Old-school Famicom fisticuffs for die-hard fans

Back 2 (old) Skool

Back in 2019, the global gaming community became aware of two totes-dopey players: Kyoko and Misako, collectively known as River City Girl. Basically a reincarnation of the legendary types Kunio-kun series, WayForward’s River City Girl revived the franchise for a modern audience, retaining the open-world nature and suffocating brawl of its predecessors and dressing it up with vibrant colors, lousy soundtracks, work slick art and exciting new characters. River City Girl reinvented not only Kunio-kun mass, but also the warriors themselves.

However, in news that still surprises folk today, River City Girl to be Not Kyoko and Misako’s first adventure. No, our excitable and somewhat obsessive teenagers debuted their original video game in 1994, in the Japan-only Super Famicom release Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Banka, the series sees lead Kunio and Riki teaming up with their close friends to get to the bottom of an identity confusion case. One jaw break at a time.

While many Kunio-kun games playable today through Double Dragon & Kunio-kun: Retro Brawler Bundle, Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Banka still not available to western players. So far, as Arc System Works and WayForward have finally localized this lost sequel for these shores. So let’s fire up the Switch, it’s time to make a fuss with River City Girls Zero.

Our story begins with a run and run tragedy, when a bystander is hit by two guys on a speeding motorcycle, with one of the drivers identified as Kunio-kunPopular hero and badass school boss, Kunio. Lightning-fast, our boys find themselves quickly making their way through the courts and thrown into the hands of a killer, charged with a crime they didn’t commit. This being the world of video games, they quickly escape their solitude through delightfully easy means, before embarking on a cross-country game to uncover the truth behind the hit-don’t-run – a game that will see a lot of fists and feet thrown before justice is finally served.

It should be noted, first and foremost, that River City Girls Zero totally unlike many other titles in Kunio-kun series. The 16-bit adventure avoids much of the open-city adventure and throwback of its contemporaries, shifting it to linear, sequential stages as our hero team follows the trail. of the villains in the section. For the most part, this includes the very simple 2D belt roll action, as Kunio, Riki, Kyoko and Misako throw down with bullies, street thugs, gangsters, and other Bad Dudes to lower the false captivity of the boys.

River City Girls Zero is a simple brawler. Extremely like that. It features the typical punch/kick action typical of the series’ fighting, complete with a classic back-attack, a satisfying weight and balance system, and ugly, unwieldy jumps. Each character can also place their duke to defend against oncoming attacks, and all four warriors have their own cool special moves, which are activated by pressing a block and then necessary attack button. Misako gets her Street Fighter The kick was like a hurricane, while Kyoko opted for severely tamed thunderous legs.

However, for the most part, River City Girls Zero is a slugfest, exchanging ingenuity and skill for exploitation, tolerance and patience.

Meanwhile, the best fighters, and especially now, understand the flow of war and the importance of smooth, rhythmic fighting, River City Girls Zero slightly rough, with stiff movements and extremely strict hitting boxes. “Overlapping dead zones” are in effect, and usually victory is achieved through “impacting” the opponent (e.g. overlapping from above, cornering, or fooling the AI), not right through clever combat, an admittedly complex style of strategy that has been embodied in Technos’ arcade brawlers, such as Double Dragon and The Combattribes.

This difficulty was a problem with many early struggles, but by 1994 the genre had moved beyond what was offered in Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Bankafrom a gameplay standpoint, feels many years older than contemporaries like Capcom’s Cadillacs and dinosaursor Sega .’s Streets of Rage 2both were released over two years ago.

The cute Super Famicom drawings give a lot of personality to our heroes and villains, and the fighting is intense and relentless, but the game’s design has barely improved from the early days. Best Kunio-kun titles, as other series have begun experimenting with much more in-depth combat mechanics. As a result, standard enemy encounters are extremely similar, while boss battles are more of an exercise in “tricks”. New engine used for River City Girls Zero works to improve the infamous input lag of the original Super Famicom release, making the action here more forgiving and satisfying for players.

In favor of the title, the unique and colorful cartoon characters, multiple locations across the city, and a legitimately smooth SNES system accentuate the action. The anarchist story is also very interesting, (you’ll love the police telling our gang of treacherous high school kids that it’s good to handle the law on your own). Aesthetically and narratively, River City Girls Zero live in an engaging and engaging “outlaw” vibe, reminiscent of Toei’s stellar gangster series of the 70s.

As the story progresses and our heroes travel across the country, side-scrolling stages are linked to Road Rash stylish motorsport sections where the player shoots the pig to the next location, while satisfying walks with enemy racers. These parts are pretty disappointing, even by ’94 standards. The overall problem with Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Banka/River City Girls Zero The title lacks that “electrical” feel, despite the fun story and great soundtrack. However, as is the case with a lot of gamblers, the fun is increased when a second player is added.

Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Banka Definitely a piece of game history. WayForward recognizes this and has packed the title into a great presentation package. We open with a wonderful anime series, (OVA when!!?) supported by an absolute fire song from the series composer Megan McDuffee. We also get an interesting manga meta sequence, where Kyoko and Misako pick up a copy of Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Banka for the Super Famicom and trying to get it to work, (what a must for them), antique hardware. Kids today.

We’re introducing the credits with another great new tune, and scans of the original artwork and manual are also available to watch as a fun addition. In regards to localization, there are two English translations provided: The “Literal” translation that sticks to the original Japanese text, and the “New” translation that is a bit cleaner and removes swearing and false language. grammar of the original text. The useful state save function also helps in some of the heavier boss fights. Ironically, River City Girls Zero fits the bill as a better preserved historic site than a vintage experience.

Like a whole Kunio-kun and being a nerd, I think that’s awesome Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Banka has been leased this new life. It is game history that needs to be preserved, even for the legacy of Kunio-kun and for the main characters Kyoko and Misako, a duo who only has more exciting adventures ahead. Fans of the series, who can better tolerate its gameplay shortcomings, will squeal with delight as this age-old hole in their collection has final plugged in – although they won’t deny that the entry is ultimately one of the series’ weaker offerings.

Collectors should note that Limited Run Games still have pre-orders open for a cool option River City Girls Zero goods. In addition to shirts, hats, and boxed copies of the game for PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, LRG is also taking orders for a special “Ultimate Edition,” which includes a copy of the game, a poster posters, a trolley keyring, a soundtrack CD, and Kyoko and Misako’s classic action figures in RCG Zero wake up. These items are still available to order through March 13.

River City Girls Zero Now available on Nintendo Switch. PlayStation, PC, and Xbox ports will launch in the spring. River City Girls 2 Currently in development for PlayStation, PC, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.

_{[These impressions are based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

Chris Moyse

Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated with honors from Galaxy High School. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse