [rather] than later.

Co-Optimus: Before we jet, let’s discuss Gaiden’s art and music. When a game goes with a creative art style over a realistic one, there are sometimes complaints from finicky gamers. The first Borderlands dealt with similar naysayers. What would you say to gamers who complain that Gaiden doesn’t use a realistic art style?

Double Dragon is to many gamers [part of] their childhood memories, so I can understand how people get emotionally involved. And a lot of that is a testament to how influential the original game was.

I think for those players that struggle with the art style, perhaps wait a little to [see] what others think about the game. If you change your mind, you’re free to give it a shot then.

Co-Optimus: Gaiden’s trailers showcase catchy renditions of classic Double Dragon songs. Can you tell us about the game’s soundtrack?

Just like how the playable characters are made up of the most popular cast of characters from each Double Dragon game, the soundtrack is [also composed of] remixes of classic songs from different games in the main series.

Due to the very tight timeline, instead of working on one track at a time, I gathered a group of composers that I have been following. Each person [took] 3-4 tunes to work on.

Co-Optimus: Finally, is there anything you’re proud of about Double Dragon Gaiden that we haven’t already touched on?

We spent a lot of time building the tech to allow us to have a world with terrain that brings you high and low across the different gang hideouts. The game will launch on July 27th, so be sure to try it once it’s out!

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons sells for $24.99 digitally on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam. Physical versions for Xbox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Switch cost $29.99. The Steam version is fully Steam Deck compatible. Read our co-op review for more details!