River City: Rival Showdown Review (Shiggus Diggus)
Edit/Complete rewrite: As of patch 1.0.1 you no longer need to set your monitors refresh rate (or set the FPS manually.) as now they have locked the game to 60!
Now that the main issue is resolved for this game, I have to say this is easily my favorite game of all time. I have been a long time fan of the series, playing/importing their initial Japanese release of this game (called Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari SP.) back in 2015 and thinking it was the absolute peak of the franchise without understanding a word of it. I personally feel that a game that can express it's overall entertainment without the consumer not understanding the native language is something absolutely special. The gameplay, the music, the Quality of Life Improvements, the new ultra moves, new sprites, the overall refreshing retelling of the classic 1989 original. I can honestly say, no other side scrolling RPG beat em up doesn't come close to the quality presented in this game, (except maybe Dragon's Crown). With it's offerings of 5 different endings this game is tailor made for replayability! Even if you don't get the ending you want you can always carry over all your progress you've made (Level, Gears, Items.) play the game the way YOU want to! This is a game that challenges you to climb it's difficulty settings for those that do seek that thrill in going against the grain and coming out on top with fantastic rewards for doing so!
TL:DR here are the pros and improvements from the original 3DS release:
Sprinting is instantaneous, no more waiting for Kunio to sprint at full speed.
60FPS over the original 30FPS on the 3DS
No bilinear filtering (the disgusting effect of smearing crispy sprites to make them look smoother.)
Special Moves that have unlockable tiers are much faster to unlock (IE Stone Hands to Stone Hands Mk.II)
Added New Riki storyline that is integrated into the main story. (IE Blue speech bubbles are events to play as Riki).
Toggleable Enemy Health Bars.
Better explanations of how to use special moves.
Local Co-op! have a blast with friends on the same couch!
For those that can't get enough of the side scrolling RPG beat em ups this is easily one of the best the genre has to offer, after all the original series is what innovated and molded the genre to what it is today!