River City Saga: Three Kingdoms Reviews

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
GameSpot
Top Critic
6 / 10
Jul 28, 2022

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms blends modern sensibilities into a decidedly old-school brawler style.

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3.5 / 5.0
Jul 21, 2022

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is an enjoyable yet unexpected take on Kunio and company.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 17, 2022

River City Saga has a lot of everything. Lots of people to beat up, lots of characters, lots of weapons, lots of upgrades, and lots of story. If you are a fan of the old school feel, you should definitely look into it. It's another beat-em-up to add to the collection, and contains everything you need to know about Romancing The Three Kingdoms. Check it out, if you're a fan of either game.

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7.5 / 10.0
Aug 22, 2022

Kunio and the gang stake a claim on hot-blooded martial brawling since ancient times with River City Saga: Three Kingdoms. Combat is decidedly old school with pixellated characters to boot. The gameplay can feel a bit repetitive after extended play, which is par for the course for the beat-em-up genre, and can also be a bit of a grind at times. Replay value is solid, however, and fans of classic side-scrolling games will love its old-school fighting roots.

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6 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2022

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is a fun yet flawed beat 'em up. The neat historical aspect and familair faces should appeal to fans, though it's marred by performance issues and a convoluted map system.

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Jul 25, 2022

Kunio takes on ancient China in this mash-up of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and River City Ransom. Are these two great tastes that work together in any way at all?

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8 / 10.0
Aug 23, 2022

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is a really fun game to play beat-em-ups or like the Three Kingdoms era. It’s take on the history and the novel were funny, with almost all the jokes being on point. It was just a good time from beginning to the moment I set my controller down. I think anyone who tries this game out will enjoy it.

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6 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2022

undefined.River City Saga: Three Kingdoms feels like an incredibly nostalgia-driven game, aimed specifically at those who hold classic beat-'em-ups, the River City games in particular, close to their hearts. And for that audience, I think they'll be very satisfied with what River City Saga has to offer. For people like me, who have less nostalgia for the franchise, they may struggle to understand the repetitive nature and overall appeal of River City Saga: Three Kingdoms.

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7.9 / 10.0
Aug 5, 2022

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is one of the best Kunio-kun games for the simple fact that it's jam-packed with content in its hilarious world that's set in ancient China. It makes me wonder which historical period drama Kunio will star in next.

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CBR
Top Critic
8 / 10
Dec 18, 2024

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms Next is both a solid role-playing game and a great beat-em-up brawler that is not afraid to challenge the player's fighting skill.

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6.5 / 10.0
Aug 24, 2022

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms has everything you would know from a 'Kunio' experience: a well-crafted story with the relaxed, comedic side of the Three Kingdoms period, plenty of fighting for everything that moves; and the usual extreme frustration of the saga, with simple mechanics that are already getting pretty archaic these days.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

3 / 5.0
Aug 6, 2022

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms offers solid brawler gameplay and an open world that you can get around conveniently. Combat feels impactful, and the story even has its moments. Unnecessary complexity, slippery platforming, and a tone that never quite hits make this a game primarily for the series’ faithful and big-time brawler fans who have played most of the genre’s more successful recent releases.

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INVEN
Top Critic
7.9 / 10.0
Aug 27, 2022

It is a beat'em up game that you can enjoy even if you don't know much about Three Kingdoms or River City series. The game shows great action scenes compared to its simple controls, so anyone can easily grab the controller and have some fun. Also, you can enjoy the process of becoming stronger by collecting various skills.

Review in Korean | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Jul 21, 2022

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is one of the most unique brawlers to come out this year, managing to create something more than its side-scrolling relatives. The art and music help evolve this game into a charming experience that keeps the player interested through the tough battles. While there is a learning curve and the game’s controls are a bit strange, Three Kingdoms is a thrilling fight to be a part of.

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9 / 10.0
Jul 26, 2022

It's always fun when Kunio leaves the streets to take on other roles. River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is certainly no exception. This is a much stronger outing for the River City franchise than the recent River City Girls Zero. Its overall quality and fun combat have skyrocketed the game firmly into one of my favorites from the franchise. While there isn't enough here to convert the naysayers, anyone who's enjoyed previous titles or even just the genre could find quite a lot to love about this title. Here's hoping that we see even more River City Saga titles in the future.

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Recommended
Jul 25, 2022

This love letter to Kunio-kun fans combines the best of classic beat’em-up action and RPG progression with all the charming trappings the series is known for.

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Loved
Jul 25, 2022

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is yet another quality entry in the franchise, taking the Kunio Kun crew on a fun romp across ancient China.

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Recommended
Jul 21, 2022

The Kunio-Kun series (known as River City in the West) has been through every incarnation imaginable. From its humble beginnings on the NES chronicling the adventures of delinquent high school boys to the excellent River City Girls that gave Kyoko and Misako a chance to shine last generation, the River City series has been faithfully serving beat ‘em up fans for years. Now, that same series is tackling the famous Romance of the Three Kingdoms story and making it its own. What results is a cheesy but heartfelt beat ‘em up that stumbles just a bit in its execution.

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Jul 21, 2022

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is an addictive and rewarding experience. A few quality of life adjustments can make this game even better throughout multiple playthroughs. It's not a perfect beat 'em up, but it's a worthy entry in the River City series.

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