River City Girls Reviews

River City Girls is ranked in the 75th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9.5 / 10.0
Sep 18, 2019

While it’s gameplay may not stand out as anything unique, it’s a lot of fun. Learning how to pull off a one-two-three punch/kick combo, allotted with an awesome finisher is such a gratifying feat that ultimately displays how a combo string should really be delivered. River City Girls is unmissable, and is one of the best arcade based experiences this year.

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8 / 10
Sep 16, 2019

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

GameGrin
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Sep 14, 2019

Faultlessly stylish but also frustrating in its execution, River City Girls is nonetheless a refreshingly vibrant brawler but best played with a friend.

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83 / 100
Sep 13, 2019

Fans of brawlers and badass girls alike won’t wanna miss River City Girls.

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85 / 100
Sep 12, 2019

River City Girls is a delight to play and to watch, one of the most fun games from this genre in this generation.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

GameMAG
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 12, 2019

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

Atomix
Sebastian Quiroz
Top Critic
90 / 100
Sep 12, 2019

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

8 / 10
Sep 11, 2019

River City Girls is one of the best experiences I’ve had with a beat em up and if it has more time to iron out a few kinks, I think it could be one of the best the genre has to offer. The gameplay excels at being entertaining no matter whether you’re playing alone, or with a friend. There’s a significant amount of different moves to test out, along with a simply stunning visual design. It’s a shame that the RPG mechanics couldn’t have been better implemented. Having a feeling of meaningful progression and knowing the difference in damage output between different moves would have been really nice. If you’re a fan of beat em up’s you’re most likely going to enjoy your time with River City Girls. These two girls definitely pack a punch.

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85 / 100
Sep 11, 2019

River City Girls will invite you to visit River City with Kyoko and Misako in search of their boyfriends Riki and Kunio. If you accept the challenge, a nice, fun and complete beat'm up awaits you, with a non-linear progress and quite backtracking, which has some mismatch in the economy of the game and its RPG elements, but that is still totally enjoyable. WayForward has managed to give a new style to the classic Kunio-Kun and has sat down deadly to the hot bloody tough boy franchise.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Sep 10, 2019

River City Girls might not have the surest footing, but it still hits hard and looks cute doing it.

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Sep 10, 2019

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!

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 10, 2019

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.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 10, 2019

River City Girls is a vibrant, colorful, and surprisingly fresh take on the classic beat 'em up series. While small annoyances may hinder its pacing, the overall package from WayForward still packs a few good kicks and punches.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 9, 2019

River City Girls is the brawler that the series needed to spark new interest in the franchise. WayForward took this classic IP and made something truly unique, yet still recognizable to long-time fans.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 9, 2019

River City Girls really did impress me but how polished of an experience it ended up being while staying faithful to the Kunio-kun world. The minor annoyances we had throughout the game and headaches from moving to areas during combat were quickly forgotten about anytime combat initiated because the gameplay was just so much fun. And when it all boils down, that’s truly what matters in a side scrolling beat-em-up, is it not? Fans of the genre, purchase this game.

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Sep 9, 2019

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.

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70 / 100
Sep 9, 2019

If you miss the good old days when Technos wasn’t bankrupt and you had an inkling over what the Double Dragon/Kunio-kun series are, you owe it to yourself to try out River City Girls. It’s fun to play, it’s best with a friend, and it’s just gorgeous to look at in motion. If you hate brawlers and simple beat-em-ups with a slight grind, this won’t change your mind.

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3.8 / 5.0
Sep 7, 2019

River City Girls has a fair amount to offer, it just is a bit rough around the edges. I had enough fun to see the value and the sprites and overall look is certainly nice, it just has some negatives that hurt it. Between the lack of online and sometimes difficult gameplay situations, it might frustrate less skilled or more casual players. This can be overcame through grinding, items and gear, but that isn't the most fun. So, if you're looking for another Castle Crashers this isn't it but it is a good beat 'em up if you're a fan 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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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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