Obligatory “Barf!”
Arc System Workshas announcedthat the 2016 3DS title,River City: Rival Showdown.is coming to PC, Switch, and PlayStation platforms.
River City: Rival Showdownwas the secondKunio-Kun/Downtown/Nekketsu/River Citytitle to be released on the 3DS, followingRiver City: Tokyo Rumblein 2013. Both were similar titles that take theKunio-Kun/Downtown/Nekketsu/River Citybeat-’em-up formula started in 1986’sNekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun/Renegadeand cemented in 1989’sDowntown Nekketsu Monogatari/River City Ransom. Chubby arms, pained expressions, and lots of smacking take center stage in these games.
The new port ofRiver City: Rival Showdownwill include all the features of the 3DS version but will also include a brand new prequel story calledCold-Blooded Hardcore Yamada-kun. Beyond that, there will also be spiffier graphics and some quality-of-life improvements.
I’d call myself a huge fan of theKunio-Kun/Downtown/Nekketsu/River Citygames, but I’ve had trouble getting myself into the more modern titles. I ownRiver City: Rival Showdownon 3DS. I just couldn’t tell you why I haven’t played more than a few minutes of it.
Oh, wait, yes, I can. It was a horrible time in my life. I wish I hadn’t remembered that.
In any case, I’ll hopefully be giving this one another chance. If you haven’t already, you should definitely check outDouble Dragon & Kunio-kun: Retro Brawler Bundle. It has all the Famicom games in theKunio-Kun/Downtown/Nekketsu/River Cityseries, but they’ve gone the extra mile and localized all the ones that were previously Japan-only. Seriously, an impressive effort.
River City: Rival Showdownwill be releasing on PC, Switch, and PlayStation on June 25, 2025.
