River City Girls Reviews

River City Girls is ranked in the 75th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9 / 10.0
Sep 2, 2019

River City Girls is easily one of my new favorite games in the Kunio franchise, right behind Super Dodge Ball. Made great thanks to an outstanding variety of battle moves, good level design, clever pattern-based boss battles and an outstanding co-op experience, this is one of the best belt scrollers in recent memory, and considering how many of them fall into the same trap of being a repetitive bore nowadays, it’s very refreshing to see a new one that nails all the right notes that make a belt scroller addicting to begin with.

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8 / 10
Sep 2, 2019

River City Girls gives the beat-em-up genre a new lease on life with its solid combat, stellar spritework, and sprawling world. Those that can stomach some backtracking will find an adventure worthy of biffing a few baddies over.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 2, 2019

Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.

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82 / 100
Sep 3, 2019

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).

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9 / 10
Sep 4, 2019

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.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 5, 2019

While the beat-em-up genre was absolutely a staple of both the arcades and the early console days more recently titles have been few and far between...

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USgamer
iew by Caty McCarthy, Features Editor
Top Critic
Sep 5, 2019

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.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 5, 2019

River City Girls is a throwback beat 'em up with RPG elements, eye-catching visuals, and a thumping soundtrack.

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7 / 10.0
Sep 5, 2019

Regardless, there is a lot here to like despite some frustrations, so if you fancy walking some streets while pummelling goons, it’s certainly worth a look. Especially if you have someone at hand to play it with you.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 5, 2019

River City Girls is a great brawler, and though I wouldn't say it rises above its genre, it's still an excellent example of one. Either solo or with a friend, you'll have a good time.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 5, 2019

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.

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Sep 5, 2019

It’s only when you dig into the mechanics and stories of previous games that you get a sense of how much effort was put into making River City Girls a familiar trip without sacrificing its unique voice or accessibility in the process.

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8.2 / 10.0
Sep 5, 2019

As a huge fan of all things Kunio-kun, I must say that I'm extremely impressed with River City Girls.

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9.4 / 10.0
Sep 5, 2019

River City Girls has a ton of nostalgic love, and is done incredible favors by updated sprites, a great cast, and wonderfully varied environments.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 6, 2019

River City Girls’ energetic storyline may falter near the end but this beat’em up is a prime example of what the genre is capable of as it delivers some great combat set in a fantastic world that thrives in its uniqueness. These girls are ready to kick butt in the name of love and those that take that journey with them are in for an amazing game.

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Metro GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 6, 2019

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.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 6, 2019

One of the original beat 'em up franchises is back and it hasn't felt this good to knuckle up in quite a while. As with the games that came before it, River City Girls is a brawler and RPG spliced together to create an amazing and silly adventure that provides a ton of fun.

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7 / 10.0
Sep 6, 2019

The basic fun of fighting is counterbalanced by some punishing design that makes it hard to get fully invested in the action

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7 / 10
Sep 6, 2019

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.

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Evan Norris
Top Critic
6 / 10
Sep 7, 2019

Tiresome combat scenarios, tedious backtracking, and a lack of transparency with consumables, accessories, and moves undermine its potential, but strong momentary gameplay and extraordinary production values help buoy the experience.

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