<s>
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2019	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
WayForward	O
,	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Arc	O
System	O
Works	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
spin-off	O
in	O
the	O
Kunio-kun	O
franchise	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
stars	O
Misako	O
and	O
Kyoko	O
(	O
originally	O
appearing	O
in	O
Nekketsu	B-Application
High	I-Application
School	I-Application
Dodgeball	I-Application
Club	I-Application
:	I-Application
Soccer	I-Application
and	O
Kunio-tachi	B-Application
no	I-Application
Banka	I-Application
respectively	O
)	O
who	O
fight	O
their	O
way	O
through	O
enemies	O
and	O
obstacles	O
to	O
rescue	O
their	O
kidnapped	O
boyfriends	O
,	O
series	O
protagonists	O
Kunio	O
and	O
Riki	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
in	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
Amazon	B-Operating_System
Luna	I-Operating_System
in	O
October	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
18	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shin	B-Application
Nekketsu	I-Application
Kōha	I-Application
:	I-Application
Kunio-tachi	I-Application
no	I-Application
Banka	I-Application
(	O
1994	O
)	O
,	O
where	O
Misako	O
and	O
Kyoko	O
previously	O
appeared	O
,	O
was	O
localized	O
by	O
WayForward	O
as	O
a	O
prequel	O
,	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
Zero	I-Application
,	O
being	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
on	O
February	O
14	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
titled	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
WayForward	O
and	O
Arc	O
System	O
Works	O
that	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
on	O
December	O
1	O
,	O
2022	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
Asia	O
and	O
on	O
December	O
15	O
,	O
2022	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
is	O
a	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
brawler	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
progresses	O
through	O
six	O
areas	O
in	O
a	O
linear	O
manner	O
similar	O
to	O
Shodai	O
Nekketsu	O
Kōha	O
Kunio-kun	O
and	O
Shin	B-Application
Nekketsu	I-Application
Kōha	I-Application
:	I-Application
Kunio-tachi	I-Application
no	I-Application
Banka	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Ransom	I-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
free	O
to	O
return	O
to	O
previous	O
areas	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
must	O
complete	O
certain	O
battles	O
and	O
objectives	O
to	O
go	O
to	O
the	O
new	O
locations	O
in	O
their	O
current	O
area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Defeated	O
enemies	O
drop	O
money	O
for	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
collect	O
,	O
just	O
as	O
in	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Ransom	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Characters	O
also	O
gain	O
experience	O
points	O
and	O
level-ups	O
from	O
defeating	O
enemies	O
,	O
as	O
in	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Ransom	I-Application
:	O
Underground	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
collaboration	O
between	O
Arc	O
System	O
Works	O
and	O
WayForward	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
second	O
time	O
that	O
WayForward	O
works	O
on	O
an	O
intellectual	O
property	O
that	O
previously	O
belonged	O
to	O
Technōs	O
Japan	O
Corp	O
,	O
having	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Double	B-Application
Dragon	I-Application
Neon	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
was	O
directed	O
by	O
Adam	O
Tierney	O
and	O
Bannon	O
Rudis	O
,	O
the	O
latter	O
of	O
whom	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Ransom	I-Application
:	O
Underground	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
goal	O
was	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Ransom	I-Application
game	O
in	O
the	O
style	O
of	O
Shantae	B-Device
(	O
WayForward	O
's	O
flagship	O
series	O
)	O
,	O
more	O
expressive	O
and	O
larger	O
in	O
presentation	O
than	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Kunio-kun	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
assistant	O
director	O
,	O
Rudis	O
tried	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
fighting	O
mechanics	O
as	O
close	O
to	O
an	O
Arc	O
System	O
Works	O
fighting	O
game	O
as	O
possible	O
while	O
minimizing	O
the	O
play	O
controls	O
and	O
inputs	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
have	O
more	O
in	O
common	O
with	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
games	O
or	O
Dragon	B-Application
Ball	I-Application
FighterZ	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
director	O
at	O
WayForward	O
introduced	O
Tierney	O
to	O
Shin	B-Application
Nekketsu	I-Application
Kōha	I-Application
:	I-Application
Kunio-tachi	I-Application
no	I-Application
Banka	I-Application
,	O
during	O
development	O
and	O
he	O
instantly	O
loved	O
both	O
Kyōko	O
and	O
Misako	O
,	O
the	O
two	O
playable	O
female	O
characters	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
is	O
billed	O
as	O
a	O
canonical	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Kunio-kun	O
franchise	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
does	O
not	O
follow	O
the	O
continuity	O
started	O
with	O
Nekketsu	O
Kōha	O
Kunio-kun	O
Special	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
also	O
ignores	O
and	O
contradicts	O
old	O
continuity	O
from	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Composer	O
"	O
Chipzel	O
"	O
did	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
boss	O
battle	O
music	O
and	O
arranged	O
the	O
boss	O
theme	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Ransom	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
McDuffee	O
also	O
arranged	O
music	O
from	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Ransom	I-Application
and	O
Kunio-tachi	B-Application
no	I-Application
Banka	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
generally	O
over	O
digital	O
distribution	O
channels	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
eShop	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
(	O
PSN	B-Device
)	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
Games	O
Store	O
,	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
and	O
GOG.com	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Limited	O
Run	O
Games	O
released	O
physical	O
editions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
also	O
includes	O
a	O
Collector	O
's	O
Edition	O
that	O
included	O
several	O
add-ons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
Amazon	O
's	O
Luna	B-Operating_System
streaming	O
service	O
on	O
October	O
20	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
January	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
version	O
owner	O
gets	O
the	O
PS5	B-Device
version	O
for	O
free	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
for	O
digital	O
version	O
upgrade	O
,	O
and	O
owner	O
of	O
disc	O
version	O
requires	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
disc	O
to	O
be	O
inserted	O
to	O
play	O
,	O
which	O
excludes	O
disc-free	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Production	O
of	O
the	O
sequel	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
on	O
June	O
14	O
,	O
2021	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
1	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
Kunio-tachi	B-Application
no	I-Application
Banka	I-Application
was	O
localized	O
in	O
2022	O
as	O
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
Zero	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
River	B-Application
City	I-Application
Girls	I-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
and	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
79	O
according	O
to	O
review	O
aggregator	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
16	O
reviews	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
version	O
and	O
12	O
reviews	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
ambivalent	O
reviewers	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
action	O
was	O
ultimately	O
a	O
tad	O
repetitive	O
;	O
others	O
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
the	O
RPG	O
elements	O
such	O
as	O
equipping	O
accessories	O
were	O
often	O
so	O
minor	O
as	O
to	O
be	O
ignorable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2023	O
,	O
Time	O
Extension	O
included	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
their	O
top	O
25	O
"	O
Best	O
Beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
Em	I-Application
Ups	I-Application
of	O
All	O
Time	O
"	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
