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======A comprehensive FAQ for =======
====== DOUBLE DRAGON =======
====== a fighting game for the NES.=======
====== =======
====== version 1.00 =======
====== by someog =======
====== someog AT mailcity DOT com =======
====== May 3, 2002 =======
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This FAQ is written for an 79-wide character display.
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Table of Contents
1: INTRODUCTION
2: CONTROLS AND GAME MECHANICS
3: CAST OF CHARACTERS
4: WALKTHROUGH
5: LEVELING UP
6: TWO-PLAYER VERSUS MODE
7: GLITCHES AND ODDITIES
8: CREDITS, CONTACT INFO, AND COPYRIGHT
REVISION HISTORY:
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May 3rd, 2003
Initial draft, submitted to GameFAQs. In this draft:
- The game's sub-boss is referred to as TGWTG, since I don't want to call him
Willie (too easy to confuse with Will).
- I've seen several people call the giant Abodo. I've always thought he was
Abobo, and the versus screen agrees with me. Unless irrefutably told
otherwise, I'll retain my spelling.
Let's begin...
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==== 1: INTRODUCTION
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When still a relative child, I asked my parents for, and received, a Nintendo
Entertainment System. Soon after, I got the game I loved so dearly in the
arcade: Double Dragon. I remember that the box said something along the lines
of "never wait in line at the arcade again," and that appealed to me very much.
Double Dragon was at the time probably the most popular arcade game (to this
day, I can still beat the arcade game with one life--not just one quarter).
Well, the NES Double Dragon only vaguely resembles its arcade counterpart, but
is still an extremely enjoyable beat-em-up.
While bored a few days ago, I looked through the available FAQs for this game
as a gesture to nostalgia, and realized something that surprised me: I know
more about this game, much more in fact, than the existing FAQs contained. I
know this game in intimate detail. And though I'm not normally a writer of
FAQs, for personal enjoyment I decided to write this one. I hope you enjoy it.
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==== 2: CONTROLS AND GAME MECHANICS
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In Double Dragon, you will progress through seven levels of skill. As you gain
new skill levels, you will gain new techniques. A level is represented by a
heart, and the hearts you've attained are displayed at the lower left of the
screen.
You begin Double Dragon with one heart and no experience. You'll gain
experience by executing techniques (kicking tail, in other words). Various
moves give differing amounts of experience, as noted in the move list below.
One heart is gained per 1000 points of experience gained.
With one heart, you may execute these moves:
Movement: use the directional pad
Punch: A
Kick: B
Jump: A+B (jump becomes jumpkick when three hearts are attained)
Headbutt: double-tap left or double-tap right
With two hearts, you may execute these moves:
Uppercut: A while opponent is stunned and in range
High Kick: B while opponent is stunned and in range
At times, these techniques can be executed without previously stunning the
opponent, by standing very close, or by executing them while the opponent is on
a ladder. This appears to be a bug.
With three hearts, you may execute these moves:
Jumpkick: A+B (it is thereafter not possible to merely jump)
When you receive the jumpkick, some of your enemies also do, namely Will,
Rowper, and Jimmy.
With four hearts, you may execute these moves:
Hair Grab: Kick opponent at medium-long rnage. Billy will
automatically grab the opponent's hair.
Alternately, stun the enemy at medium range, then walk away
from the enemy quickly. You will grab the enemy's hair.
Knee Bash: B while executing a hair grab
Shoulder Throw: A while executing a hair grab
Note that Abobo and Jimmy are not susceptible to the hair grab.
With five hearts, you may execute these moves:
Straddle: DOWN while standing over a fallen opponent
Sitting Face-Punch: A to punch while straddling
Press UP while straddling to get off the opponent.
Note that Abobo and Jimmy are not susceptible to the straddle.
Note that Chin and TGWTG will throw you off unless they are almost dead.
With six hearts, you may execute these moves:
Elbow Punch: A while facing away from the opponent
With seven hearts, you may execute these moves:
Spin Kick: this replaces the High Kick and is the same in execution
At this point, you cease to amass experience.
WEAPONS
During the course of the game, your enemies may attack you with knives,
baseball bats, whips, dynamite, crates, barrels, and boulders. Don't fret; the
enemies are more contemptibly easy to defeat when armed than when unarmed.
Furthermore, you may with ease disarm them, then use their weapons against
them. Kicking, stunning, or knocking down an armed enemy will disarm him or
her.
ADVANCED FIGHTING TECHNIQUES
Failed Attack Recovery
Anytime your attack fails, leaving you open to an enemy, move vertically. Did
Abobo duck your jumpkick? Move up or down, and you'll avoid his counterattack.
This should become second nature to you.
