Eight Dragons
Developed by Extend Mode
Published by JanduSoft
Released for Xbox One (5/27/2021)
Also on Linux/PC/PS5/Switch
Preface
Eight Dragons is a 2D beat 'em up that shoots for an old-school look and play style, paying homage to Technos arcade classics Renegade and Double Dragon. Brought to us by British-based developer Extend Mode, Eight Dragons was published by JanduSoft for the Xbox One in late May 2021. Advertising itself as a throwback to simpler times, let's hit the streets and bash some heads!
Gameplay
Eight Dragons features what is possibly the simplest control scheme in a brawler released on the Xbox One. The A button attacks, X jumps and B will pick up objects. That's all there is to it, making this an easy one for anybody to pick up and play, though it may take some time getting used to X jumping instead of A. There's no button configuration in the options menu, so you'll just have to get used to the default control scheme.
While basic, there is a bit more to the control scheme than first appears. Your character has a way of auto-facing an approaching enemy and pressing the attack button will strike in that direction, while pressing back and attack will allow you to kick behind. It's similar to the strange control scheme of Double Dragon II and like that one it never works as easily as it should. It would've been much more convenient to map the kick to another button, especially considering the Y button goes unused on the pad. Getting close to your enemy will allow you to grapple them and from there you can either knee them or throw them over your shoulder. You also have jump and dash-attacks, so while the combat is simple there is some variety to combat the monotony. The controls aren't perfect, but once you get used to them they're responsive enough to allow you to pummel waves of thugs with little problem.
-talk about melee weapons
Eight Dragons attempts to offer some replay value in the form of having 8 characters to select, each with their own level layout to playthrough (though levels frequently overlap with only a few exclusive to certain characters). This is a novel idea though in the end, most of the playthroughs will start to feel more or less the same (just with a different level order) regardless of which character you select. The enemies themselves come in a decent variety when it comes to looks, though they all behave the same. Throughout the game you'll have to face off against a few of the tougher thugs, which serve as the game's bosses. The boss characters are much tougher than the common thug, with there being 2 varieties of large bosses that charge at you and another being a pimp that uses a handgun to blast you. The gun-wielding bosses are the worst and can drain your life bar with just 2 shots, so you have to be extra careful to stay out of their line of sight. Thankfully the enemies take damage from the bullets as well, so there is that positive aspect to the gun thing. It's a bit disappointing that you can't pick up and use the firearm once this enemy has been defeated.
Presentation
Eight Dragons aims for that old-timey brawler gameplay and the graphics try to match that era of gaming as well. Composed of pixel-art, the sprites are simple yet detailed enough to sport some personality to them. Upon loading the game up, you'll notice there are several graphics filters applied to the screen: one that warps the edges to simulate that old CRT-screen look and another that makes everything fuzzy to simulate the low-res that those tube monitors could output. These screen filters are often a fun novelty that games have been including for years now, but in Eight Dragons these filters are permanently applied at all times. There's no option anywhere to be found that allows you to toggle these off, which sucks because it feels a bit insulting to the otherwise decent-looking graphics as I'm just not a fan of either of these filter-styles personally. It's not game-breaking, but it's annoying and would've been easily remedied with a simple setting. Also, note that in the screenshots used in the official Xbox store and for this review have an image with the filter-removed, but unfortunately there is no such option available within the Xbox version of the game.
simple to the point that it will bore those looking for another sor4/mayhem brawler style game
+cheap, relatively easy to obtain most of the gamerscore for achieve addicts
+four player simultaneous, local only though
Review Wrap-Up
For better or worse, Eight Dragons does a good job feeling like a lost arcade game from the late 80's. The enemy AI is cheesy and will at times remind you of those old quarter munchers. The simple pixel graphics and basic control layout are reminiscent of early beat 'em ups like Renegade and Double Dragon. If you're a big fan of those particular 2 arcade classics that keep getting mentioned (Renegade and Double Dragon), make time and go out of your way to fire this one up some time. Those looking for something that brings the brawler genre up to more modern-standards would be better off playing something like Streets of Rage 4, Mayhem Brawler or Nine Monkeys of Shaolin. Eight Dragons does a good job accomplishing what it sets out to do in re-creating the look and feel of a late 80's/early 90's brawler, but due to its simplicity the appeal will be limited. If anybody out there is still swayed in their game-playing decisions by easy achievements, it should be noted that Eight Dragons isn't terribly difficult, though it will require at least 4-8 hours of your time to get all of the gamerscore.
<<MOVE THIS UP TO PRESENTATION>>
Most of the music is decent and does a good job setting the mood while staying in the background, there are a few standout annoying tunes including the level complete and title screen music. On the other end of the spectrum, the subway station features some nice foreboding music and O'Reilly's pub features some DESCRIPTION
Final Verdict:
Purchase Links:
Related Reviews:
JanduSoft Games - Xbox Overview
JanduSoft Games - Xbox Overview
Eight Dragons Official Trailer (YouTube)
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