River City Girls Game Cover

River City Girls is a 2-player anime hack and slash game, where players control the girlfriends of Kunio and Riki, who have been captured. The goal is to fight through the mean streets of River City, using combos, throws, and weapons to defeat enemies and rescue the boys. The game features manga story panels, anime cutscenes, and a synth-pop soundtrack, making for an old-school beat-'em-up experience in a new generation. Both single-player and local co-op options are available.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Tablet
  • Xbox

Reviews

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,231 reviews
music486 positive mentions
grinding112 negative mentions
  • The game features a fun and engaging combat system with a variety of moves and combos to unlock.
  • The art style and animations are beautiful, with vibrant pixel graphics and well-done character designs.
  • The soundtrack is fantastic, featuring catchy tunes and vocal tracks that enhance the overall experience.
  • The controls are poorly designed, with multiple actions mapped to the same button, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • Boss fights can feel cheap and frustrating, often requiring players to learn specific patterns to succeed.
  • The game lacks online multiplayer, limiting the co-op experience to local play only.
  • music790 mentions

    The music in "River City Girls" has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy and vibrant soundtrack that complements the game's energetic beat 'em up gameplay. The soundtrack features a mix of late 80s/early 90s synth-pop and original vocal tracks, enhancing the overall experience and often leaving players wanting to listen to it outside of the game. While some found certain tracks to be generic or repetitive, the majority highlighted the music as a standout element that significantly contributes to the game's charm and enjoyment.

    • “The game made us laugh out loud on several occasions, and we also very much enjoyed the game's soundtrack.”
    • “Combined with a fun story and a killer soundtrack, it's a great game for couch co-op, even amongst less skilled or experienced players.”
    • “The soundtrack is a++, one of the best video game soundtracks in ages, so good that you frequently want to not scene transition to skip to the next track.”
    • “Schizophrenic tier storyline, with irritating gameplay, poor aesthetics, and terrible music that does no justice to the original games.”
    • “While the game is very well made, is colorful and charming, and has really catchy music... it's just a slog to play.”
    • “The new music is okay but forgettable (and it's even more forgettable since all tracks from rcg1 are reused).”
  • gameplay553 mentions

    The gameplay of "River City Girls" is a mixed bag, with many players praising its fun and addictive beat-em-up mechanics, engaging combos, and vibrant art style. However, criticisms often highlight issues such as clunky controls, repetitive combat, and unbalanced difficulty, which can detract from the overall experience. While some enjoy the nostalgic homage to classic beat-em-ups, others find the gameplay lacking polish and depth, making it a polarizing aspect of the game.

    • “Extremely satisfying gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay features the two girls traversing the titular river city looking for leads on finding their boyfriends, fighting various enemies and bosses along the way.”
    • “River City Girls is a solid beat-em-up with nice pixel art, good music, and solid gameplay mechanics.”
    • “This whole process was really irritating, as the entire mechanic wasn't really explained at all in the first place.”
    • “But the gameplay is clunky, awkward, and pretty repetitive.”
    • “The gameplay is honestly atrocious and isn't fun at all.”
  • story532 mentions

    The story of *River City Girls* is a light-hearted and comedic narrative that follows two girls, Misako and Kyoko, on a quest to rescue their boyfriends, filled with humorous dialogue and quirky characters. While some players appreciate the fun and absurdity of the plot, others criticize it for being simplistic and riddled with plot holes, often feeling like an excuse for the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. Overall, the story is entertaining enough to complement the gameplay, but it may not satisfy those seeking a deeper or more coherent storyline.

    • “The game's story and writing were fun and enjoyable, and where some games (especially with an anime influence) can have pretty grating female voice acting, River City Girls' voice acting was tremendous and really added to the protagonists.”
    • “It follows two girls, Kyoko and Misako, on a quest to rescue their boyfriends Kunio and Riki after getting a text message on their phone alerting them of a kidnapping.”
    • “The story is extremely light-hearted and never misses an opportunity to tell some jokes, which some might find tacky or annoying, but I was generally amused by the tone.”
    • “The story has so many plot holes that it barely makes sense from start to end.”
    • “Like story-wise, the whole game is a boss telling you to go to another place but they have no clue where the main character's goal is. Every boss has no clue where to point you to, so they just say 'uhhh over there I think.' That to me is lazy storytelling at its finest.”
    • “The writing is super cheesy and made me cringe several times through my playthrough, and the story is a mess. The ending especially was super random and bad; it lacked any feeling of accomplishment.”
  • graphics394 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their vibrant 16-bit art style, charming pixel animations, and detailed backgrounds, which evoke nostalgia while delivering a modern aesthetic. Many reviewers praised the character designs and animated cutscenes, highlighting the game's visual appeal as a standout feature. However, some noted minor graphical glitches and inconsistencies in character design, but overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's enjoyable experience.