Passing the opponent
Sometimes you want to be on the other side of your opponent, so you move to
another vertical level and walk fast. However, you can't get past, because
your opponent retreats as fast as you advance. What do you do? Jumpkick.
Your opponent will pause or duck, allowing you to pass.
Close-kick
Knock the opponent to the ground, then walk until your kneecap touches theirs.
As soon as the enemy begins to rise, begin kicking. You'll hit as the enemy
attempts to back up to put some space between you. This works best on Abobo.
Close-punch
Same as Close-kick, but punch instead. Chin is a sucker for this.
The long-range kick
Learn the range of your kick. It can reach quite far, far enough to disarm a
Will before he can hit you with a bat. Perhaps the most basic technique of all
is to kick the enemy just as he comes into range. Learn to do this well.
Triple-kick
Three kicks will knock down any enemy. This technique involves three
consecutive long-range kicks in rapid succession. Because these kicks are
delivered at long range, you won't be close enough for a high kick or spinning
kick. That's a good thing; the enemy won't be able to duck. Learn this
technique to knock down the enemy before he comes into range.
Kick-jumpkick
This technique is more fun than useful. Press B to deliver a long-range kick,
and just as it connects press A to convert it to a jumpkick. Both kicks will
deal damage. The sounds will be almost simultaneous if performed correctly.
Hair-pull combo
Simple as pie. Grab the enemy's hair and deliver four knee bashes and a
shoulder throw. This is the most devastating combo in the game. If you grab
the hair on the first kick, you'll deal 14 points of damage, and 16 if you grab
the hair on the second kick.
Waiting hair-grab
Knock the enemy down, and position yourself where, kicking, your outstretched
foot is approximately over the opponent's shins. As the opponent rises, have a
kick waiting on him, to grab his hair before he can react. This is an
essential skill for defeating TGWTG. Obviously, don't try this on Abobo or
Jimmy.
Know your enemy's health
Don't waste a full-length hair-pull combo on anyone but Chin. For Will and
Linda, deliver one knee-bash and a shoulder throw for the kill. Give Rowper
two knee-bashes and a shoulder throw. This assumes you grab the hair on the
first kick; if on the second, omit a knee-bash.
BOMLE (Barrage of Multi-Level Elbows)
The single most devastating technique in the game, and a quick way to make this
difficult game quite easy. Every enemy in the game except for TGWTG and Jimmy
are suckers for this. Here's how it works: Walk close to the enemy, but on a
different vertical level this is assuming a 3D portion of the game). The enemy
will back up to put the appropriate amount of horizontal screen space between
you and him/her, and then walk vertically to get on your level. As the enemy
comes to your level, throw an elbow punch. The enemy may duck; if so, move to
a new level and repeat. Do NOT repeatedly throw elbows from the same location,
or Chin and Abobo will have you for lunch. If the first misses, move and try
again. After three or four, the opponent will be hit. Four elbows will kill
Chin and Abobo, two for Rowper, and just one for Will and Linda. If you do
nothing else, do this.
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==== 3: CAST OF CHARACTERS
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MARIAN
Marian, in all her beautific 8-bit glory, is your sweet baboo. A bunch of
goons punched her in the stomach and carried her off to be the sweet baboo of
your brother, Jimmy. You naturally resent this.
WILL (or Williams)
One of the two weakest thugs you'll face, Will is a generic white guy with a
determined expression and little else with which to threaten you. When armed,
Will favors knives, dynamite, and baseball bats.
LINDA
The other of the two weakest thugs you'll face, Linda is a woman who often
totes a whip. Woo! She was given a very bad hairdo, and she's going to take
it out on you. It could be my imagination, but she seems to be a meaner
puncher than either Will or Rowper. For a challenge, try punching out a Linda
who carries a whip. Yes, it's possible.
ROWPER (or Roper)
He looks bored, but as long as he's hanging around the neighborhood through
which you're going, he figures he might as well beat you up. He's also more
capable of doing so than Will or Linda, but not much. He enjoys throwing heavy
things like crates, barrels, and boulders at you.
ABOBO (or Abodo)
This guy has a seriously angry expression, which probably has something to do
with his hair loss, overly-small lower regions, and gigantic bulbous head. He
needs no weapons; he's quite capable of slapping you silly without them. He
can be beaten in a toe-to-toe slugfest, but it's a long shot. For a challenge,
try punching Abobo out. Yes, it's possible. Use BOMLE, triple-kicks, or
close-kicking on ABOBO. For fun, use jumpkicks or kick-jumpkicks.
CHIN (or Chintai)
He's not a generic thug, he's a really tough cookie who enjoys kicking you in
very sensitive areas from well outside of your kicking range. Sometimes he
comes armed with a knife. On Chin, use BOMLE or full-length hair-pull combos.
