So, I decided to play this game after Hades got a little grindy for me and I needed to play another game on my backlog.

It started off with me just getting used to the mechanics (I've never played a beat 'em up in this style before, so it took a little getting used to.) but once I got it, I got it. The game also got really fun for me because it has some RPG elements to it, and I've been kinda itching for a good RPG as of late.

The gameplay itself proved to be fun after I got used to things... however, this game is very buggy. I had backtracked to go back to the school, and when I reached the far right corner of the first boss fight arena... the game went black, the music distorted and my entire computer shut down.

So. I rebooted. Brought the game back up... and resumed playing. After about an hour, it crashed again. And then again after awhile. It stayed stable enough for me after those crashes... so I'm not sure what could be the issue but it seems the game needed some fixes that it never received? (And now they have made a sequel?) Weird.

But overall? The gameplay is very fun. Once you unlock some moves, LVL up a bit, and just get used to things... it becomes fun enough to where you can drive through the game and enjoy yourself.

However, and I think... this is just the nature of the old school style it's trying to bring into this game. The mapping for the throw items/punch... got really annoying. I wanted to punch, but I happen to be near an item? I pick the item up but then get smacked by an enemy. Platforming? And it's kinda hard to tell where I am on the screen so I don't plummet off the stage? Oof.

The menu? And I'm trying to just get to the items to heal. Some of the cutscenes... while they are skippable, sometimes it's just nice to just... get straight to the fight after an attempt?

Just needs some work in some areas. Overall? Very fun.

The style of this game reminded me of Scott Pilgrim a little bit? Not the game, the actual series itself. (I haven't played Scott Pilgrim yet. Though I believe it's also a beat 'em up as well?)

However, you can tell it pulled from the old school anime aesthetic the older Kunio/double dragon games had.

The MUSIC. Very good! I really started to appreciate it once I reached the Beach area? Oh my god. Again, pulled inspo from that old 80s feel to the music and I really loved it.

I loved the idea of the female leads as well. It's actually what drew me to the game!

So overall, yes... It had it's downfalls. But overall, I think it had a great idea in bringing back those old 2D beat 'em ups, but gave it a fresh spin, while still keeping true to the original series.

Hopefully in the sequel it fixed some of the issues and amp'd up on the style even more.

Overall for me? Good game. If you find this game on sale, grab it and give it a go!

First things first, DO NOT play River City Girls single-player. The game is absolutely a co-op game, and like the main man Dunkey said, we gotta take every co-op game we can get today, because there just aren't that many.

The first thing you'll notice about River City Girls is its god-tier aesthetic. If you miss the tragedy-stricken Scott Pilgrim game, this is the next best thing. WayForward went all-out on the sprite work to the point where it made me love the look of a pixel indie game in 2019. Every animation is smooth as butter and backed up by the toasted bread that is the music: banger after banger after banger. On top of its bass-y chiptune beats, there's even a few lyrical songs, which are one of the three things that makes any game better.

Finally the presentation is wrapped up in some great manga-style artwork done by the artist of the Devil's Candy webcomic and animated (short) cutscenes by Studio Yotta. They're brief but go a long way in amping up the feel of the game.

The combat is surprisingly deep. While you won't be pulling off any high-flying double-digit combos, you will be smacking bitches across the screen and powerbombing their spines onto the concrete. You unlock more moves as you play, but some are very much better than others. I'd say Kyoko is slightly better than Misako, (Misako the honey, btw) but both are skilled in various little situations. Misako early on can clear out a line of enemies and back them off while Kyoko gains more shorter-range but harder enemy-sweeping moves as the game progresses.

Where River City Girls drops the ball is in its little things. The game doesn't hold your hand after you leave the tutorial, but it holds back some really helpful information. My friend and I didn't know we could hold on to food items for use in the pause menu until we hit the fourth boss.

We also figured out that buying an item from a shop the first time gives you one permanent stat boost, but the items exact uses are locked until you buy them. So you could've been buying something expensive and weak instead of something cheaper and more useful.

Boss fights are tough, some of the consistently toughest I've played in a game recently. A good spread of challenge, although the last two were surprisingly easy. Bosses occasionally will have some cheap move that is either way too punishing or unpredictable.

River City Girls was a fun time. While the repetition started to set in by the final third of the game, the aesthetic, presentation and soundtrack hard carried me through the endgame monotony. It's got some cool replay value, but not worth it for me playing all over again.

River City Girls is a wild ride of a beat 'em up game that offers a fun and short adventure. While the 2000s dialogue may not be for everyone, it adds a certain charm to the game. The story may not be groundbreaking, but it gets the job done and serves its purpose well enough. At first, combat can feel slow and tedious as enemies take a while to take down. However, once you unlock the 5-string combo from the dojo, the fights become a blast.

Unfortunately, movement can feel stiff at times, particularly when moving up and down. This can be especially frustrating when trying to hit enemies that are slightly above you. Additionally, it can feel like enemies can hit you right after getting back up, which disrupts the flow of fights. Despite these minor issues, the game's foundation is solid and enjoyable.
Overall, River City Girls is a great choice for those looking for a good multiplayer game that's full of action and adventure. While it may need some minor tweaks to improve the gameplay, it's still an enjoyable experience that's worth playing.