Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones Overview
Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up where players control martial artists on a global quest. The narrative begins with Billy Lee operating a dojo, a peaceful life disrupted when Marion is kidnapped. A soothsayer named Hiruko directs the rescue effort, stating that three sacred stones scattered worldwide must be collected to secure Marion's release.
The journey progresses through five distinct locations: the U.S.A., China, Japan, Italy, and Egypt. Initially, players control Billy Lee, with his brother Jimmy available as a second character in cooperative play. During the adventure, two additional allies named Chin and Ranzou join the group. A key mechanic allows players to switch between these four characters during play, each possessing a separate life bar and a unique primary fighting style. Billy, Jimmy, and Chin fight unarmed, while Ranzou wields a sword.
Combat involves a set of basic maneuvers for each character, including punches, kicks, and specialized aerial attacks. All characters can also utilize a limited secondary weapon, such as nunchaku for the Lee brothers, iron claws for Chin, and shurikens for Ranzou. Various weapons like knives, broken bottles, and sais can be picked up from the environment for temporary use against enemies.
It is noted that a separate release titled Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone exists, featuring different story elements, gameplay, enemies, and level designs compared to this version.