If neither of those are available, Chin is vulnerable to close-punching.
TGWTG (THE GUY WITH THE GUN) (or Willie)
You'll meet him just before your family reunion with your brother, out of whom
you'll also beat the stuffing. TGWTG totes (obviously) a large, menacing gun,
which he never drops, and which shoots incredibly slow bullets. See the
walkthrough for strategies on fighting him.
JIMMY
He's your brother. He envies you your girlfriend, and he has approximately two
hundred of the aforementioned friends to help him take her away from you. He's
undoubtedly unable to get his own girlfriend, because judging from his
abnormally pale skin, he spends all his time holed up in a dark room as a
social outcast. But he can whup some serious tail, so don't make fun of him
about it. See the walkthrough for strategies on fighting him.
Enemy life levels
Will: 8
Linda: 8
Rowper: 10
Abobo: 32
Chin: 32
TGWTG: 64
Jimmy: ??? (greater than 128, I think)
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==== 4: WALKTHROUGH
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NOTE: You may progress through the levels of skill at whatever pace you
prefer, and your skill level will determine the manner in which you kill
enemies. Therefore, this walkthrough does not tell how to kill an enemy. That
is considered outside the scope of this section. Refer to the ENEMIES section
for strategies on defeating the various baddies you'll encounter.
NOTE: When the walkthrough says that more than two enemies attack, only two
will appear onscreen at a single time. When you kill one, another will enter,
until the requisite number of enemies have entered. However, you'll face them
two at a time.
NOTE: There are four mission in Double Dragon, and each mission is broken into
scenes. I've numbered each scene as M.S, where M is the mission number, and S
is the scene number.
SCENE 1.1
The scene opens to find two Wills menacing you. Try not to wet yourself with
terror; dispatch them. Another Will will emerge after you kill one (sometimes,
rarely, the third Will doesn't come). Move on.
After passing a door set into the wall, it will open, revealing two Lindas.
One waves a whip at you. Kill them and move on. If you're bored, climb the
ladder, causing them to follow you, and kick or punch them off of it.
In the next scene, four black Rowpers attack, and a barrel sits on the pavement
for use by any of you. Dispatch them and continue.
Next, five Lindas attack, one with a whip. After they succumb to your fury, a
door will open. Enter it. You have completed scene 1.1
SCENE 1.2
You'll find yourself in a room containing a door, a moving treadmill, and a pit
at the end of it. You'll also find two Rowpers, in very close proximity to
you. If you aren't quick, they've probably already knocked you down. Kill
them conventionally, or by knocking them into the pit (for extra style points).
After they die, Abobo will enter through the door. Kill him. He is,
ironically, easier to knock off the treadmill into the pit than the Rowpers.
In fact, it's possible to cause him to fall off without even touching him.
Congratulations, you've just beaten Mission 1.
SCENE 2.1
Kill the four Rowpers, avoiding the crate with which the Rowpers are attacking.
Move on.
Will attacks you with dynamite. Avoid it, move in front of him, then move up,
down, or backward when he throws it. At this point, kill him. Climb the fence
to an upper level, and move forward cautiously. A bat-wielding Will attacks.
Either jumpkick him or long-range kick him to disarm him. Kill him and ignore
the bat. Moving onward, jump off the fence, and kill three more Wills
(wielding dynamite). Proceed.
Two Lindas greet you, whip in hand, in front of a building under construction.
Kill them. Moving up the building under construction, kill three more Lindas.
At the top of the building, you'll meet Chin for the first time. Kill him, or
knock him from the building for an easier win. For the easiest (and cheesiest)
win of all, just start going back down the building. Before you get down two
ladders, the scene will end, and you'll have won. Congratulations on beating
mission two.
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MISSION 3
This is the longest mission. Get comfortable.
SCENE 3.1
Kill five Wills-with-knives when the scene opens. Admire the way one one jumps
from a tree, just before pasting him. For additional amusement, elbow-punch
him as he falls; he'll die instantly.
Moving on, kill three Chins. If you walk as far as possible rightward while
Chins are still alive, you'll be able to knock or throw Chins into invisible
offscreen water to the lower right of the screen. If you so choose, this can
speed the process.
Move on. Kill a Will-with-bat. Moving to the absolute top of the screen, jump
the gap in the bridge, and immediately jumpkick the Will-with-knife who's
trying to mince your face. Move on, killing another two Wills.
Move on. Kill four Rowpers. Nothing special here.
Move one. When the cliff face gives way to a pastoral background, stop walking
and admire the strength of the two Abobos who just punched out of the sheer
rock face. Express your admiration, then kill them. Enter either of the holes
they've created with their fearsome strength. If you don't, and move on,
you'll just repeat a substantial portion of the scene you've already beaten,
and will reveal your silliness in so doing. This will be a recurring theme
throughout the rest of the game.
