Play Hiryuu no Ken II - Dragon no Tsubasa Online

Hiryuu no Ken II: Dragon no Tsubasa came out for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990, developed by Culture Brain. It was part of that wave of late NES games that tried to blend genres, mixing side-scrolling brawling with light RPG elements and exploration. The game has a distinct, almost Saturday morning cartoon vibe, with colorful sprites and a fantasy setting that stands out among its peers.

You control a martial artist named Ryu, who punches and kicks through waves of enemies across interconnected screens. The main goal is to rescue a kidnapped princess, which involves navigating towns, forests, and enemy fortresses. Two key mechanics define the experience: collecting power-up orbs that let you temporarily transform into a dragon for screen-clearing attacks, and managing a life bar that depletes steadily unless you find food. The pacing is deliberate, sometimes slow, with occasional difficulty spikes in enemy patterns. It feels like a rough but earnest experiment, where moments of clunky design are balanced by the sheer novelty of turning into a dragon mid-fight.