River City Girls Reviews
A fantastic scrolling beat 'em-ups that shows exactly how the genre can be evolved and modernised, while also indulging in some gloriously retro presentation and throwbacks.
The basic fun of fighting is counterbalanced by some punishing design that makes it hard to get fully invested in the action
River City Girls is as bubbly as the pop song that soundtracks its intro cinematic would lead you to believe. With all-around excellent art direction, you'll be hard-pressed to find a game this year with more style and confidence than River City Girls. While the first few hours are a slog as you level up and learn the ropes, once your moveset grows bigger, any encounter is a blast full of combos, and yes, dabbing. Just be sure to bring a friend along for the ride, as it's much harder to brave alone.
Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
I wanted to love River City Girls. A modern side scrolling beat 'em up, from a proven developer like WayForward, with bright, bold visuals, and two kick-ass heroines should have been great. Instead, thanks to way too much repetitive grinding, River City Girls is a bit boring. Something I never thought I'd say about a game that has high school children hitting zombie cheerleaders with wrenches.
Arc System Works and Wayforward found the perfect balance between nostalgic elements and new mechanics. River City Girls pays perfect homage to the brawler genre, incredibly fun to play (especially in couch co-op multiplayer).
Review in Spanish | Read full review
While it was a slow start I enjoyed my time in River City with Misako and Kyoko. The hand drawn art is incredible and the song list adds to the pacing and overall vibe. The move list eventually gets into enough depth to feel like a new addition to the genre. I’m eager for River City Girls 2. We’ll see how Wayforward changes up an already strong entry on the next go-round.
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.
I’m pretty confident in saying River City Girls is the best game to use the River City IP. It has a fantastic understanding of why people play beat-em-ups but typically avoids the pratfalls this genre can fall into. You can also pick up giant fish and smack people in the face with them. That makes this game good enough for me!
Fans of brawlers and badass girls alike won’t wanna miss River City Girls.
Arc System Works and WayForward managed to revive the classics qualitatively. Interesting gameplay, stylish graphics, funny story and four unique characters to choose from should please fans of the genre. And if you are one of them, then this game is definitely worthy of your attention.
Review in Russian | Read full review
With a bright, pixel art infused splash, River City Girls throws you headlong into an old-school brawler that at times evokes the best of the genre.
A smashingly great side-scrolling battler that is overflowing with charm, stuff to do and faces to wreck, River City Girls is utterly essential for fans of the genre.
River City Girls' fisticuffs, stellar presentation, and RPG-elements make it an exciting and fun entry in the long running River City/Kunio-kun series, but a few missteps prevent it from achieving PC gaming greatness.
River City Girls is a very fun, well-crafted and deliciously funny beat'em-up in the same line as its predecessor. With its varied combat options, delightful animations and charismatic characters, River City Girls is set to appeal even to players who might not necessarily be very keen on beat'em-ups.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
When it was all said and done, the experience didn’t provide that end-to-end satisfaction I was searching for. Bugs aside, River City Girls has a lot going for it; however, it still has plenty of room to grow.
River City Girls is one of the most beautiful beat'em up in recent years, and one of the best experiences of the genre, achieves an evolution within the Kunio-kun series, although it can be repetitive, it is an experience that any fan of the genre can not miss.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
River City Girls is so much fun and one of the most enjoyable brawlers I've played in a long time. Developers Arc System Works and Wayforward have made the genre feel surprisingly modern with its anime aesthetic and sharp, tongue-in-cheek approach to dialogue and world design. It's self-aware enough that every joke lands, every location feels distinct and every musical track is an experimental banger. If you're after a charming beat 'em up – grab a friend and help Kyoko and Misako track down their boyfriends. You won't regret it.
Not since Scott Pilgrim vs The World was released nine years ago have we played such an entertaining, satisfying beat 'em up. Whether you're playing alone or teaming up with a friend in co-op mode, River City Girls is a visually superb, aurally fantastic, out-and-out love letter to the genre. Fans of River City Ransom and other Kunio-kun games will adore how it respects the past but makes it relevant today, while those new to the series will simply find a hugely enjoyable and infectiously cheerful scrapper.
River City Girls is a throwback beat 'em up with RPG elements, eye-catching visuals, and a thumping soundtrack.