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If you were told that River City Girls, WayForward's 2019 beat-em-up, began as a hypothetical mash-up of their flagship Shantae series and the expansive Kunio-kun series (typically localized as "River City"), you'd be forgiven for thinking it was an example of that kind of "x meets y" type of headline. It's not common that these types of easy soundbites are actually representative of the genesis for a game's development, but with River City Girls, we have a rare example of that very case.

The Kunio-kun series has had a steady amount of titles basically since inception, but a large majority of them would probably be below niche; as you might expect from the name, it's not a series that's had a tremendous amount of success in the west. As its developer has a cult following of its own, River City Girls was certain to instantly become the most popular title in the overall franchise, but perhaps more surprising was the quality foundation of a solid beat-em-up that it provided.

WayForward games generally live and die on their presentation, and River City Girls sure is living. If there was one word used to describe its visuals, that would be "vibrant"; it blends old-school pixel art with modern animation and an expressive color palette. It's a joy to look at, and it ends up feeling like the logical conclusion of 2D video games if they never moved into the 3D space. It certainly has a lot of personality, and while some of it (particularly its writing) may be a bit dated for some players, it generally entertains enough and even offers some moments of genuine humor—the fully voiced dialogue helps a lot here, too. Its manga-inspired cutscenes and art that appear between gameplay are just as good, and for deep fans of the Kunio-kun series, there are a lot of Easter eggs or character references to enjoy.

Its soundtrack, though, is probably one of the genre's best—Megan McDuffee's OST is composed of, for lack of a better phrase, banger after banger. It is perfectly evocative of the addicting chiptune themes you'd end up humming in the arcade, adapted with modern music production methods and a more expansive musical roster. If for nothing else, River City Girls is a crowning example of "I bought this cool soundtrack, and I got a free game with it." It really is that good, and it perfectly matches the energy with every screen transition.

That's not to say there's no quality to the actual gameplay, either; River City Girls is pretty faithful to its back-of-the-box quote, where it calls itself "an old-school rumble for a new generation." Its combat is simple but effective and has all the expectations of a classic sidescrolling beat-em-up title with modern flair. Combos and moves are pretty basic but still allow for some unique applications and variety in combat approach. It wouldn't exactly be true to say different enemies require different playstyles, but your enemies have a tendency to keep you on your toes, especially in the early game.

The game really shines as a couch co-op option—the brawler is one of those genres that feels perfectly suited to two players, and RCG delivers on that expectation admirably. It's never particularly groundbreaking, but the combat is smooth, fundamentally well-balanced, and just generally a good time. Its introduction of RPG-like mechanics means there might be a bit of grinding for some food or specialty item, but the game never overstays its welcome and never feels poorly paced.

The bosses are an area where perhaps RCG feels a bit more form over function, as many are interesting and unique applications of new mechanics but lack polish or execution. They don't really have the capacity to challenge, and as a result, will probably struggle to become memorable. That's probably because of how the game balances money—used to buy health-restoring food or items. In short, you go from having too little of it at the offset to having way too much by the end—to the point where you can easily out-heal any challenge you could possibly face. The transition to one (or two) girl wrecking crew is too soon and too swift, and there aren't going to be many moments where you feel like you defeated a truly worthy foe. It should also be mentioned that, though the story of the game is mostly just fodder, both its endings are...not good.

River City Girls would probably be a suitable entry into the beat-em-up genre for new fans, and while that might mean that more hardcore fans of the genre will feel turned off by it, the game is stylish enough and smooth enough to stand on its own two feet. WayForward acknowledged in development they were trying to minimize inputs you might find in a more technical title. But that's okay; all that means is that the game can nail the fundamentals and exceed where it needs to; with its pastel city streets, its smooth-as-butter graphics, and its fantastic soundtrack, River City Girls provides a one-two punch of solid beat-em-up action that is bursting with personality.

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