River City Girls

 Xbox One
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 34 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 34
  3. Negative: 7 out of 34

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  1. Xbox_Alive
    Sep 13, 2019
    9
    The beat ’em up style has always been something that I’m very fond of because you don’t need to think about things too much and instead all you need to do is destroy environments and annihilate enemies in order to proceed and win. I was looking forward to River City Girls quite a lot then but unfortunately I didn’t know too much about the franchise before playing it. I say unfortunatelyThe beat ’em up style has always been something that I’m very fond of because you don’t need to think about things too much and instead all you need to do is destroy environments and annihilate enemies in order to proceed and win. I was looking forward to River City Girls quite a lot then but unfortunately I didn’t know too much about the franchise before playing it. I say unfortunately because after doing a bit of digging it became quite clear that I would’ve really enjoyed the previous games that come before this game. Going back to the previous games then requires quite a lot of travelling in terms of years because their first game River City Ransom came out way back in 1989. It has quite a good following as well and I’m sure the followers of that will thoroughly enjoy what River City Girls brings to the table because it’s brilliant. You play as two girls called Kyoko and Misako and the name of the game is to batter everybody on the streets of River City. Sometimes it’s not easy though because your enemies put up quite a bit of a challenge but with a nice variety of moves and weapons for you to use against these enemies you never feel that it’s unfair and instead the beat ’em up action feels fresh, challenging and rewarding all at the same time. There’s a lot that makes this game stand out and you’re introduced to that immediately thanks to the retro art style and sound design which are both very charming to say the least. The gameplay is also pretty memorable as well because the combat has enough variety within it to keep things fun at all times and with the added bonus of some really great bosses it just makes you want to see and do everything multiple times. For me though the best thing this game gets right is the story. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the story had me laughing out loud a number of times and in a way the story does give River City Girls even more uniqueness, which is definitely impressive. Yes but it isn’t anything major and instead it probably just comes down to my own personal preferences. One of the things I think the game has missed out on is the lack of any online components because for me I think this game would’ve been perfect for that. My biggest gripe though is that you can’t level up both characters at the same time so as you progress it kinda makes the character you’re not playing as redundant due to them not levelling up at the same time because as you get further the charcater you’re not playing as won’t be able to defeat the more improved enemies. From start to finish then River City Girls never fails to deliver and even once you complete the decent amount of content the game has you’ll still be chomping at the bit to return back to it. As far as the beat ’em up genre goes then this game is up there with the very best in my opinion because it has a retro feel combined with a modern take on things and most important of all it’s fun and challenging at the same time with plenty of humour thrown into its brilliant story for good measure on the Xbox One.… Expand
  2. Kira-to-zero
    Sep 9, 2020
    10
    One of the best best em ups I have played, even though Scott pilgrim... but still waiting for Scott pilgrim limited run games edition :,v
  3. Nervuz
    Jan 16, 2021
    8
    River city girls es una gran juego dentro del genero, su gameplay, su música, y su ambiente en general me atraparon por completo, si bien no todo es bastante bueno ya que tiene algunos puntos algo débiles o deficientes, así como su falta de multijugador online (solo tiene local). Pero en gran medida River city girls es una gran beat em up que merece ser probado, sin duda alguna bastanteRiver city girls es una gran juego dentro del genero, su gameplay, su música, y su ambiente en general me atraparon por completo, si bien no todo es bastante bueno ya que tiene algunos puntos algo débiles o deficientes, así como su falta de multijugador online (solo tiene local). Pero en gran medida River city girls es una gran beat em up que merece ser probado, sin duda alguna bastante entretenido.… Expand
