The friends of Ringo Ishikawa

 Switch
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
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  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Apr 11, 2019
    90
    The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is one of the best examples of subversion within the brawler genre since the mighty Lollipop Chainsaw.
  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Feb 27, 2020
    85
    I appreciate Ringo's lack of structure. It feels real to me. [Issue #40 – July/August 2019, p. 17]
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  3. IGN Japan
    Apr 29, 2019
    75
    The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa might look like an old-fashioned belt-scroller, but it is actually an open-world game full of life and… well, philosophy! There’s plenty of dialogue, and the way the story is told through everyday life events at school and in your neighborhood feels like real life. The game’s systems aren’t well explained, which will catch many gamers off-guard at first, but its climax has a lasting impact that is worth experiencing.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 27
  3. Negative: 8 out of 27
  1. ZeldasChampion
    Jul 7, 2021
    0
    I bought this game because I love River City Ransom and thought this was something like that but its not. This game is merciless and gives youI bought this game because I love River City Ransom and thought this was something like that but its not. This game is merciless and gives you not even a clue as to what to do outside of explaining basic controls. Right in the get go you are weak and even with blocking, you still can get hit and when you get hit, YOU GET HIT HARD. You get little to no money and the food that would normally heal you in every RCR game does nothing in this game. The only way to "heal" (that I know so far) is to smoke a cigarette while crouching and that takes almost half a day AND when I saw the day count, I figured there was some kind of time limit and sure enough there is according to a walkthrough so there's that to look forward to as you try to heal while wasting time only to find yourself dying from a fight and watch as half a day goes away when you wake back up in your bed.

    Also just like with healing EVERYTHING in this game forces you to wait in real time and when I say wait, I mean you better pull out your phone and do something like watch YouTube videos because you will be waiting several minutes just for something to finish.

    If you are an RCR fan, AVOID THIS GAME. This is not the same type of game!    … Full Review »
  2. beettlestew
    May 11, 2019
    10
    If you like a coming of age story, a immersive gaming experience and beat em ups set around japan, school, and the yakuza you love this
  3. beatnikbedlam
    Apr 21, 2019
    10
    this is a really compelling but meditative experience where you play as a Japanese high school student just living his life. it's a bit of athis is a really compelling but meditative experience where you play as a Japanese high school student just living his life. it's a bit of a combination between Shenmue and Persona, with the free exploration of Shenmue and the high school schedule of Persona. unlike those two games however, this game can be as focused or as aimless as you choose. wanna be a good student and go to class every day? you can do that! wanna beat up some jerks who looked at you funny? you can! wanna stand on a rooftop, smoking and watching clouds go by? it's all here! if you spent your senior year of high school skipping class and trying to figure out what your life afterwards was going to look like, this game is probably going to resonate with you. it also has some really stellar music and pixel art, and an atmosphere you can sink into like it was your favorite chair. all around, a really lovely little game.… Full Review »
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