Much to its disadvantage, Neon never sets out to be anything other than Double Dragon. Yes, it adds new mechanics like unlockable special moves and shops for replenishing lost lives, as well as 3D characters, but at its core this is a loyal retro remake. Everything around it is superfluous because none of those features contribute anything to Neon’s benefit. There’s a laundry list of issues in Double Dragon that don’t sit well decades later, and Neon retains all of them.
The additional stages help fill out the original game’s 30-minute length, but only by about another 30 minutes, so you’re paying ten bucks for an hour of gameplay. In those new levels you’ll encounter inept platforming segments, which don’t mesh well with Neon’s slow, cumbersome characters. You’ll also suffer through frustrating enemy encounters that aim for you to fail, only to have to repeat an entire scenario from the start. In addition, the finicky combat demands precision Neon can’t achieve, so expect to punch a lot of dead air instead of bad guys when you’re not on the exact same plane.
