Double Dragon/Gameplay

Controls

 * Joystick: Use the player 1 joystick to control Billy Lee, or use the player 2 joystick to control Jimmy Lee. Press the joystick in the direction that you would like either player to move.  When standing near a ladder or chain link fence, you may use the joystick to climb up or down these surfaces.
 * Kick: Press the kick button to attack your enemies with your foot.
 * Jump: Press the jump button to leap into the air. Press the jump button while holding the joystick left or right to jump in either direction.  The jump button is also used to escape when an enemy grabs you from behind.
 * Punch: Press the punch button to attack your enemies with your fists.
 * Player 1 / 2: Press either button to begin a one or two player game.

Players
Throughout the game, you are in control of the Lee brothers. Player 1 on the left side controls Billy "Hammer" Lee, and Player 2 on the right side controls Jimmy "Spike" Lee.* Billy and Jimmy are well trained and highly skilled martial artists. They are on a mission to rescue Marion from the Black Warriors gang who have kidnapped her. To do this, they will have to travel through several regions that are broken up into four "missions." In each mission, they will have to do battle with large numbers of gang members, including one particularly strong member who serves as the boss for the end of the mission.

Billy and Jimmy can take a great deal of damage before succumbing to their wounds. A health meter for each player is displayed at the bottom of the screen. It contains five units of health. If Billy or Jimmy sustain enough damage to empty their health meters, they will fall over and lose one life. At the default settings, each player begins the game with two lives, with the opportunity to earn more at 30,000 points, and every 60,000 point gained thereafter. If all of the players lives are lost, each player has the opportunity to continue their game from right where they died by purchasing another credit.

* The Hammer and Spike nicknames come from Taito's North American promotional material, and appear on the arcade control panel.

Combat techniques
This is a list of all the moves that the brothers are capable of performing against the enemy. Note that holding a weapon may disable, or replace, some of these moves.

Weapons
While you do not begin the game with any weapons, it's possible to pick up, and utilize, any weapons that you have knocked loose from opponents' hands. To pick up a weapon, you must stand over them while they are on the ground, and press punch to bend down and collect them. Note that while you are collecting a weapon, you are vulnerable to attack. Be aware that your opponents can also knock weapons out of your hands, and pick them up to use against you. Also note that it is not possible to grab an opponent while you are holding a weapon.
 * Melee weapons: It is possible to pick up a bat or whip and use them against your opponents by pressing the punch button. Every successful hit will earn you 200 points, and will always knock down the opponent.  Enemies will be cautious when you possess one of these weapons, and will be hesitant to approach you if you swing them constantly.
 * Throw weapons: Some enemies carry around knives or sticks of dynamite. If you pick one of these weapons up, pressing the punch button will cause you to throw them.  A knife can be thrown across the screen, and you will earn 500 points if you hit someone with it.  A stick of dynamite is thrown to the ground near your feet.  Shortly after it lands (whether it was trhown by you, or dropped by an enemy), it flashes before detonating.  Anyone caught in the blast, including yourself, will lose a significant amount of health.  You earn no points when enemies are damaged by dynamite.
 * Heavy weapons: During the game, you may encounter barrels or crates, or even boulders. These heavy weapons can be picked up and thrown at opponents for a good amount of damage by pressing punch.  Crates simply bounce off the floor or any nearby walls that they hit, but barrels and boulders will continue to roll forward in the direction they were thrown after they land.