SCENE 3.2
In the cave, look up. That's right, it's raining stalactites. Dodge them and
move forward. As you do, admire the music; it's quite good. Be careful while
walking not to walk with multiple short taps on the control pad. If you do,
you'll perform a head-butt, and get stabbed by a stalactite while recovering.
Eventually, the stalactites will cease as you come to a hole, over which
plaforms move on tracks.
Jump straight up when the first platform is over you. Then do the same to get
to the second (top) platform. Don't bother with the third; when the top
platform reaches its rightmost point, just jump to the other side of the
crevasse. If you fall, and happen to miss the lava below, you'll have to fight
Rowpers and endure the stalactites again.
See the "glitches" section for a way to lose a life here in a way which
illustrates a bug in Double Dragon.
On the other side of the crevasse, pass a door, out of which two Chins will
come. Kill them and enter the door. As before, if you don't enter the door,
you will feel silly as you repeat a substantial portion of the scene.
SCENE 3.3
Note that you may reenter this door as many times as you like. Each time you
do, your time and energy are refilled. This is handy in the event that you get
blasted with any dynamite that may happen to fly through the air to greet you.
Dynamite flies through the air to greet you when you enter the door. Dynamite
and Wills. Kill the Wills, avoid the dynamite. Move on.
As you walk to the right after killing the Wills, you'll stop, the screen will
begin to scroll by itself, and you'll hear a funny sound. It's the sound of an
8-bit processor trying to sound like boulders bouncing. That's because
boulders are bouncing behind you, and you can't really outrun them. The best
thing to do here is just wait. The boulders may miss you, or you may take a
hit and lose a bar of life. It's not a problem, since you have almost full
life (if you lost too much fighting the Wills, you should have reentered the
Chins' door to refill it). In any case, jump down after the boulders, and
waste no time in following them. They'll soon disappear, and it will rain
stalactites again for about half a screen. Nine times out of ten, you'll be
able to just keep walking.
After the stalactites, you'll stop moving, and the screen will scroll right
again. You'll stand at the edge of a precipice. Don't worry, jump off or fall
off; you'll be safe either way. However, once you reach the bottom, bursting
from the wall will be: Abobo! But now he's REALLY mad; someone put green food
coloring in his bubble bath. Dispatch him (check out the glitches section for
the most amusing way to do this). His green brother will come. Dispatch him
as well. Go through the hole made by Green Abobo 1.
SCENE 3.4
A weird night sky and a weird cliff face greet you. The cliff is speckled with
caves, ledges, and climbable rockfaces. Jump off the right edge of the ledge
you're on and land on a lower ledge. Lindas attack you. If you fancy a
challenge, try this: throw every Linda off the cliff with a shoulder throw,
using only one kick to grab the hair. I've done it, but not often. At any
rate, kill them, or just keep jumping down. Your goal is a door at the bottom
of the cliff (don't jump off the side). Eventually, you'll see the door below
you, at which point you should kill any remaining Lindas, watch the door open,
then enter it. You've completed mission 3.
SCENE 4.1
You find yourself on a narrow ledge in front of a boring large-block wall.
Don't move forward; the blocks come out of the wall to knock the stuffing out
of you. One block does as much damage as dynamite; four will kill you. Inch
forward until you aren't in front of the blocks, but they begin shooting out.
Notice the patterns and learn the timing. There is a way to avoid getting hit;
I never learned it (alert: here's where you can be better than I am at this
game!). I wait until the top block shoots out, and it's NOT followed by the
second-from-bottom block. As soon as I realize that the second-from-bottom
block isn't coming out immediately after, I run. I often get hit once at the
end of each section. There are two sections of this wall, so I have the
potential to get hit twice this way. That still leaves plenty of energy for
the rest of this scene. Move on.
The ledge widens. As you pass strange brasiers and the path again narrows, six
Chins (two at a time) come from behind the columns, some armed with knives.
This is no easy fight. It's usually more trouble than it's worth trying to
knock the Chins from the ledge; use standard fighting tactics for an easier
time. Move on when the Chins succumb.
Jump a gap in the narrow ledge. An Abobo punches through the wall as you come
abreast of a climbable section of rockface. Climb it, ignoring the Abobo;
he'll ignore you. If you choose to fight him, then try to knock him back
across the gap for style points. If you continue, you wil repeat the scene.
At the top of the rockface, many Rowpers attack you, two at a time, from two
open doors. Kill them. You'll note that the Rowpers alternate which door they
come out of. You can use this knowledge to your advantage to score a free
attack on an emerging Rowper, but c'mon; they're Rowpers. You shouldn't need
the advantage. When they stop coming, enter either door.