    • “The graphics and presentation are top notch, especially the backgrounds which are insanely detailed.”
    • “The 16-bit art style that the game has is amazing and is full of color, with each area feeling alive and full of wonder.”
    • “The visuals are absolutely gorgeous and the fluid animations further back up its fantastic beat-'em-up gameplay.”
    • “There are very obvious graphic glitches on some of the move sets and has not been fixed, (the worst being Misako's powerbomb).”
    • “This game has a very charming art style and experience but the execution is so flawed that it really is more of a burden to play than anything fun.”
    • “It's kind of bizarre how the visuals and ideas are full of likable personality quirks but the spoken lines undo a lot of it through overly slow and repetitive delivery.”
  • humor301 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it genuinely funny and charming, particularly praising the witty dialogue and quirky character interactions. While some appreciate the self-aware and meta jokes, others feel that certain jokes fall flat or become repetitive, leading to a divide in enjoyment. Overall, the humor is often described as entertaining and engaging, contributing positively to the game's appeal, though it may not resonate with everyone.

    • “The characters are funny, it knows its own flaws and pokes at them, lots of small talks and lots to see.”
    • “Genuinely hilarious writing and a solid beat 'em up game.”
    • “It's funny to kill your friend, then kick his soul back in the body and after that repeat for eternity.”
    • “The humor and voice acting is cringey again, and the writing is all over the place, making the characters barely recognizable as their original selves.”
    • “The humor and voice acting is cringey again, and it doesn't help the poor writing and unfunny humor, which makes the dialogue sound unnatural and break character.”
    • “The game has no tone or atmosphere of the Japanese delinquent culture the series is known for, and the humor is cringey, contributing to a lack of engagement.”
  • grinding112 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and frustrating due to the high health of enemies and the slow pace of combat. While some appreciate the grinding as a necessary element for character progression, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to repetitive gameplay and a need for guides to navigate purchases effectively. Overall, the grinding mechanics seem to polarize players, with some enjoying the challenge while others see it as a chore that hampers the game's flow.

    • “The result is slow, cautious, and boring grinding that ruins the pace of the game.”
    • “Combine this with the often clunky controls and what feels like unfair hits and you will find yourself taking damage unless you play extremely slow and cautiously while still taking frequent deaths, grinding your funds into the ground making it all but impossible to save up for those high priced moves at the dojo.”
    • “The worst thing about it is that enemies are painfully slow to kill and leveling up does literally nothing - even the first location enemies will require quite a few hits with the most powerful punches before they go down, even after grinding to about 20th level.”
  • replayability46 mentions

    The game offers strong replayability, featuring multiple playable characters, unlockable content, and a new game+ mode that enhances the experience. While some players noted that the combat can become repetitive, the variety of characters and challenges keeps the gameplay engaging. Overall, it provides enough replay value to warrant multiple playthroughs, making it a worthwhile investment for fans of the genre.

    • “Great OST and art, 4 unique feeling characters, 12 different enemy types with variations, 7 good bosses, tons of references, RPG elements, unlockable secrets, very good replay value with NG+/free roam mode.”
    • “It had depth, replayability, class, everything you look for in a keeper.”
    • “All of this combined strengthens the replay value, since you can play the game on a harder difficulty with more characters to play as, each with their own unique movesets and combos, whilst still keeping all of your items and stats from the previous playthrough.”
    • “The secret characters Riki and Kunio add nothing to the story's replayability, since they are not in the story when you play as them, nor can you see them in the stores when shopping.”
    • “The creators thought this would be funny, but all it does is make you hate the game and affect replayability when you are playing what the story portrays your characters to be crazy stalkers.”
    • “The story and characters were compelling, it didn't feel like there was an ulterior motive for the main characters being female, but there really isn't much replay value.”
  • character development44 mentions

    Character development in the game is highlighted by its charming and distinct character designs, which are praised for their polish and cartoonish style. While the visuals and character concepts are well-received, many reviewers note that the depth of character development is limited, with some characters lacking substantial dialogue and personality. Overall, the character designs stand out as a strong point, but they do not compensate for the game's shortcomings in gameplay and storytelling.

    • “Each of them does one thing supremely better than the other, and in the case of River City Girls, that thing is excellent voice acting and extremely charming character development.”
    • “The character designs are great; everyone looks unique, and while very shallow because of the limited amount of dialogue, they all show their own personality.”
    • “The art style, character designs, the OST, and songs are all great. I don't know what else I could add; the game has a charm that gave me life during my playthrough.”
    • “This game is dogshit, could have been cool, but as it is the only good thing it has is character designs. Aside from that, it's pretty bad. I know it's based on an ancient game, but because of the plot and style, it's obvious they weren't aiming directly at those nostalgia players who used to play the original games, so there was no point in sticking to all the bad things an old game had.”
    • “I'll say it again, the style and character designs are all there is to this game. Don't buy it, it's not worth it.”
    • “At the introductory price, it's best to get it as a Kunio fan or maybe someone who likes the character designs and isn't too fussy about the combat or the half-baked storytelling.”
  • stability36 mentions

    The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches affecting gameplay, particularly with assist mechanics and visual elements. While some players noted that patches have improved the situation, many still experienced frustrating technical problems, including unresponsive controls and visual glitches that detracted from the overall experience. Despite these issues, players generally found that their progress was not severely hindered by the bugs.

