Rage of the Dragons NEO Review

Proving that tag-team fighters are twice as nice, QUByte Interactive looks to the Neo-Geo with their new release Rage of the Dragons NEO. With two-on-two bouts and plenty of new content, do these Double Dragons work in double time?

Rage of the Dragons NEO Review

Released more than 20 years ago, Rage of the Dragons for the Neo-Geo MVS/AES managed to make a name for itself with its tag-team action. 

Featuring a four-button setup, players can perform some incredible moves as they combo people to kingdom come. Dodges, dashes, and duplex attacks can lead to some incredibly stylish battles – just the way we like it. There’s also health management to worry about, and players can “Surrender” for more meter in what amounts to the ultimate sacrifice.

This is made doubly so when considering its diverse cast. Double Dragon staples Billy and Jimmy bring that old school cool to the bout, and muscle-bound meathead Abubo also takes up valuable real estate with his massive pecks.

Rage of the Dragons NEO also features priests, afro-packing kung-fu legends, and fat wrestlers. Each one plays wildly different from one another, and finding out how each one pairs up is a thrilling feeling.

Just be warned that Rage of the Dragons NEO packs a hefty learning curve. Those that resort to mashing buttons or trying to play like Street Fighter are in for a rude awakening. We cut our teeth on the easiest setting (1), but the devout fighters can crank it up to the hardest one (8).

Whiff an attack – or worse, a super – and players will be thrust into a barrier as opponents whittle down one’s health bar. We’re new to the title and it took a fair amount of time for things to click, but after experimenting with characters and finding the proper flow, we greatly enjoyed ourselves. Put simply, those who invest the time into Rage of the Dragons NEO will be handsomely rewarded.

Thankfully Rage of the Dragons NEO packs a number of modern features that ease this difficulty curve. A Training Mode features a wealth of settings and Move Lists, Dragon’s Challenges allow players to take on a survival-like mode, and there’s even settings in Arcade Mode that let players tweak things down to the tiniest detail.

Of course, those that are brave enough to take the fight online can experience silky smooth play with Rage of the Dragons NEO’s rollback netcode. We got our booties handed to us on a silver platter, but we do appreciate how everything “just works.” Players more experienced than us can also rise the ranked with its Ranked Bouts, rising the ranks from Rookie to earn the coveted Dragon Insignia.

Rounding things out in Rage of the Dragons NEO is a jukebox with a number of different tunes that players can check out. Nothing revolutionary, but a nice touch.

While Rage of the Dragons NEO packs a steep learning curve, this fighter greatly rewards those that put in the effort. The team at QUByte Interactive gave plenty of love to Rage of the Dragons NEO, making it the definitive way to play this cult classic.

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