When Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons arrived in July of last year, we were blown away by its exceptional stage design, fast and simple gameplay, and large array of unlockable characters. The only thing it really lacked was online co-op, but that has now been rectified. Today's "Sacred Reunion" DLC (which is really a title update) adds online co-op, Survival and Versus modes, and three new unlockable characters. It's a big update, and it's free, baby.
The "Sacred Reunion" update features:
- 3 New Characters: Ranzou, Chin Sei Mei & Sonny
- Online Co-Op
- 2 New Modes: Versus & Survival (both online enabled)
- Tons of additional features, such as more power-ups!
Survival Mode
New playable character descriptions:
SONNY LEE: Sonny is the lazy distant cousin of the Lee brothers. Just like Billy and Jimmy, he has practiced the art of S%u014Dsetsuken since he was young, but he has a hard time keeping up. Instead, he opts to give the ancient technique his own creative spin and now wanders the streets to test the might of his new moves.
RANZOU: A mysterious young ninja from a secret organization known as the Secret Society of Ninjas. Ranzou has no stake in the fate of New York, but he is sent here by his organization as a test of his ability.
CHIN SEI MEI: Chin Sei Mei is the younger brother of Chin Tai Mei. While he was originally set to take over as the master of the Moko Gazanken Dojo, but he left the dojo in shame after learning of what his brother China Tai Mei has done.
Note that the new characters are not unlocked by default. They must be purchased from the in-game shop for 15 credits each. On the plus side, players can earn credits from the new Survival mode in addition to the regular game, so earning credits shouldn't be too much of an inconvenience. A brief look at online matchmaking shows that players can search for any open game or specify which mode they'd like to play - a smart matchmaking system.
We'll have more impressions of the "Sacred Reunion" update soon. In the meantime, be sure to read our co-op review and developer interview for more Double Dragon details!
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 of Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is fully Steam Deck compatible.