Review: Double Dragon & Kunio-kun: Retro Brawler Bundle (PlayStation 4)

by Jim Smale · February 24, 2020

Compilation of 18 titles from the Double Dragon and Kunio-kun series. Among the 15 Kunio-kun titles, 11 of these had not been released in North America yet! All the in-game text has been translated in English.

Pros:

Classic retro graphics.
501.4mb download size.
Platinum trophy.
Five screen modes-Standard, Standard zoom, 4:3, 4:3 zoom and full screen.
Prevent screen burn option.
It can rebind controls.
Sound volumes along with reverb sliders, bass boost, treble boost, etc.
Online and offline play.
Library filters-Device/release date/title/recent play/number of plays/playtime.
Games have 2 options-original or quality up.
UI is just like the NES classic menus.
Game theme tune plays when scrolling the menu.
Each game has a manual.
Avatars- Unlock new ones by doing set tasks and in a way act like trophies/achievements.
4 suspend save slots for each game.
Supports analog and digital inputs.
Scanline levels option.
Game description and screenshots.
Instant loading.
Online modes- quick play/create/search.
Private room-game/game mode/goal/player count/comment and room type (any/friends only/room number).
Elevates the emulation game.
A fantastic library of gaming history.
Quit to the menu option.

Cons:

It doesn’t have different region versions of games.
Online was very quiet.
Best played in co-op/party.
Not all games are fun to play.
The manuals are just a list of commands.

Full List of games:

Classic Titles

DOUBLE DRAGON
DOUBLE DRAGON
DOUBLE DRAGON
Renegade
Super Dodge Ball
River City Ransom
Crash’n the Boys Street Challenge

Classic Titles (unreleased in North America)

Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun
Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club
Downtown Nekketsu Story
Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club – Soccer Story
Downtown Nekketsu March Super-Awesome Field Day!
Downtown Special Kunio-kun’s Historical Period Drama!
Go-Go! Nekketsu Hockey Club Slip-and-Slide Madness
Surprise! Nekketsu New Records! The Distant Gold Medal
Nekketsu Fighting Legend
Kunio-kun’s Nekketsu Soccer League
Nekketsu! Street Basketball All-Out Dunk Heroes

8/10

Graphics - 8/10
8/10

Sound - 8/10
8/10

Accessibility - 8/10
8/10

Length - 8/10
8/10

Fun Factor - 8/10

8/10

Summary

We are getting a lot of retro game collections at the moment and here we have another example of how to do it. You get 18 quality games with online support for Co-op play. The menu structure is ripped straight from the classic NES and you know what? It works just fine. The presentation is impressive, scrolling games are quick and on each game, you can read the back of the box style description and screenshots as the theme tune play out, choose original or quality up and off you go. The games as I said are quality if a bit niche. This collection is for die-hard fans and anyone curious about the games included and don’t want to faff with emulators and ROMs. I came away from the game impressed and happy with how the retro game collections games are continuing the upward trend of improving and adding to the overall experience. It is for a niche set of gamers but you cannot deny that they have done the series justice and emulation collections on the whole a huge service.