Rico

66%
Game Brain Score Based on 324 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Rico Game Cover
I found myself pleasantly surprised by RICO, and see myself coming back to it for weeks to come. If you’re a fan of either the Borderlands or Payday series, this game is a must try for you.
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"Rico" is a shooter game with both single-player and multi-player modes, supporting up to 2 players in local or online co-op. As a member of the RICO task force, your mission is to take down criminal gangs in procedurally-generated cases, with a wide variety of weapons and mission types to unlock. With its hilarious buddy-cop style gameplay and pretty visuals, "Rico" offers an exciting and replayable experience.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

66%
Audience ScoreBased on 324 reviews
gameplay27 positive mentions
story8 negative mentions
  • RICO delivers a solid dose of adrenaline-pumping action with its unique take on the first-person shooter genre.
  • The gameplay is simple yet polished, with satisfying mechanics for kicking down doors and taking out enemies.
  • Local couch co-op is a blast, making it a fun game to play with friends.
  • Online servers have been shut down, preventing access to online co-op and daily challenges.
  • The game suffers from repetitive gameplay and a lack of variety in enemies, environments, and objectives.
  • Performance issues, including frame drops and hit detection problems, can disrupt the flow of gameplay.
  • gameplay110 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a fast-paced, simple, and polished experience that combines shooting mechanics with procedural generation, offering a satisfying core loop. However, many players find it repetitive due to limited enemy variety and a lack of depth in gameplay mechanics, leading to a sense of monotony over time. While the gunplay is generally praised for its smoothness and responsiveness, issues such as poor AI and frustrating mechanics detract from the overall experience, making it feel less engaging in the long run.

    • “The game mechanics are smooth, weapons feel just right, graphics are nice.”
    • “The core gameplay is pretty fun and the shooting feels satisfying but it is way too repetitive and just feels unfair towards the end, with tons of enemies and objectives to complete.”
    • “It's a gameplay loop that almost never changes and there's really no depth in the moment to moment gameplay beyond that.”
    • “The repetition is everywhere - the gameplay, the music, the moments of 'hey I thought I reloaded, I guess that didn't count because I was a hair too fast,' and it gets frustrating fast.”
    • “Gameplay is clunky, the game is repetitive, just as any rogue-like, some could say, but this one doesn't have a lot of content and the locations are so-so; no modding tools so no new weapons, locations, or anything at all that could have helped the game a bit.”
    • “It's just totally mindless shooting and 100% uninspired gameplay.”
  • story104 mentions

    The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players noting that it feels almost non-existent amidst repetitive missions and procedural generation. While the missions are designed to be varied through randomization, the overall narrative fails to provide a compelling sense of progression or context, leaving players wanting more substantial storytelling elements. Ultimately, the game is seen as fun in short bursts but struggles to justify its full price due to its limited content and repetitive nature.

    • “Let me tell you a story about two brothers: fear and Rico.”
    • “The method to traverse through the 'story' reminds me heavily of FTL (Faster Than Light), because you choose what diverging paths you wish to take to get to the end of the game.”
    • “Even after booting up the game and watching the intro video, you’d at least think there’d be some kind of story element to the game.”
    • “People are right - the story is non-existent.”
    • “The game doesn’t offer much in terms of story.”
    • “If you are looking for a story-driven game, this is not it by a long shot.”
  • graphics52 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a cel-shaded art style reminiscent of titles like Borderlands and XIII, which many players find appealing and charming. While the visuals are generally considered decent and polished, some reviews note issues with repetitiveness and graphical glitches. Overall, the aesthetic is well-received, contributing positively to the game's fun factor despite some criticisms regarding depth and variety.

    • “The graphics are cool, totally have a Borderlands vibe.”
    • “Polished, detailed cel-shading graphics of good quality.”
    • “Fantastic ragdoll effects, fun cell-shaded art style, procedurally generated for your constant amusement.”
    • “Art style sucks.”
    • “It is subpar in the visuals, the audio, the gameplay, the narrative, level design, and the overall staying power of the title.”
    • “There are also lots of graphical glitches where things get stuck in walls, and clipping.”
  • music36 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its absence during gameplay, leading to a feeling of emptiness. While some find the existing soundtrack to be generic and repetitive, others suggest that playing their own music enhances the experience. Overall, the lack of a robust in-game soundtrack is a significant drawback, detracting from the game's potential excitement and immersion.