SCENE 4.2
You're on the face of a funky ledge-and-ladder system, with Buddha's face over
you. Follow directions closely; it's easy to miss a jump, and the water at the
bottom isn't hospitable. Climb the first ladder. A Will emerges from the
doorway atop it. If you ti me your kick for the extreme limit of its range,
you'll topple Will, and he'll rebound from the edge of the ledge into the
water. Time it badly, and he'll fall to a lower ledge or just fall. Either
way, jump to the lower ledge and climb the ladder at the other end.
If the former Will is gone, another comes from this door right in front of you.
Don't try to kick him; you'll do a spin kick, and he'll punch you out of the
air. Don't try to hit him; you'll do an elbow punch at thin air, and he'll
clobber you. Jumpkick over him. Turn and barrage him with kicks if he ducks.
As soon as he's down, climb the ladder to a higher ledge, from there jumping
down and rightward to another. Another Will may emerge from a door; ignore him
and climb the ladder down. If he follows, kick him from the ladder into the
water.
Now you have a tricky jump to make; you must jump to the vertically-moving
platform to your right. If you jump as the platform is moving down, jump from
a little before the ledge (so you don't accidentally fall off), and jump as the
platform sinks beneath your own ledge level. If you jump as the platform is
rising, jump as the platform is about one inch below your own ledge. You
should land in the center of the platform. When it's at its zenith, jump
rightward again, and climb the ladder. A Will may emerge from an open place in
the wall. Here you should use strategy; infinite Wills will come, but only one
at atime. So, knock him down and sit on him, but don't punch him in the face.
As the platform to the left nears the bottom of its track, get off Will and
jump on the platform. Will will rise and stare at you in mute rage as you rise
out of sight.
For extra style points and a very amusing diversion, instead of the above, grab
Will's hair on the first kick, and wait. Throw him onto the platform. He'll
rise, and wait for you to join him. Knock him off with a jumpkick, BUT...if he
ducks it, you'd better hope you win the knock-down fight with him, 'cause the
loser goes in the water.
When this platform reaches its topmost point, jump left to the ledge. Yes, you
can make it. Then jump to the platform above as it reaches the bottom of the
track. Again, you CAN make it. If you're afraid to try, however, just jump
right from the lower platform and climb the ladder. Enter the fanged mouth at
the top. You are entering the game's final scene!
SCENE 4.3
You find yourself in a room of Wills. Kill them all, and move forward. See
the red carpet? You're at the end of the game. The funky-looking door at the
top of the screen opens, revealing two Abobos. Kill them. Note that all
enemies, from these to the last one, come from this door. Know what that
means? It means that as the door opens, you should be standing by it and
throwing an elbow punch. You'll get a free hit on everyone who comes through
it. You've already done this to the Abobos, right?
After the Abobos bite the dust, two Chins emerge, one dropping a knife as he
eats your waiting elbow. Grab the knife and slice a Chin with it, or save it
and use it as prescribed in the "glitches" section.
After the Chins die, two Lindas emerge. This is funny, since a single elbow
punch will kill a Linda. If you have an elbow waiting on them, the door won't
even finish closing before it reopens, revealing two Rowpers.
Kill the Rowpers. TGWTG emerges. It's vitally important that you have an
elbow waiting on him. Knock him down, and use waiting hair-grabs on him with
full hair-grab combos until he dies. It should take about three full hair-grab
combos. If he's still not dead, straddle him. If you miss a waiting
hair-grab, jumpkick until you knock him down. It may take quite a while to hit
him, but be patient. To lose patience with this guy is to see most of your
life disappear in an instant.
When he dies, the door opens again, and the last boss enters: your brother,
Jimmy. Jimmy, the abnormally pale and socially inept. Jimmy, who knows every
move you do, but does them faster and without preparation. Jimmy, who can
still do a high kick, unlike you, and who doesn't feel the need to stun you
before executing an uppercut or spin kick. He's tough, but beatable. He
starts with as much life as you can have. To beat him, use the triple-kick
method, and never stop. Don't use the BOMLE tactic; he's too dodgy, and your
time will run out. Don't use continuous elbows; he'll get you as often as you
get him. Don't use close-kicking; you'll get spinkicked as often as you get
him. After many, many triple-kicks, he'll die, and you'll see your sweet baboo
again.
The reunion is sweet. But why the heck is Jimmy's vest hanging on the wall of
Marian's room? I'd watch sweet baboo pretty closely, if I were you.
The end. Congrats on your skill.
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==== 5: LEVELING UP
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There are four ways to level up in Double Dragon: the hard, the easy, the
insouciant, and the cheating way. I'll take them in that order.
