Hi everyone!
This is the Double Dragon series development team at Arc System Works.

In this fourth volume of Developer’s Diary Revive, we offer the latest info on the Double Dragon series with an introduction of the Shadow Warriors organization that stands in opposition to our heroes.

The Formidable Foes, the Shadow Warriors

Now, before we dive into the characters for today, let’s hear from Cailteux and Nagaki about the Shadow Warriors organization.

Cailteux:
To put it simply, the Shadow Warriors are an evil gang in the Double Dragon world.

This game takes place in a post-nuclear war world where countries no longer exist.
People have formed colonies throughout the world to live in groups as best they can.

Naturally, it’s an unsafe world where might makes right. The Shadow Warriors are a group of people who wield such power.

The organization formed at the end of the war and expanded while moving from colony to colony. They now have enough influence to control an entire colony themselves.

Although they were thought to wander between places, the Shadow Warriors have set up a base in the colony where our story takes place and seem to have something unsavory in the works… which will be key to the story underway.


Nagaki:
As they’ve moved throughout many locations, the members of the Shadow Warriors come from various backgrounds.

They cover a wide spread, from ruffians to professionals such as mercenaries and agents to ninja and samurai. Beloved boss characters from the series such as Burnov also belong to the organization, fulfilling their own roles.

There are four core members known as the Four Kings:

・Commander in charge: Roper
・Runaway train: Abobo
・Tactician: Linda
・Willy’s right hand: Williams

These four are familiar faces from earlier games in the series, who now appear as boss characters.

The Shadow Warriors members in this title include some characters fans are sure to recognize right away, but showing a new side of them.

Let’s introduce these nostalgic favorites!



Cailteux:
He’s appeared throughout the series as an enemy, both as a boss and as a standard enemy during the stages.
Burnov really stands out for his visuals. The mask covering half of his face and his leather equipment fit right in with the end-times setting.
And one other thing you can’t forget: his animation when he’s defeated.
He opens his limbs wide and disappears, leaving only his mask and some of his clothing behind (although he revives after this). We’ve paid particular attention to recreating it in this game.


Cailteux:
Always down for a fight, he’s a core member of the Shadow Warriors who claims the warehouse area the Lee brothers live in as his own territory.
Roper has appeared in prior games as well as a low-level enemy, but he’s stepped up to become a boss for this title.

He’s the commander in charge of his gang: usually he puts on airs, but when it comes to a fight he’s the first one to rush in.


Nagaki:
In battle, he specializes in fighting with a bat.
Unlike standard enemies, he can perform long-range attacks that require the player to utilize key mechanics such as guarding and dodging to handle effectively.


As an aside, each boss in this game has a particular mission as part of their design. Our intent is that even if the player has a hard time with the boss at first, once they realize what the “mission” is, they have a relatively simple path to victory.



Cailteux:
At long last, Abobo takes the stage (laugh).
He’s one of the more well-known enemy characters in the Double Dragon series, famed for his impressive stature and powerful look. He’s got those huge muscles and that bald head!

In this game, he stands against the heroes as one of the core members of the Shadow Warriors. Naturally, he fights using the overwhelming force of his brute strength.

Each time he makes an appearance, the encounter provides a different battle experience for the player to look forward to.

Nagaki:
As an example, he appears for the first time by suddenly barging in on Stage 1. This is something of a debut battle for him, so he just goes all-out, says his piece, and makes his exit.

In future appearances, however, there are various different stages where the player can utilize gimmicks to attack him or where he is invincible, forcing the player to escape.


In this volume of Developer’s Diary Revive, we introduced the Shadow Warriors gang our heroes will face off against, as well as some of the members.

Next time, we’ll cover even more of the colorful cast of Shadow Warriors members.
Keep an eye out!

Be sure to follow the Community Hub and official X account so you don’t miss the next volume.
Thank you for reading through to the end.


(公式HP[www.arcsystemworks.jp])
(公式X[x.com])

Hi everyone!
This is the Double Dragon series development team at Arc System Works.

In this third volume of Developer’s Diary Revive, a project to share information on the Double Dragon series, we will introduce the two playable characters announced in Fall 2024, Marian and Yagyu Ranzo.

■The Sosetsuken and Dragon Vein

In order to offer a deeper understanding of these characters, first we have two of our developers joining to explain key words from the game: Sosetsuken and Dragon Vein.