  4. Lordbadface
    Sep 6, 2019
    10
    Excelente juego beat-emp up que tiene como personajes a dos chicas lindas y te da la sensación de estar jugando un sucesor espiritual de los River-City Ransom con los hermanos Kunio.
  5. GamerGuysNGals
    Sep 10, 2019
    10
    I usually don't put all that info above about every single person almost responsible. but we don't always get games like "River City Girls" either. Every one on this project deserves their names in lights, and here at Gamer Guys and Gals they are going to get those lights. You already know how this review is going to end by the first few sentences and that is okay. Nearly everything aboutI usually don't put all that info above about every single person almost responsible. but we don't always get games like "River City Girls" either. Every one on this project deserves their names in lights, and here at Gamer Guys and Gals they are going to get those lights. You already know how this review is going to end by the first few sentences and that is okay. Nearly everything about "River City Girls" is perfection. I never give perfect scores, but there is no way I couldn't do so for this title. Wayforward delivers again. The whole team does really. I went into this game really a little worried. I grew up on River City Ransom playing it nonstop with my buddies Jared and Wes. We loved everything about it. Getting your guy so powerful, and just running through enemies destroying them all with your really fun move sets and weapon choices. So when i saw this was coming I worried a lot it would let me down. I was wrong and should have known better when I saw WayForward attached to it. Before I even start to really get into it. I'm just going to say it right out this will be in my game of the year considerations, and it's going to take something truly amazing to come out to take that crown from it along with game soundtrack of the year as well. The composers on this game just killed it. They change up a lot of the old music from the original to make it fresh, and add some really killer new music as well. I found myself playing levels over just to hear certain songs. I found the soundtrack on Youtube now so that's good. Hopefully I can grab one of those physical releases, before they sell out with a soundtrack.… Expand
  6. aZombieDictator
    Sep 6, 2019
    10
    Wayforward has done an amazing job making another great game! Beautiful animations, fun gameplay, and tons of replayability! A worthy sequel to River City Ransom.
  7. WarkKnight
    Sep 9, 2019
    6
    Played through with my best friend, my favorite beam em up in recent years was Scott Pilgrim, while this doesn't take the cake it's a close second. It's really well made it just has a grind that pads out the quirky stories runtime. The backtracking wasn't necessary at all so it suffers from the open-world problems modern games run into, kinda kills the throwback vibe. However, the protagsPlayed through with my best friend, my favorite beam em up in recent years was Scott Pilgrim, while this doesn't take the cake it's a close second. It's really well made it just has a grind that pads out the quirky stories runtime. The backtracking wasn't necessary at all so it suffers from the open-world problems modern games run into, kinda kills the throwback vibe. However, the protags are just way too likable to pass up.… Expand
  8. Mattocaster3
    May 18, 2020
    0
    So much of me wants to like this game, but it has mechanics that are so unfair, heavy stun lock for one, but I could live with that. You need money in the game to get better items to be stronger, but when you die you lose most your money, and the enemies still get stronger, making a hard game harder and harder as you progress, I don't understand why you couldn't lose less money if none atSo much of me wants to like this game, but it has mechanics that are so unfair, heavy stun lock for one, but I could live with that. You need money in the game to get better items to be stronger, but when you die you lose most your money, and the enemies still get stronger, making a hard game harder and harder as you progress, I don't understand why you couldn't lose less money if none at all. Guiding the player, I don't understand, I have to pull out a walkthrough every 5 minutes as the map tends to not display where to go most times (even funny when the walkthrough also gets confused where to go!) Dialogue for the next task is sometimes spoken while in battle,confusing the whole ordeal further.

