Last
week I dusted off my 2ds and picked up a copy of "River City: Tokyo
Rumble". The game was released stateside by Natsume on September 27,
having been available in Japan since 2013. It can be purchased physically as
well as through the Nintendo eshop, however the physical version is
only available through Amazon and select independents. Natsume severely
underestimated demand for the game, as it sold out on Amazon in less
than a day and is currently awaiting a restock.
"River City:
Tokyo Rumble" is part of the Kunio-kun series, which is currently
celebrating it's 30th year in Japan. While numerous games in the series
have been localized for the American market, most of them feature
westernized characters and plot lines that differ drastically from their
Japanese counterparts. In localizing "River City: Tokyo Rumble",
Natsume sought to retain the Japanese flavor of the original game,
without alienating players that grew up with "River City Ransom;" to this end the
dialogue is snappy and keeps the plot engaging.
Like earlier
games in the series, the bulk of "River City: Tokyo Rumble's" gameplay
is standard beat 'em up fare, with a smattering of RPG elements.
Dispatching bad guys alongside your AI-controlled sidekick is simple,
fast-paced and addicting, though it's a bit disappointing that there's
no campaign co-op. "River
City: Tokyo Rumble" has an open world, so you'll find that the
low-level baddies you encounter early on become easier to KO
as you progress through the story and level-up your characters. In
addition to providing exp, KO'd enemies drop money which can be used to
buy items that will replenish your health, increase your stats, or
unlock new combat moves; you can also earn money and unlock special
items by completing side missions.
The
shoulder buttons can be used to toggle between a few different camera
configurations during gameplay, though I found the default setting to be
preferable. The
game is great in short bursts and you can save your progress at almost
any time. Although the story mode is a bit on the short side, the game
also includes "rumble" and "dodge ball" modes, which can be played with
up to 4 people using single-cart download play.
The
graphics are a winning-combination of new 3d backgrounds and original
Famicon/NES-era character sprites. The soundtrack is upbeat and
appropriately retro, though you might find yourself muting it after a
couple hours of playtime.
Outside
of ports/emulations, side scrolling beat 'em ups are a bit of a rarity
these days; although "River City: Tokyo Rumble" is decidedly a throwback
title, it's a whole lot of fun and, ironically, stands out as unique
among the 3ds's recent crop of titles--fans of like-minded titles from the 8 and 16-bit eras shouldn't hesitate to pick this one up. Hopefully Natsume will note the
enthusiastic response the game received and localize more Kunio-kun
games for the 3ds.
