Double Dragon V – The Shadow Falls is… well, it’s not your usual Double Dragon game. Instead of the classic side-scrolling brawler action, this one’s a one-on-one fighter, like Street Fighter but with that Double Dragon flavor. The roster’s got Billy and Jimmy, of course, plus some weirdly cool (and weirdly random) characters like a cyborg and a masked wrestler.

At first, I wasn’t sure about the shift to fighting game mechanics—it feels a little stiff compared to something like Mortal Kombat—but there’s something oddly satisfying about landing a spinning kick combo with Billy. The pixel art’s got that gritty ‘90s arcade vibe, and the special moves are flashy enough to make you feel like a martial arts movie hero, even if the AI sometimes cheats like crazy.

If you go in expecting a traditional Double Dragon experience, you might be thrown off. But if you just want to throw some fireballs and suplex a few goons, it’s a decent time. Just don’t blame me when the final boss makes you rage-quit.