THE HARD WAY
This way is simple. See the attack-experience chart? See how punching gives
you 20 points of experience per hit? There you go. Punch everything until
you're almost dead, then kick everyone else. You shouldn't have any trouble at
all killing Wills, Rowpers, and Lindas with kicks. If there's a Chin or Abobo
waiting on you, don't try this unless you're sure you have enough life. Abobo
and Chin can both take off a full bar of life with a single hit. Some of
Abobo's punches take off two life bars, and he can hit you five times before
knocking you down. Do the math.
Using this method, you should have a jumpkick by scene 1.2, and the straddle by
Mission 3.
THE EASY WAY (or, how to spin-kick Abobo off the treadmill)
Punch everything in scene 1.1 until you have two bars of life remaining, or
until only one Linda is left. Then, kick everyone until only one Linda is
left. by now, you should have a jumpkick. Now comes the boring part:
whatever you do, don't knock this last Linda down. Kick her twice to double
her over in pain, and give yourself 30 points of experience. Then, move to the
top of the screen, and as she follows, kick her twice more. Move down. When
she follows, kick her twice more. Repeat this until time has almost expired.
With five seconds remaining on the clock, kick her three times to kill her, and
enter the door.
Some notes about this method:
First, don't try to punch her out with fewer than three bars of life remaining.
Sure, you'll get 80 points for four punches instead of 30 points for two kicks,
but she'll get in punches as well and sap your life. You don't want her to win
the occasional slugfest, deck you, and you find out that the only reason you
weren't dead is that no one had knocked you down. So stick with the kicks.
Secondly, it isn't necessary to go all the way to the top of the screen, and
all the way to the bottom. However, if you move too short a distance, Linda
won't have time to fully recover, and you'll accidentally knock her down,
killing her. Experiment to find an optimal distance.
Some benchmarks for using this method: you should attain your fifth star with
about 70 seconds remaining, your sixth with about 35 seconds remaining, and
your seventh with seconds to spare (or just wait until scene 1.2).
THE INSOUCIANT WAY
This way is just to kick everything in sight, and wait for the stars to come
naturally. It can be a lot of fun until you try killing two Abobos with
jumpkicks. Expect a much more difficult game this way.
THE CHEATING WAY
There is a well-known bug that allows you to painlessly acquire all seven stars
in Mission 2. Here's how it works. After killing the Will with the bat on top
of the fence, move forward as normal. As you know, two more Wills, one with
dynamite, will greet you. DON'T move left any more than is necessary to make
them come. Wait until one Will is at the top of the screen, even with the end
of the pile of girders in the background, then start to climb the fence. Both
Wills will stop walking. Now walk backward along the fence top, as far as you
can, then return. The Wills are gone. Remember where that top Will was, at
the end of the pile of girders? Punch the air where he was. You should hear
the meaty KUHK! of punches connecting. Keep punching; you're getting 20 points
of experience per punch. Continue this until you have as many hearts as you
desire. Note that after six hearts, you'll have to switch to kicks, due to the
game's insistence on elbow punching when no enemies are on-screen. This is
cheating, and I hope you don't do it.
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
==== 6: TWO-PLAYER VERSUS MODE
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INTRODUCTION
I don't intend to cover this topic in depth, because this mode just isn't very
fun. The gist is that you can fight as any of the characters from the game,
except for TGWTG, versus...yourself. Fighting as Will, Chin, or Rowper against
a human opponent, a weapon is thrown into the mix. This mode would be much,
MUCH more fun if you could fight mismatched one character against another, but
you can't.
Your moves are as follows: A punches, B kicks, and AB jumpkicks. If you're
Abobo, see the glitches section for what AB does. Double-tapping right or left
will NOT do a head-butt; instead you'll run. While running, you can do a
running punch, running kick, or a running jumpkick (running shoulder-block for
Abobo). Running attacks are more powerful than regular attacks.
As Will in two-player versus mode, a knife appears midway between the
combatants. Press A to slash, and AB to throw the knife.
As Rowper in two-player versus mode, a billy club appears midway between the
combatants. Press A for a slow attack, and AB for a quick attack.
As Chin in two-player versus mode, nunchukas appears midway between the
combatants. Press A for a slow, powerful attack, and AB for a quick, weaker
attack.
VERSUS MODE LIFE METER
In versus mode, if you play against the computer, he'll have more life than
you. Don't fret; all the computer opponents are pushovers for the first
general strategy below.