Cailteux:
Sosetsuken is the ultimate martial art, a culmination of all techniques known. This title also includes the idea of fortifying yourself by holding supernatural power from the Dragon Vein within the body.

This technique has been passed down through generations since ancient times. In the past, there were hundreds of martial artists studying it, but past wars and the control of the Shadow Warriors over the city caused the Sosetsuken dojo to close its doors. In the modern era, only three people inherit the Sosetsuken: Billy, Jimmy, and Marian.

Marian’s father, the prior heir, has gone missing, and currently the group run a bar next door to the closed dojo while patrolling the city.

To step outside of the story for a moment, the idea behind Sosetsuken from the original Double Dragon series was heavily influenced by pop culture such as hit movies at the time, and is even said to be inspired by Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do.

Nagaki:
The phrase Dragon Vein originates from the term in Feng Shui, and in the game as well it refers to a form of energy found in nature.

This power has a flow to it, and at certain crossroads the flow reaches greater concentrations. The colony appearing in the game is one such place, a fact known only by the select few people who know of the Dragon Vein’s existence. It is no coincidence that the Sosetsuken dojo can be found there, as the valuable land was chosen as its home base.

The Dragon Vein plays a very important role in the story this time.

With these two key words in mind, let’s introduce our characters.

Character Profile ① Marian Kelly

Marian is a familiar face, as the heroine of the series.
Although she gets kidnapped at the beginning of the game, she can wield the Sosetsuken just like the Lee brothers.

Cailteux:
She’s appeared throughout the Double Dragon series in various forms, whether in need of rescue or serving as a police officer.

In this game, Marian is the daughter of the previous generation’s Sosetsuken heir, as well as childhood friend to Billy and Jimmy.

Highly intelligent, she has the strength to stand up against opposition despite her calm nature, making her a reliable presence in the lives of the people around them.

She works as a bar owner, providing a place where the citizens can enjoy a small comfort even in the harsh world after the nuclear war.

From a design perspective, she sports quite athletic attire to ensure a comfortable range of movement so she can be ready to defend the customers at her bar or those close to her at any moment.

She wears a t-shirt in her favorite color, red, with few accessories so she can be battle-ready at quick notice. She chooses mostly black clothing to avoid her clothes looking dirty.


Nagaki:
Allow me to explain Marian’s role from the gameplay perspective.

If we think of Billy as a standard character and Jimmy as a power type, Marian would be a speedy character.

Although she deals slightly less damage, her incredible mobility allows her to traverse the stage and take down enemies in style.

Some stages in the game require you to make your way past obstacles rather than simply defeating enemies. Marian will prove invaluable on these stages.

Character Profile ② Yagyu Ranzo

Yagyu Ranzo is another playable character in Double Dragon Revive.
He comes from a lineage dedicated to protecting the Dragon Vein.

Cailteux:
Ranzo is yet another familiar character from the series.
He made his first appearance as a playable character in Double Dragon 3, and has shown up as a boss character as well.

As in his prior appearances, he works as part of a highly secret organization.

In this game, he comes from a lineage dedicated to keeping locations of the Dragon Vein secret and preventing them from being used for evil. He is an elite ninja of the highest rank within the organization, respected by his allies.

He enters the story and encounters the heroes after learning about the misuse of the Dragon Vein in the colony where our tale takes place.

For his visual design, we’ve kept the white and light grey color scheme from his earlier designs, with the concept of “what would a modern ninja wear?”

This concept combines the garbs traditionally associated with ninja with modern streetwear and sportswear.

Nagaki:
Ranzo is a character who can fight at far range.

All of the other playable characters fight using hand-to-hand combat. However, Ranzo can attack by throwing shuriken and kunai, as well as other long-range attacks, even capable of setting enemies aflame with his fire technique.

He also has good mobility options, with quick movement speed and high jumps, meaning he can easily take a hit-and-away approach.

I’d recommend anyone who doesn’t want to get in too close to the enemies to give him a try.

●Coming Up

In this issue of Developer’s Diary Revive, we introduced Marian and Ranzo now that you’re familiar with the main Lee brothers.

Next time, we’d like to touch on the Shadow Warriors gang that stands in opposition to our protagonists.
Keep an eye out!

Be sure to follow the Community Hub and official X account so you don’t miss the next volume.
Thank you for reading through to the end.


Official Webpage
https://www.arcsystemworks.jp/ddrev/en/

Official X Account
https://x.com/DD1987_PR