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Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone (1990)

A third Double Dragon game was released in 1990, first for the arcade, under the moniker of Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone. The Black Warriors have finally been removed from power and their influence has escaped the streets. As an unusual method for relaxation, Billy and Jimmy Lee take a trip wayyyy out of town for training purposes (as if defeating an entire gang isn't good enough). Upon their return, they discover the fortune teller, Hiruko, who informs them of three Rosetta stones that need to be collected before meeting a powerful new rival fighter in Egypt. Not content with passing on a good challenge, the Double Dragons then pool together their emergency dojo money and head to several locations around the world to find those stones. In Double Dragon III, you can actually control a third mysterious character named Sonny who basically looks like Billy and Jimmy, except clad in yellow. Thankfully, the control scheme has returned to its roots, offering a single button for both punching and kicking. Though some fighting techniques were abandoned, others, such as a weird head-butt, have been added. Characters can even combine forces for a double attack if desired. One unique feature (only in the American version) is the addition of a shop, where players can use real-like tokens to buy statistical upgrades or new moves and weapons. Heck, you can also buy additional players should your own perish! It's Technos Japan's precursor to downloadable content.

An NES version was soon to follow and was based somewhat closely on its source material while ading its own interpretation on certain features. Renamed Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones for some reason (probably because it sounded too much like a language learning game), you now control Billy and Jimmy... no wait, it's written in the game as BIMMY and Jimmy... as they once again search for the lost Marian (spelled Marion this time). Only by locating the sacred stones can they find her, although once you reach Egypt, the final boss is none other than a possessed version of Marian (as opposed to Cleopatra in both the original and the Japanese Famicom version). In Double Dragon III for the NES also offers the opportunity to switch characters during battle; as you progress, two bosses you defeat become your allies (Chin Seimei, a martial artist, and Yagyu Ranzou, a ninja) giving you more options. These characters may be necessary for the completion of the game, because you only get ONE life to survive and that's it. Once your character dies, that's it. No more. Game over, man. Game over. And the enemies are less forgiving this time around, so Double Dragon III on the NES definitely ranks as the toughest mission to date.

Aside from the standard computer ports of Double Dragon III, fans were also given a more apt arcade experience on the Sega Genesis. The Game Boy port was handled by a company known only as "The Sales Curve". Not exactly the most catchy brand, but you might know them better by their current name: Square Enix Europe. Both were a fair representation of the arcade game, although it's not always as apparent on the monochrome Game Boy screen. The Sales Curve also handled all computer ports.

Here are a few screenshots for comparison:

Arcade
NES
Sega Genesis

Game Boy
Commodore 64


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