    • “One of the best beat 'em up games I've played, and it runs great on Linux!”
    • “The technical implementation is poor: you can encounter visual glitches caused by incorrect depth checks; there are lots of places where you would not be able to pick up weapons, probably, when you are inside a cutscene trigger; the camera movement occasionally leaves one character off-screen.”
    • “Its pretty buggy as well the 2nd boss is one of the buggiest, he gets stuck off map if you knock him off the edge or you'll get stuck.”
    • “We found about 8 glitches, the most I've ever seen in a WayForward game, some of which were easy things to fix.”
  • atmosphere24 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is described as a vibrant mix of humor, quirky design, and engaging music, creating a lighthearted and enjoyable experience. However, some players feel that it lacks the serious tone and cultural authenticity of its predecessors, leading to mixed feelings about character portrayals and overall coherence. Despite these criticisms, many appreciate the fun and wacky elements that contribute to its unique charm.

    • “Much better gameplay variety, story, characters, tone and atmosphere.”
    • “Amazing art, music, writing, characters, voice acting, and general atmosphere.”
    • “The wacky atmosphere throughout every aspect of RCG was just a joy to experience.”
    • “As expected, the game has no tone or atmosphere of the Japanese delinquent (yanki) culture the series is known for. The setting can't decide if it's located in Japan or the USA, voice acting and humor is cringey, the writing is all over the place, and pretty much all characters are completely ruined, being barely recognizable as themselves from the original series.”
    • “Rcg has such a light atmosphere that their delusional, aggressively possessive mindsets are obviously being played for laughs, but nothing about it earns a laugh.”
    • “It lacks some of the combat depth of a Streets of Rage 4 type game, but makes up for it with a better story and atmosphere.”
  • optimization16 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some players report a smooth experience with decent performance, others criticize it for running poorly at 30fps, suffering from input lag, and containing numerous bugs and broken scripts. Overall, the optimization issues detract significantly from the gameplay experience, making it feel sluggish and frustrating at times.

    • “But all in all, the game runs smoothly (well, I really can't tell about the frame rate, but it seems fine to me) and I like it so much (especially the comic/manga cinematics!!) that I also bought River City Girls 2.”
    • “This is the best visual pixel art game in 2019 with great gameplay and performance.”
    • “Some of the game's strongest points come from its presentation, the fluid animations, great performances, and soundtracks coupled with the solid gameplay.”
    • “Nothing was learned from rcg1's mistakes - the game is poorly optimized, running at 30fps and having terrible input lag. There are bugs and broken scripts everywhere, the flow of the game lacks dynamism and it feels like a drag. The original Kunio/Technos series and characters are misunderstood once again. There is no difference in the main character dialogue, which often makes it sound unnatural. The humour and voice acting are cringey, and while there's an option for Japanese voice acting, it doesn't help the poor writing. The enemies are frustratingly designed, often getting behind the player in unnatural ways, and the hitboxes and perspective are wonky, leading to frequent falls into pits. Optional quests are a complete waste of time, and while there are a few positives like decent online co-op and remappable controls, they don't outweigh the negatives.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized, running at 30fps and suffering from terrible input lag. The flow of the game lacks dynamism, making it feel like a drag. The enemies are frustratingly designed, often getting behind the player in unnatural ways, and the hitboxes and perspective are wonky, leading to frequent falls into pits. Optional quests are a complete waste of time.”
    • “The new music is okay but forgettable, especially since all tracks from rcg1 are reused. The bosses are too easy and gimmicky, and the camera during boss battles often zooms out, making it hard to tell what's going on. Overall, the game feels poorly optimized and lacks the charm of its predecessors.”
  • emotional14 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its vibrant and wholesome portrayal of teenage life, featuring colorful visuals and manga-style cutscenes that enhance the overall experience. While it initially feels fun and engaging, some players note that it leans too heavily on clichés, which can detract from the emotional depth. Overall, it presents a heartwarming yet chaotic depiction of youth and camaraderie amidst conflict.

    • “There's cutscenes in a manga style on occasion too (intro and ending are most prevalent) which offer a nice break from the other art styles, giving everything a nice wholesome blend when put together.”
    • “The backdrops are full of fun details and surprises, and everything just comes together to form a vibrant, heartwarming depiction of a city where roaming gangs of teenagers take to the streets to beat the stuffing out of each other.”
    • “It's not horny at all, it's just an incredibly bright and colorful and wholesome time starring two teenage girls.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

4hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
2-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs

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