Double Dragon 3 - Rosetta Stone

Yie Ar Kung-Fu!

To celebrate St George’s Day, I wanted to feature an Atari ST game and thought something dragon-related would be perfect. I tried a few games but wasn’t feeling them, and sadly, nothing else really grabbed my attention. Then I remembered Double Dragon 3. Ahem. Come on, it has got the word "dragon" in the title!

• For all those people left wondering what England's St. George's Day is about 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Double Dragon 3 whisks us away on a global adventure, kicking off in the hardass streets of America. From the outset, we’re plunged into the chaos, facing a horde of thugs eager to ambush us. Being a hard dude, the game offers a variety of kicks and punches to unleash onto the enemy hordes. So let's do just that!

This game appears to have it all, so let's pause for some screenshots...

You don't mess with guys that look like these two!!

But I gotta laugh at the fun artwork throughout. It's great, but a little creepy!!

Kick him when he's down!

From the outset, it’s clear this game prioritises fake Hollywood action over any pseudo-realism. The villains are fantastic and can attack in groups, creating a frantic experience that’s perfect for a joystick-bashing time. At times, I felt like I was playing Golden Axe, and I thoroughly enjoyed the barrage of silly fighting.

The controls are smooth and responsive, allowing for easy execution of kicks and punches. In fact, DD3 is incredibly easy to pick up and play, giving me that arcade feeling I was hoping for. There’s no learning curve, and even a complete noob like myself gets a thrill from this arcade-style kicker! Occasionally, shops appear offering power-ups like weapons and so on (there's always someone willing to cash in on your pain!!). This adds depth and longevity to the entertainment and proves that beating people up is always incredibly fun.

The gameplay is well-balanced, neither too easy nor overbearing. I soon discovered a jumping/flying kick that’s very effective. However, repeating the same move quickly became boring, so I resorted to my joystick-waggling skills to uncover other hidden moves. Before long, I found a spinning vertical kick - yay! The enemies are a traditional bunch with predictable AI, but their slow movement reduces the overall pace.

It's like a game version of a Chuck Norris movie!! I love it, so here are more screenshots...

Come on, get up and take some more smackin'!! Yeah, I can take on anybody GRR!!

Ah, he's big. Well, they say that the bigger they are... (I hope that's true!!)

The CryptO'pinion?

Double Dragon 3 is a blast of fun with fantastic graphics. The sound effects are great, but it’s a shame there’s no in-game chip music. I loved the gritty American streets setting. I’m genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this beat 'em up, and I highly recommend it. Kick-ass action, so it scores top marks from me!

Kick & punch your way using either
floppy disk or your hard drive