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Double Dragon IV
  PCBeat_em_upUC  
  opened by smbhax at 20:14:19 01/17/26  
  last modified by smbhax at 10:21:12 03/12/26  
  smbhax [sys=PC; cat=Beat_em_up; reg=UC]
           
F2 toggles screen (window) resolutions. 'p'
 
If you screw up your inputs in the Config mode you're pretty hosed because you may not be able to navigate the menus; had to nuke the settings in "C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\LocalLow\Arc System Works\Double Dragon IV\" (jeez LocalLow???).
 
  smbhax 20:23:55 01/17/26
           
From Steam.
 
Runs at 30 fps, roughly.
 
Alt Enter toggles window/fullscreen.
 
  smbhax 19:33:26 01/18/26
           
Oh huh I guess it launched at $7 in 2017 (https://xander51.medium.com/double-dragon-iv-review-buy-neon-instead-76b1016cb7bc); I thought I was getting a late-buyer knock-down price when I bought it the other day. ; D
 
  smbhax 00:25:53 01/19/26
           

 
0:50 - Options, menus, and other jankiness
7:30 - How to Play
10:16 - Story mode
25:16 - casino BG a-la 1st stage of Super Double Dragon
27:18 - mission 5 starts w/ intro to Double Dragon NES re-enactment
35:33 - ledge of death 'p'
49:50 - "hilarious" mission fail ; D ;_;;;
1:20:19 - box full of Abobos
1:34:51 - Tower mode - Billy
1:43:03 - Tower - Kodani
1:51:15 - Tower mode floor 30 - dojo from start of DDII NES, w/ Chin & Ranzou from DDIII NES
1:53:36 - Story - Sonny Lee (from DDIII arcade, says GameFAQs)
1:56:56 - Tower - Sonny Lee
2:00:41 - Tower - Yagyuu Ranzou
2:02:46 - Tower - Chin Taimei
2:05:00 - Tower - Ayumi
2:07:38 - Tower - Ashida
2:13:20 - Story - Jake
2:20:48 - Story - 2P-B
2:27:38 - Story - Soeno
 
Still to do:
- clear Tower mode floor 35 (I only got to 32 'p') to unlock Jimmy Lee (Retro)
- clear Tower mode floor 40 to unlock Mysterious Warrior
- beat Story in "hard" mode (ie KO 2P in 2P-B Story mode)
- beat Story with all chars ; D
- play Tower with all chars
 
Took me way too long to figure out that the hyper knee, good as it is at flinging people across the stage in satisfying fashion, is not the safe wake-up option and opponents will brutally target you as you drift down for a landing; go for the uppercut instead.
 
It hasn't crashed at the elevators in mission 10 yet--the PS4 version occasionally did, and I think the dread of that was a big factor of my being put off by the game back then.
 
The FAQ ( https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/203449-double-dragon-iv/faqs/75275 ) says in Tower mode projectiles replenish every 5th floor (every floor ending in 1 or 6). It also says Ranzou's dash-slice is really good and the best way to unlock Mysterious Warrior.
 
Wikipedia says the development team of IV included the series' "original director, character designer, and composer," that IV's story is the follow-up to the story from Double Dragon II NES, and that the team used that NES game "as a template because the game sported the same visuals in Japan and the rest of the world."
 
Apparently the online mode was added in 2020 (the game came out in 2017) and lets you play Story and Tower modes co-op with online match-making, and to fight online opponents in a 2P Battle Mode--which appears to use the background from Double Dragon NES' "MODE B" fighting game mode ; ) : https://www-arcsystemworks-jp.translate.goog/portal/post-17288/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
 
  smbhax 09:27:32 01/19/26
           
^ RETRO music option enabled at 2:20:32 in the above video. It sounds pretty bad; Wikipedia notes that the composer's "new music was subsequently converted to a retro 8-bit style soundtrack that is available as an option in the game." But the game's credits as listed by MobyGames (Producer: Takaomi Kaneko. Director: Yoshihisa Kishimoto, Character Design: Koji Ogata, Music: Kazunaka Yamane, Programming: Kei Oyama) don't include a SFX engineer (Wikipedia also notes that the five-person dev team was smaller than the teams for the original NES games)--which may explain why the game's SFX have rough static edges to them; I had to keep the sound lower than I otherwise would have because when it's louder the SFX are like needles in the ears. Also, you can hear background static during the inter-mission story cutscenes. 'p'
 
  smbhax 11:42:28 03/08/26
           
You can get the logo for a Steam game by putting the game's Steam ID number into this URL format: https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/528610/logo.png (that's the DDIV one).
 
  smbhax 11:43:46 03/08/26
           
^ That's also a transparent .png.
 
  smbhax 11:59:59 03/08/26
           
Huh doesn't work for all Steam games, like get not found when try with Arcade Game Series: Dig Dug and Arcade Game Series: Ms. Pac-Man.
 
  smbhax 12:03:58 03/08/26
           
Can get a list of links with your game ids https://steamcommunity.com/id/[steamhandle]/games/?tab=all
 
  smbhax 10:21:12 03/12/26
           

 
As unlockable character Sonny Lee.
 
0:33 - config
4:10 - story playthrough
1:02:55 - wrap!
 
I think I would rather play any of the GB or NES Double Dragons than this one. 'p'
 
The absolute lack of story sense--despite the slideshow cutscenes--the skipping through settings peppered from multiple previous games (shipyard, casino, truck), the meaningless settings--desert, warehouse, generic industrial facility--the far-too-powerful punching--punches pretty much crush even the bosses easily--and the relentless spawn camping--on both sides--leave IV feeling generic and drudge-like.
 
I'm still gonna make that darn map though. ; P
    
 
references:
· Double Dragon (NES)
· Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones (NES)
· Double Dragon II: The Revenge (NES)
· Double Dragon IV (PS4)
· Return of Double Dragon (SNES)

 
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