First Impressions – River City: Rival Showdown at E3 2017

Natsume is in the mood to celebrate! River City’s 30th (yes thirtieth) anniversary will be met with another brand new addition to “beat-’em’-up” RPG genre: River City: Rival Showdown.

 

 

After admitting to being a bit unfamiliar with the River City series – a helpful member of the Natsume team jumped in to give me some story on Rival Showdown. Kunio, a born thug bent on restoring peace, is suddenly attacked by two mysterious individuals. On top of that, Riki’s girlfriend has disappeared, and it’s up to Kunio to find out the truth! Kunio has just 3 days to unravel the mystery, and he’ll need help to take down all who stand in his way.

 

 

The style of this game very much emulates the feel of LCD titles from early digital gaming – detailed backgrounds, dotted with playable foreground characters . The game takes place in a futuristic metropolis – my demo started mid-story, moments away from battle. I was pleasantly surprised by the satisfaction gained from defeating pixelated enemies. The screen shook with every heavy blow, and triumphant game music shut out the busy E3 floor for my short demo. Barrels, bins, and a surprising amount of other stray objects are at your disposal during skirmishes. Each attack ups your experience, and coins being dropped along with way give some purchasing power down the line.

 

 

Having played coin-op brawler games as a kid, I’m excited at the idea of having River City: Rival Showdown in my pocket. New features like tense Day/Night cycles, multiple difficulties, and multiple storylines will come along with bonus special moves, and a bundled classic title, “Double Dragons”. With 2-player local co-op as a feature, this will definitely be something I goad friends into buying along with me.

 

River City: Rival Showdown is coming to the US this fall. Be sure to check out our footage on the game before picking it up for Nintendo 3DS!