In two-player versus mode, here are your starting life meters:
CHARACTERS HUMAN LIFE COMPUTER LIFE
Billy versus Jimmy 33 50
Will versus Will 33 50
Rowper versus Rowper 33 47
Abobo versus Abobo 33 65
Linda versus Linda 33 33
Chin versus Chin 33 52
ATTACK DAMAGE DEALT
Any regular attack 1
Any running attack 2
Running into wall 0
Knife slash 4
Thrown knife 8
Slow billy club 4
Fast billy club 4
Slow nunchukas 4
Fast nunchukas 2
GENERAL STRATEGIES
The computer will start out with more energy than you. Furthermore, you won't
be able to beat the computer in an out-and-out slugfest, unless you're Abobo
(see Glitches). So here's a simple, general strategy that works on everyone.
Remember the BOMLE tactic? Change it to BOMLK, for Kicks, and you've got it.
Basically, move to a different vertical level than your opponent, and when he
or she follows, give him or her two swift kicks in the gut. Eight kicks will
take off one block. If you're having trouble timing the kicks, and getting
kicked yourself, then just deal one kick per level, and then move. If your
kick misses, then the counterattack also will.
Also, learn which running attacks will beat others. For most characters, it's
the jumpkick, but for Will it's the running punch.
Against the computer, if you stand next to a fallen opponent, that opponent
will attempt an immediate knockdown when he or she rises. If the opponent is
Abobo, you'll get knocked down. If it's anyone else, he or she will jumpkick,
and you can punch (or maybe kick) him or her out of the air. Press punch as
soon as you see the getting-up animation, and you'll successfully knock the
opponent back down. If your timing is perfect, you can win the entire match
this way.
To really annoy your opponent, time a running kick to arrive just when your
opponent is getting up. It cannot be defended, and it'll take off two
hitpoints.
To annoy your opponent even more, have the weapon slashing/smashing on his head
as he rises. Doing this more than once or twice is a guaranteed way to raise
his blood pressure and get him to call you unsavory names.
Billy versus Jimmy
Stick to BOMLK. It's tough to time two kicks; you may be better off with one
kick at a time.
Will versus Will
This is the most fun fight of all of them, except perhaps for Abobo's. Use
generic tactics, or running punches; they beat anything except another running
punch. Will's kick can substitute for his punch in the hit-him-while-he-rises
sequence.
Rowper versus Rowper
Rowper's kick is severely slow, but BOMLK is really your only option here.
Start kicking well before your opponent reaches your level.
Abobo versus Abobo
Stick to BOMLK, running punches, or check out the glitches section for a more
amusing way to win.
Linda versus Linda
Use BOMLK, or running jumpkicks. Interestingly, you are invincible while
performing a running jumpkick. If your opponent also does one, you will pass
harmlessly through each other. This is not true of any other character.
Chin versus Chin
Use BOMLK, or running jumpkicks.
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
==== 7: GLITCHES AND ODDITIES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In this section, I wanted to highlight some of the entertaining, weird, and
just dumb things I've found in this game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WALL-WALKING
At the end of scene 1.1, two poles run up the right wall. Step between them,
and press up. You're climbing the wall! You can do this forever, and it has
weird consequences. You could be stuck up there. Halfway up, pressing Left
will cause you to teleport back to the base of the wall. Executing an attack
will knock you off the wall. Lastly, if you get a Linda to the right of you,
then stand between the poles, you can BOTH climb the wall! Attack while
halfway up, and you'll both fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ELBOW-PUNCH UNAVAILABILITY
While a dying enemy lies blinking, you will not be able to perform an elbow
punch. If this serves a purpose, I don't know what it is, so I classify this
as a bug.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NONSENSE WEAPON
If you pick up a weapon just as the hand tells you to move onward, it'll turn
into an ugly-looking collection of semi-random pixels, vaguely bat-shaped,
which you can swing like a bat. It'll disappear in a few seconds, unless you
perform the glitch known as...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FINAL-ROOM PERSISTENT NONSENSE WEAPON
In the final room of the game, two Chins appear, and one carries a knife. If
you perform the nonsense-weapon glitch as they die, you can keep the nonsense
weapon, and use it as a bat on the Lindas that come out. In fact, you can keep
it all the way to your fight with Jimmy, as long as you perform it correctly;
that is, you must allow your enemy to disarm you, and you must pick it back up
just as the enemy finishes dying.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INFINITE EXPERIENCE
This is covered under Leveling Up/The Cheating Way, but it's also a bug.
