River City Girls Zero Explanation Trailer, My Thoughts

In 2019, Arc System Works published the WayForward-developed game known as River City Girls. The game was a spin-off of the long-running Kunio-kun franchise. This beat-em-up game focused on a pair of teenagers named Misako and Kyoko, who set out on a mission to rescue their boyfriends Kunio and Riki. The game was praised for its graphics, art style, soundtrack, and inventive boss fights. It did get criticism for its original ending and its RPG elements.

Misako and Kyoko were not new characters created for this game. They actually first appeared in a past game...which is coming to the US for the first time. Let's look at the trailer for River City Girls Zero!

That's neat that they use the old CRT effect here. Helps emphasize the old-school feel.

When I first heard that it was an unreleased game, I thought "Really?" I mean, it wasn't completely implausible. Back in the day, many video games would often be released only in certain regions. For example, maybe a game based on a particular franchise that was popular in Japan but was an unknown outside the country would only be released over there. But for some reason, I thought it was made up by WayForward as part of the game's gimmick of being an old-school "lost" beat-em-up.

And it turns out, that's true in this case! The game that became River City Girls Zero was, as I said earlier, an actual game that never officially released in the West until now. It was originally released only in Japan in 1994 as Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-Tachi No Banka.

I do think the graphics look pretty cool for a game of the era. Colorful and well defined. Characters are easily identifiable. It's pleasing on the eyes.

I like retro-style games. And thanks to games like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game, the games in the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle, Double Dragon Neon (Gotta get that game for the Switch), Street Fighter, and the Smash Bros. Series, I've grown a slight fondness for fighters/beat 'em ups. I want to try this game out, as it looks fun. 

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