    • “As much as I can see all of the game’s problems and these pretty big issues, I can also perceive some really cool things; I like the art style, the music, while generic and monotonous, never really gets annoying, and above all else, I really like the gameplay loop of this game.”
    • “Roguelike tactical action FPS, easy to learn, hard to master; become an action hero with music.”
    • “To truly enjoy, play with your favorite metal tracks blaring and the in-game music disabled.”
    • “The repetition is everywhere - the gameplay, the music, the moments of 'hey I thought I reloaded, I guess that didn't count because I was a hair too fast,' and it gets frustrating fast.”
    • “The soundtrack is as repetitive as the rest of the game.”
    • “The music is close to non-existent and totally unworthy of my attention.”
  • optimization13 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance with no major issues, others experience occasional frame drops and stutters that disrupt gameplay. Most users agree that the game runs well at max settings, but there are still minor bugs and performance concerns that need addressing.

    • “No performance issues maxed out.”
    • “Performance-wise, it ran very smoothly at max settings and supported my 32:9 3840x1080 resolution (i7-8700k, gtx 1080, 16gb ram, stable 144fps).”
    • “It's an absolute blast to play, the gunfights are intense and visceral, the gameplay is perfect, performance-wise it's rock solid, no frame drops, great fluid non-stop action.”
    • “Performance issues also tend to crop up, with occasional frame drops and stutters that can disrupt the flow of gameplay.”
    • “The game needs to work on its optimization.”
    • “Though I believe it would be even more ridiculous for a game with such bland visuals to also have poor performance.”
  • humor12 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding the writing and voice acting amusing despite its low-budget indie feel. The ragdoll physics and quirky level generation often lead to funny moments, enhancing the co-op experience, though the overall execution can feel awkward and sluggish. While some aspects are genuinely hilarious, the humor may not resonate as well when playing solo.

    • “Thank you devs for making a great (and hilarious) co-op experience.”
    • “The writing itself is often times hilarious.”
    • “Physics are hilariously over the top and it often sends ragdolls and debris flying through the air.”
    • “I'd buy it for $5 maybe, but there's no point in buying just one copy; it's not funny alone.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the tight gunplay and procedural generation that keeps experiences fresh, others feel it lacks sufficient content to maintain long-term engagement. Many enjoy the multiplayer aspect and find it fun for both casual and hardcore play, but there are concerns about the overall depth and variety in replayable content.

    • “That said, the gunplay feels tight and responsive and the game offers endless replayability for both casual and hardcore players.”
    • “Each level is procedurally-generated, which keeps things fresh for replayability.”
    • “A fun arcade game to play with friends or randos online, great replayability, and a decent price tag for how much fun you get out of this.”
    • “A big problem with this game is that there’s not enough content to keep the player going, and the saddest thing is that the content is there; it’s just the way the game distributes it that makes it lack so much replayability.”
    • “It's a fun and easy-to-get-into game, but replay value-wise, the game is a bit lacking in content.”
    • “It's not really all that replayable either.”
  • stability5 mentions

    The game's stability is criticized for being buggy, with users reporting various issues such as physics glitches, graphical problems like clipping, and specific weapon inconsistencies, particularly with pump-action shotguns. While some players noted minimal bugs, the overall experience is marred by these recurring stability issues.

    • “This game is pretty buggy.”
    • “There are also lots of graphical glitches where things get stuck in walls, and clipping.”
    • “The weapons are generally well balanced aside from the relatively weak and buggy pump-action shotguns.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, as unlocking skins requires a significant amount of in-game currency that is difficult to accumulate through daily modes. While some enjoy the repetitive nature of grinding, particularly fans of roguelikes and endless gameplay, many feel that the effort required is not worth the limited rewards, leading to a lack of long-term engagement with the game.

    • “You can only unlock them with a currency that you obtain when playing daily modes, and even if you were to play most of them, you don’t really get enough to unlock a few skins, most of which are not the gold ones, which are absurdly expensive, about 500 bucks a pop; it’s in-game currency, but it’s grindy and tedious.”
    • “Not worth $20, you will only have 1 hour of fun and then completely forget about the game, tedious as hell.”
    • “Honestly, if you are a fan of those 'washing machine' grinding, replaying the same scenarios, and roguelike never-ending games.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    Reviewers express disappointment with the game's monetization strategy, criticizing it for feeling like a cash grab due to low-effort DLC and technical issues that detract from the experience.

    • “I was a fan until they started becoming cash grabby with low-effort DLC.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative and detracts from the overall experience.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere in Rico is generally praised for its good ideas, but it is ultimately considered too basic and indie to stand up against more polished contemporary shooters.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

74% average critic score

Buy Rico

Play time

4hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
2-14hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 9 analyzed playthroughs

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