    Now, the straw that broke the camels back, habari is a boss you fight about halfway into the game, stun lock, and what you would call a bullet sponge, not challenging, frustrating! Like the most unfun part of any game I've played, so unfair and boring I can't see myself playing it again, love the fighting in the game, but the bad aspects over shadow the game so much it just becomes frustrating to play, even in coop    … Expand
  9. adidab14
    Jan 25, 2021
    6
    I really, really wanted to like this game. There’s so much going for it; the voice acting is superb, the cutscenes and pixel graphics are fun and really well done. The character designs are funny and unique, and it’s pretty cool that the team at Arc System Works tried to integrate RPG and map exploration into a standard 2D beat em up game although the back tracking is a bit tedious and theI really, really wanted to like this game. There’s so much going for it; the voice acting is superb, the cutscenes and pixel graphics are fun and really well done. The character designs are funny and unique, and it’s pretty cool that the team at Arc System Works tried to integrate RPG and map exploration into a standard 2D beat em up game although the back tracking is a bit tedious and the map navigation can be pretty confusing at times. But that’s where the positives end.

    Ultimately, this game just doesn’t work. Enemies have too much health and can easily break through your combos. You will get punished brutally in many cases for it as you can get hit simultaneously by enemies if they are bunched up and they can kind of juggle you between them and there isn’t anything you can do about it until they’re done. The result is a stale and boring experience in which you have to opt for just knocking the enemies to the ground over and over until they’re dead because you can’t risk getting hit once and stun locked into oblivion.

    The other problem is also by far the most annoying. For some reason, one button does seemingly EVERYTHING in the game. I have absolutely no idea why they chose to do this but one button talks to NPC’s, punches, opens doors, picks up weapons, picks up people, uses weapons, and navigates areas. It gets in the way constantly. There were countless times this got me killed.

    Overall, this is a decent game and you can have fun. I did enjoy my time playing it briefly but the fact is there are much much better beat em ups out there that have way smoother systems and are just more fun. There’s tons and tons of potential here but in the end, the game is just marred by a poor combat system and terrible controls.    … Expand
  10. LogTech
    Dec 2, 2020
    9
    Amazing Beat 'em up style, very funny story and character design. its a very good game to play coop and single player, the music its very, very good.

    i love it!
  11. Stan_Osbourne
    Dec 14, 2021
    7
    С одной стороны, битэмап вроде бы неплохой, но я ожидал гораздо больше от WayForward. Да, есть куча отсылок к Double Dragon Neon, и даже есть классический бос Абоббо, и что действительно круто -он не последний босс, а встречается в середине, и очень достаточно сильный и интересно сделан, за что респект что сломали стереотип) Музыка в игру - фуфло, геймплей - унылый гринд на шмотки, отС одной стороны, битэмап вроде бы неплохой, но я ожидал гораздо больше от WayForward. Да, есть куча отсылок к Double Dragon Neon, и даже есть классический бос Абоббо, и что действительно круто -он не последний босс, а встречается в середине, и очень достаточно сильный и интересно сделан, за что респект что сломали стереотип) Музыка в игру - фуфло, геймплей - унылый гринд на шмотки, от которых реальной пользы - практически плацебо, ни на что не влияющее. Затар в магазинах выглядит реально рудиментом в этой игре. А так - неплохой битэмап для двоих. На пару вечерков, не более.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. XBLA Fans
    Oct 15, 2019
    80
    I’ve been wanting River City Ransom to have some kind of re-release or remake for a very long time. While this isn’t it, it’s as close as we’re going to get. Everything I would want in a new River game has been delivered, and there are even some improvements. The only thing I didn’t care for was the way recruits were handled and not getting experience for beating enemies that appear after the initial fight.
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  2. ZTGD
    Sep 23, 2019
    80
    The biggest compliment I can give is that since the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World game was delisted there has been cries for it to be put back on digital storefronts, and while that has not happened, this is an amazing replacement. It’s not necessarily what I want from a River City game, but it is definitely the direction I want to see beat ‘em ups go in. I would recommend this to anyone who has a friend to play with, but if not I would say boot up the 3DS and give the other River City games a shot (there’s three relatively new games on there). I hope WayForward gets to follow this game up so they can tweak their gameplay a bit and explore their take on the world of River City a bit more.
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  3. DarkStation
    Sep 19, 2019
    70
    Before long, you will notice that the sweat you once poured trying to get through brawlers like Streets of Rage and Final Fight is absent here. Instead of hailing your co-op partner to keep the fight going, you’re more likely to ask for a break sometime soon. There’s only so much of the repetitive action, no matter how sugarcoated it is, you can endure in a one playing session. Still, Misako and Kyoko are lovely girls, if sometimes outright half-wits. Games featuring dual female protagonists are few and far between so River City Girls must be appreciated for that alone.
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