River City: Tokyo Rumble 3DS

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.