Fighting games and beat ’em ups have been intrinsically connected since pretty much the very beginning of the genres existing, but that doesn’t always mean they’re a perfect match to cross over.
Matt McMuscles just released his latest episode of The Worst Fighting Game where he takes a closer look at everything that makes Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls a true stinker for fans of the original titles and fighting games in general.
For starters, The Shadow Falls wasn’t made as a follow-up to the classic beat ’em ups, but rather the forgotten American Double Dragon cartoon and decided to make it a fighter… because why not.
The Leland Corporation was tasked with making this not Double Dragon sequel despite their zero experience with fighting games, which is pretty apparent just from looking at the final product.
As for the game itself, Double Dragon V’s visual presentation is serviceable for the time except for the “enhanced” Atari Jaguar version that came out a year later and ended up looking and sounding worse than the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis — it also removed 3 characters for some reason.
Without the characters, music and style of the beat ’em ups, you’re left with a basic 6-button fighter that felt archaic by 1994 when X-Men: Children of the Atom, Darkstalkers, and Killer Instinct all released that very same year.
Does Double Dragon V have what it takes to dethrone Criticom as the worst fighting game in the world? You’ll have to check out Matt McMuscles’ full video below to find out and learn all there is to know about this misguided adventure.
