X
- E10+
- Arc System Works
- E10+
- Arc System Works
- E10+
- Arc System Works
- E10+
- Arc System Works
River City Girls Zero
Released On: Feb 14, 2022
68
6.2
Where to Buy
Where to Buy
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Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
68
18% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
82% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
68
18% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
82% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
River City Girls Zero is geared more toward existing Kunio-kun fans rather than those who are new to the series. Existing fans can appreciate the callbacks to older titles and like the fact that the game tries something different with the formula. Everyone else will still enjoy the game but may wonder why many series elements and genre traits are missing. It is a solid game, but be cautious going in if you aren't already a fan of the Kunio-kun series.
If you like retro-style brawlers, River City Girls Zero is the right game for you; if you can life with things like laggy controls and a rather short play time, that is.
Awesome 16-bit graphics and nostalgia will distract you from the sluggish gameplay. Players unfamiliar with retro brawlers should probably skip out on this one. But if you’re a fan of the River City series and want to take a trip back in time, this is a good place to start.
It’s always nice to see a game that never made it out of Japan back in the day get a wider release, and even nicer when it’s handled well. The actual links with River City Girls, both in terms of story and gameplay, are tenuous but River City Girls Zero makes the most of them. The mechanics do the job decently, and the story side of it certainly distinguishes the experience from most other brawlers of its era. It’s no Streets of Rage or even Final Fight, but those who are invested in the characters will likely have a good time.
I'm quite happy that we finally have an official port of this 16-bit beat 'em up gem. Although River City Girls Zero isn't as fun as River City Ransom or its modern sequels, it's still an exciting brawler with a rather engaging story to boot.
River City Girls Zero is a fine and largely inexpensive preservation of a long-lost title from the massive Kunio-kun chronology, even if the actual title itself is far from being a lost classic that you need to play. At best, the game serves as an interesting origin story. So unless you’re a diehard completionist, then you’re probably better off just waiting for the eventual launch of River City Girls 2.
If you do manage to suffer through the game, including its frustrating final boss, you’ll be rewarded to another manga cutscene, another beautiful David Liu cutscene (which I would like as a desktop background), and another McDuffee song. And then, and this is truly the best part of RCGZ, you unlock the ability to play the Intro, Outro, and End Credit sequences from the main menu. You can also flip through scanned pages of the original game’s Japanese instruction booklet if that’s your bag. I haven’t played too many games where the bread is the best part of the sandwich, but here we are.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 6 User Ratings
6.2
33% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
33% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
33% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 6 User Ratings
6.2
33% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
33% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
33% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Summary River City Girls Zero is an updated English edition of Super Famicom title Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Banka. It is the first title in the Kunio-kun franchise to feature Kyoko and Misako in action.
Rated E +10
for Everyone +10
Platforms:
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 5
- PC
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Initial Release Date: Feb 14, 2022
Developer:
- WayForward
Publisher: Arc System Works
Genres: