Let's Play a Game: "Double Dragon II: The Revenge" (NES)

On this episode we'll be playing Double Dragon II: The Revenge for the NES.
Another classic that holds up after all these years.
Drop a comment and let me know what you think about this game.

Double Dragon II: The Revenge is a classic beat 'em up game developed by Technōs Japan and released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1989 in Japan as ダブルドラゴンII ザ・リベンジ (Daburu Doragon II Za Ribenji) and in 1990 in North America. It’s the sequel to the original Double Dragon, building on its success with improved gameplay, visuals, and a refined co-op experience.
In Double Dragon II, you once again control the martial artist brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee. The story picks up after the events of the first game. Marian, Billy’s girlfriend, is gunned down by the Black Shadow Warriors as an act of revenge for their defeat in the original. Fueled by vengeance, the Lee brothers set out to take down the gang and its leader, Willy, who’s now armed with a machine gun.
The game retains the side-scrolling beat 'em up style of its predecessor but introduces some key upgrades. Controls are smoother, with a dedicated punch and kick button (replacing the original’s awkward A/B combos), and you can pull off moves like a spinning hurricane kick or a powerful uppercut. Enemies can also drop weapons—like knives, bats, and dynamite—which you can use against them. The NES version ditches the experience-point system from the arcade original, making it more straightforward: you just fight your way through waves of thugs across nine stages.
Speaking of stages, they’re varied and memorable—city streets, warehouses, a moving helicopter, and even a creepy mansion with trap doors. The difficulty ramps up fast, especially in later levels, and the NES version is notorious for its unforgiving challenge. Playing with a friend in co-op mode is a highlight, though friendly fire is on, so you might accidentally (or not-so-accidentally) smack your partner.
Graphically, it’s a step up from the first game, with more detailed sprites and backgrounds, though it’s still limited by the NES’s hardware. The soundtrack, composed by Kazunaka Yamane, is a standout—gritty and driving, perfectly matching the game’s vibe. Tracks like the opening theme and the final boss music still resonate with retro fans today.
One quirk: the NES version tweaks the arcade’s story a bit. In the arcade, Marian stays dead, but in the NES release, beating the game on the hardest difficulty (“Supreme Master”) brings her back to life as a reward. It’s a rare happy ending for an otherwise brutal tale.
Double Dragon II is often praised as one of the best NES beat 'em ups, though it’s not without flaws—hit detection can be wonky, and the difficulty might frustrate casual players. Still, it’s a defining title of the era, cementing the Lee brothers as icons in gaming history.