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Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone

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Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone is a side-scrolling beat 'em up originally developed by East Technology, and published by Technōs Japan for the arcade in 1990. The third game in the Double Dragon series, Double Dragon III was ported onto Sega Mega Drive/Genesis by Software Creations and released by Flying Edge on March 1993.

Plot[]

Billy Lee and his twin brother Jimmy are the finest warriors; they are Double Dragon Warriors. Years have gone by since they first took to the streets to save their world from the Black Shadow Warriors who brought nuclear death and destruction to their city. After the senseless shooting of Billy's girl Marion, and the destruction of the Double Dragon Dojo, home of the Double Dragon Warriors, there was no turning back. They took on the Black Shadow Warriors and defeated them. But then, they found that the enemies waited for them in the guise of a new gang. The Scorpions. Framed as murderers, Billy and Jimmy were forced to fight against one foe after another, while they set about clearing their names. After their innocence was proven, they set out on a journey to complete their martial arts training.
Now, two years later, every bit of their long experience and extensive training will be needed. Their skills will be tested to the limit. The brothers face their toughest quest - the search for the three magical Rosetta Stones. Can the Double Dragon Warriors survive the onslaught of the evil thugs and henchmen that want the precious stones for themselves and will stop at nothing to block their way?
Hiruko, an ancient fortuneteller, knows the legend of the Rosetta Stones and where the elusive gems might be found. She has come to offer herself to guide Billy and Jimmy through the five missions in search of the stones. The power of the Rosetta Stone is unmatched. Hiruko has warned the Double Dragon Warriors that they must find the priceless gems before they fall into the hands of the mysterious evil one who hunts for them also and knows how to use them for her own dark purposes. The Double Dragon Warriors know they must summon all their strength, courage, and fighting skill to complete their quest and destroy the great mystical enemy that awaits them at the end of the journey. And now, you will travel with them around the globe, from New York to China and Japan and beyond, as their incredible adventure begins. —Story from Genesis manual

Gameplay[]

Players take control of returning heroes Billy and Jimmy Lee respectively. The controls consists of an eight way directional pad and three buttons, but the combat system has been greatly altered from previous games. The game discards the directional attack buttons from Double Dragon II: The Revenge, returning to the punch and kick format of the original Double Dragon. However, moves such as the elbow strike and the hair grab had been removed and new abilities were added in their place. The player can now run by pushing left or right twice and perform moves with a second player such as a back-to-back hurricane kick when standing near each other and a triangle jump kick when one player jumps toward the other. Other new moves include a running headbutt, a belly-to-back throw and a jumping knee drop.

At the start of certain stages, players will have access to an item shop where they can purchase in-game power-ups such as faster attack speed or new moves by using real money. The items selection vary between stages and each one cost a single credit.

One item, "Extra Guys", allows the player to control one of three new character types in addition to the Lee brothers. These characters form other teams of fighting siblings as well, allowing each player to control a different member of the group. When the player's current fighter is defeated, the new one will replace him, essentially substituting the extra lives system from previous games. These new fighters consists of the Urquidez brothers (mixed martial arts champions), the Chin brothers (tai chi experts) and the Ōyama brothers (karate masters). Each player can hold up to three extra fighters in reserve and availability of a fighter type varies depends on the stage.

Credits[]

  • Programming: Peter Andrew (uncredited)

Reception[]

Paul and Ade reviewed Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone for Sega Force (UK) Issue 14 with an overall rating of 70%. They commended the game's shaded backdrops, big sprites, and atmospheric soundtrack for the Oriental stages, although Paul criticized the limited moves and innovation in contrast to Streets of Rage 2.[1] Slasher Quan of GamePro (US) scored the title an average of 3.3 out of 5, concluding that, "It's a fun tide-me-over with familiar characters and foes, but its graphic animation, sounds, control, and character moves get run into the ground when compared to Streets of Rage II, the current king of the Genesis beat-em-up hill. The Rosetta Stones will make you sweat for a few hours, but they won't rock your world."[2]

References[]

  1. ↑ "Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone", Sega Force, No. 14 pp. 14-16 (February 1993)
  2. ↑ "Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone", GamePro No. 43, p. 48 (February 1993)

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