Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons fly kicked onto the Switch in July to a very positive reception amongst critics and gamers alike. It pays tribute to the source but improves on the foundations to provide something new for series veterans and newcomers as well. Recently, we were very lucky to chat with Raymond Teo, Founder of Secret Base, to talk about how this project came to be, and the approach to making huge changes to established franchises…
Special thank you to Joscelyn from Maximum Games, who helped make this interview happen!
How did the concept of Double Dragon Gaiden come about? Were you approached to take the reins of the franchise? Or did you have to pitch the idea?
Arc System Works (ASW) first got in touch after the release of my previous beat’em up, Devil’s Dare. I believe they were exploring the idea of publishing games for Steam and the game caught their interest. We already had a publisher then, so the collaboration did not happen.
A few years down the road, I learned that ASW has acquired Technos IP and released Double Dragon IV, which was a game that pays tribute to the classic NES version. I was considering my next game at that time, so I reached out to them to pitch the idea of a Double Dragon with a new visual and game direction instead.
Gamers can be very passionate about classic franchises, was the team nervous about taking on Double Dragon when the project started?
There was a bit of concern as we’re taking things in a new direction, and not just in a small way. But we are also innovating on top of a formula we’re confident in, and that’s always better than starting from scratch. Apart from that, it boils down to doing enough homework, understanding the lore and the history.
The fact that this is a gaiden (side story) also helps give us some flexibility, as it doesn’t restrict us to what was done in the past, but as long as the ideas were fun.
How big was the development team and how long did the game take to complete?
The core team was really just Sian Yue, who’s in charge of all tech and programming topics, and myself that looks after the rest. We also had help from 2 design intern turn contractors, as well as a huge group of freelance artists, musicians and voice actors, which range around 30-40 people.
When you consider the headcount, it sounds like a lot, but the truth is that much of the work was done over the pandemic, so there were a lot of contractors looking for quick jobs, and a lot of projects looking for contractors. People come and go really fast, though we were lucky to have a few key personnel that worked with us through the project. It was tough, but also an interesting experience.
Did you have any challenges when bringing the franchise to the Nintendo Switch?
Nothing too serious, but we worked very hard to make sure that the game was pixel perfect, giving it the extra sharp and clean look. That becomes a slight problem on NS, as the game runs in different resolution when you dock or undock the switch, so we had to cater to both.
Not only that, the game was taking a little longer to load on Switch, but we’ve since patched and improved the loading time by quite a bit. If you have not yet had the chance, do give it another shot!
The new gameplay elements like the roguelite progression and freeform level progression really add to the replayability of the game, were these features planned from the start, or did they evolve as the development cycle progressed?
They were decided rather early on, though at the time, it was meant to be an even bigger scope with more emphasis on character storyline. But as you can imagine, license games usually come with a deadline, so we had to compromise a little and focus on what matters.
The good thing is that the ideas were previously explored in my previous games, so I know pretty well what the pros and cons are and improve upon them.
I really enjoyed the art direction of the game, what inspirations did the team draw from to achieve this style?
I was referencing more to the classic sprite, specifically the ones from NES. On top of that, there was also The Combatribes, which shares a lot of similarity with the Double Dragon franchise. I always felt that if Technos were to develop the arcade version of Double Dragon internally, that’s how it would have looked like, so took quite a bit of inspiration from that too.
Another important factor was that we wanted to make a game with lots of different playable characters. So we had to adapt a simpler, cleaner art style, which then allows us to work faster and experiment more to create different playstyle for different characters. Keep only what works, and throw away what didn’t. Then to make up for the simpler visual, we pay extra attention to making the animation feel more fluid and expressive.
I recently saw some concept art of Golden Axe and Ghostbusters… Any chance we might see something come from that?
I’m glad you like them too. I made those in 2015, mostly for fun. Personally, I love the idea of reimagining how classic movies or games should look and play like. What were the essences that made the movie or game fun in the first place, and how can we bring that back. That has always been my thing.
But working on classic IP is a rare, once in a lifetime opportunity. I hope to have the chance again, but it’s never going to be easy. Unless someone reading this is the owner of a certain IP, then feel free to knock on my door.
What’s next for the team?
We are still working hard on patches to improve the game, as well as an online multiplayer mode for the gamers. We have also received a long wishlist from players about possible characters, game modes, etc. that they wish to see in the game. I’m consolidating all that has been shared, hopefully, if the game does well, we can get to them as well.
Finally, the game has received a very positive reception, how does that feel after launching Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons to see it all come together?
I’m just glad that Double Dragon Gaiden has found its audience. Especially the players who come to me sharing that they’ve played the game with their kids, just like how they used to play the game with their siblings or parents. It’s really sweet and made the sleepless night worth something.
Other than that, the truth is that my brain is still very much numbed by the long list of task, so I’m just busy clearing them, and looking forward to the day that I can just have a good break and not have to think about it… at least for a few days, haha
Thank you so much for your time, I can’t wait to see what’s next from the team!
In case you missed it, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons was released just over a month ago to a very positive reception, including our own. It’s a rare case of a franchise revival honoring the source material, and making it even better, and is well worth your time!
To read our review click here – Double Dragon Gaiden Switch Review – What’s It Like? (whatsitlike.com.au)
More importantly, if you’re looking to play it, it’s available on the Nintendo Eshop here – Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons/Nintendo Switch/eShop Download
