Additionally, players can wield the weapons that are occasionally dropped by foes, like baseball bats, whips and sticks of dynamite.
You'll gain a jump kick, the power to throw enemies over your shoulder, and even the ability to grab them by the hair and knee them repeatedly in the face. So Double Dragon (in this NES version, anyway) includes a learning system that opens up more powerful attacks for Billy the further he gets in the game. Those basic maneuvers are functional enough for the first few waves of baddies that appear, but soon enough you'll need too access more advanced techniques. Billy's capabilities are pretty standard early on - he can punch, he can kick, and he can jump. The mob has offered a ransom compromise for Marian's safe return, but rather than submit to their wishes Billy instead decides to just take to the streets and beat the snot out of every Warrior punk he comes across. The story casts you in the role of martial arts master Billy Lee, on a quest to save his kidnapped girlfriend Marian from the clutches of the Black Warrior gang. In short, Double Dragon has quite the following (and a well-deserved one too) because it's just a lot of fun to play.
There was even a Double Dragon live-action movie (but don't hold that against the game). Really, it's an iconic title - the NES version of an arcade title that made such a name for itself in the 1980s that it went on to inspire an entire franchise replete with ports, sequels, spin-offs and crossovers throughout the decade. And while Double Dragon, the bar-setting game that came before it, may not be as good, it did define a lot of what the true brawler experience is all about. The classic River City Ransom is arguably the best and most robust beat-'em-up to ever grace the NES.