Therefore, I mention it here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FLYING BARREL
In scene 1.1, when fighting with the barrel, stand up against the right wall,
and throw the barrel at the wall. It bounches all the way across the screen,
much farther than you can throw it normally. This doesn't work if you throw it
agains the left wall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOREVER FALLING
In scene 3.2, when at the moving platforms, jump on the first and immediately
start walking leftward. As the platform moves out from under you, you'll fall,
landing briefly on the rock below, then falling
..and landing on the same rock ledge, then falling
..and landing on the same rock ledge, then falling
..and landing on the same rock ledge, then falling
..and doing that until your time runs out. You can do this all through the
game, but this is the easiest place to do it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREMATURE DEATH
In scene 3.3, just before the screen is about to scroll prior to you jumping to
greet the Green Giants, jump forward. You'll jump off the ledge and die. If
you had taken one extra step and waited for the screen to catch up, you could
make the same jump and live.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PUT ABOBO BACK THROUGH THE WALL
Remember the Green Giants? There's a way to beat both of them with one kick
apiece. Here's how it works. First get close to the giant. If you aren't
already close, then just do a long-range jumpkick; he should duck. When you
land, walk close.
Now you're too close to the Green Giant for him to hit you, so he'll back up to
hit you. When he does, follow him. Now you're too close again, so he backs up
some more. It's quite funny. At any rate, make him back up all the way to the
rock wall (be careful not to double-tap and do a head-butt), and move in close
again. Now he wants to back up some more, but can't, because his back is
against the wall, so, he just jogs in place, looking silly. Now he's at your
mercy. Punch him until you get tired of that (you can get him, even if he
can't get you). Then knock him down. He'll go flying through the rock wall,
falling off the screen, for an easy (one-kick) win.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE CHIN COWARD CHEAT
Instead of fighting Chin at the end of 2.1, just go back down the ladders.
You'll end the mission anyway.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REVERSE JUMPKICK
This is only marginally amusing, and has no discernible purpose, but when
facing one direction, you can jumpkick in that direction by pressing A, B, and
the OTHER direction simultaneously. It's tricky timing, and useless to boot!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTANGIBLE DYNAMITE
It's possible to jump though dynamite that Will throws at you. It's easiest to
do in 3.3. When you jumpkick, after kicking, you'll land in a crouch, right?
Well, for the last brief portion of your jumpkick, you'll be falling in a
crouch. During this time, you're invincible, as though you were ducking. So
if timed right, you can jumpkick at will from long range, he'll throw dynamite,
and you'll fall right through the dynamite. And if you try this in 3.3 and get
hit, you can always just back to 3.2, then return, for full health.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEFECTIVE KNIVES AND DYNAMITE
If you throw dynamite or a knife at an enemy from within punching range, the
enemy will not be affected. My educated guess is that when you press A to
throw it, the game detects that a punch has landed, giving the enemy a
split-second of invulnerability after that. The point is, make sure you throw
knives and dynamite from outside punching range if you want it to count.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DYNAMITE WALK
This isn't a bug so much as a (slightly) amusing way to kill a Will. When Will
throws dynamite at you on a 3D map portion, back away from it, then move
rapidly up and down, but stay on the same general level as the dynamite. Will
will move forward until he's over the dynamite, then he'll move up and down
trying to get on your level so he can punch you. He'll still be doing that
when the dynamite blows him up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TURBO-PUNCHING ABOBO
Here's how to really annoy your opponent in two-player versus mode as Abobo.
Abobo punches slowly, right? Press both buttons at once, rapidly; Abobo will
punche once for each time you press AB. This allows you to punch very, very
rapidly, and to basically beat the face of your opponent in. This technique
can even punch the computer out if he's rushing you.
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
==== 8: CREDITS, CONTACT INFO, AND COPYRIGHT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would like to thank the following people:
- Thanks to the other guy who wrote a Double Dragon FAQ (even if I doubt he
REALLY discovered the infinite-experience glitch) for the final-room persistent
nonsense weapon glitch. That and the infinite experience glitch are the only
things in this whole FAQ that I didn't discover myself.
- Thanks to www.gamefaqs.com. It's the best gaming website I know, and the
author really deserves major kudos for his tireless and altruistic efforts.
- Thanks to Ian Mead for making UltraEdit, the world's greatest text editor.
It's the best software investment I ever made.
- I'm not really one for overblown thank-everybody-under-the-sun credits, so
I'll stop there. Credit has been given where it was due.
This FAQ was developed using UltraEdit 9.20b. UltraEdit is the world's
greatest text editor.
Contact info: I'm very interested in what you have to say about this FAQ,
especially since it's my first. Please write me at someog AT mailcity DOT com.
Please put DD FAQ in the subject line; it'll help you escape my optical
spam-filter.
And now, the copyright notice:
This FAQ is authored by and copyright me, someog. I reserve all rights
to it, meaning that you aren't allowed to copy it, reproduce it, make a profit
using it, distribute it, etc. If you ask my permission to reprint portions of
it, I'll almost certainly say yes. Don't use it otherwise, because I reserve
all rights to it, and I don't permit use except as stated here.
I grant a license to publicly display this FAQ to www.GameFAQS.com. This FAQ
should only appear on GameFAQs.com.
