Bae City
| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Nintendo Switch | 9.50 |
| Overall | 9.50 |
|
I was sitting in my airplane gate trying to figure out what game I should purchase from the eShop to keep me busy during my 20 hour flight duration. It was then I remembered people recommending River City Girls. It was a game that supposedly had fantastic sprite work with equally fantastic gameplay. I was worried that the game would be too shallow being that it was a traditional beat-em-up, but decided to take the plunge anyway. The result was me playing the game almost non-stop during my flight to the point where I actually wished my near full day flight was longer so I had an excuse to spend more time with the title. Now, to address the elephant in the room, why on Earth am I recommending a beat-em-up so highly? It's a genre that dominated the arcades in the early '90s but has since been aped by the fighting game genre, as well as the DMC genre. Why bother asking Capcom for a new Captain Commando instead of a new Devil May Cry? These games are much more deeper mechanically and by design than a traditional beat-em-up. So surely this should make the genre obsolete. The answer is that while River City Girls may be a traditional beat-em-up, it isn't a "traditional" beat-em-up. The game isn't levels based but has an entire overworld map to travel. You have various stores where you can buy accessories to increase your stats. New moves to learn and purchase to have the game's combat almost feel like a fighting game. It's all meaty enough to satisfy one's taste for the modern era, but doesn't overdue it to the point where the game no longer feels "beat-em-upy". Both mechanics, design, and feel wise, the game is a pure beat-em-up. Presentation wise the game is fantastic. The entire game feels like some sort of colorful upbeat anime and it just works so well. The world feels so alive and lived in. The characters are very likable. And the writing actually makes me legit laugh. The music is catchy. And as with all Wayforward games, the sprite work is fantastic. It may not be the most detailed sprites they've made, but they still look great. The story is very simple. You and your best friend's boyfriends have been kidnapped and you have to save them. A literal gender flip of the genre's trope. It's simple but it works, especially since how the game often pokes fun at how ridiculous the story is. Despite the game being repetitive, it is rarely boring. There's always new areas to discover and the combat system is just very fun. There is something so satisfying trying to chain new moves together or just repeating your favorite mini-combos that is so engaging. It may not be as satisfying as say Bayonetta, but it gets the job done, especially when you are killing time. And being that the game is as long as many shelved single player games out there, it indeed gives you plenty of time. The title also obviously has a multiplayer component. Being that the game is so simple and charming, it makes the perfect title to whip out and share with friends. Almost anybody can play the game, however being that it is a Wayforward game, it can be a bit too challenging to more casual players, even in Normal Mode (the lowest difficulty). This makes the game one of the de facto go to titles in your library. Wayforward has continued to show why they are amongst the Kings of 2D game development. They have taken not only an old IP but an entire genre and have given it a much needed facelift, and has create done of the best games if not the best game in it's genre. |
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Posted by Punk Rebel Ecks Sat, 21 Dec 2019 08:56:16
Recently Spotted:
*crickets*
Glad to hear it was so good. Wayforward is generally one of those developers that I know is always going to produce something of quality. Been a very long time since they've had a miss. Anyway, I'll have to keep my eyes out for a sale.