Now here's an unhealthy dose of cursed, unhinged mayhem to kick off your weekend. A homebrewer has created an alternate second sequel to Technos' iconic scrolling brawler Double Dragon (1987) in the form of Double Dragons - a 100% unofficial fan game that throws as much against the wall as it does barrels at thugs.

Double Dragons posits itself as an "unreleased" variant of Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones (1989), an alternate universe where Technos apparently went Batshit Insane. The free-to-play scrapper mashes together stages from Double Dragon and its 1988 sequel Double Dragon II: The Revenge.

This " lost third game" sees heroes Billy and Jimmy Lee return to a post-apocalyptic city, exploring the town's warehouses, skyscrapers, and parks while dishing out haymakers, roundhouse kicks, and back elbows to the remaining members of the city's nefarious gang of evildoers: The Black Warriors.

So far, so sane, right?. But this time around, given the increase in Black Warrior activity, the Lee brothers have enlisted some help. And that help arrives in the form of holdover enemies from the original Double Dragon titles; Kunio from Technos' blueprint series Kunio-kun/Renegade; viral palette-swap villain "Jeff"; part-time damsel-in-distress, Marian...

...and the entire roster of Technos Japan's 1989 arcade WWF Superstars.

Finally, the moment you've been waiting for: The opportunity to battle through Double Dragon's familiar avenues and alleyways as Wayne Ferris, The Honky Tonk Man. The WWF guest stars have brought a good chunk of their movesets with them. So if you ever wanted to see the whip-wielding Linda take the Boss Man Slam on the Double Dragon II heliport - boy, do I have the game for you.

Along with the expanded roster, Double Dragons has a tweaked gameplay system, with alternative attacks, more responsive controls and even a gory "Blood Mode" option. The stages also receive a post-apocalyptic facelift, now including Bigfoot sightings, obliterated skylines, condemned AI Data Centres, and Regan campaigning for a third term. The developer promises a "twist ending" that caps off the Double Dragon series "properly"

And, when you're done saving the world (again), Double Dragons features three alternate modes - "PS vs. PS+", "Fistful of Yen", and "King of the Ring", based respectively on IK+, Bruce Lee, and WWF Superstars. You'd think this was a little more mayhem than any one game can handle, but sometimes developers are so concerned with whether they could that they never stop to think whether they should.

If you want to check out the macho madness for yourself, then Double Dragons is available to download from itch.io. While you download the game free of charge, a "Name Your Price" system will donate all profits to rescue charities R.A.I.N.N Network and Habitat for Humanity. The developer states that no Gen-AI was used in Double Dragons' development and that all newly featured coding and artwork are homegrown. Brother.