Arc System Works was at TGS 2024 and brought some of their big upcoming titles to the show. I was immediately drawn to River City Saga: Three Kingdoms Next. Having played the first entry into this side series when it came out in Japan in late 2021, I was happy to see it available on the show floor. I had a chance to try it out on the Nintendo Switch and wasn’t disappointed. Let’s get into it.
Booth & Demo
Tucked away in Hall 8 of the Makuhari Messe convention center, Arc System Works had a nice little booth showcasing some of their latest titles. River City Saga featured three demo units all running on the Nintendo Switch. Right next to the demo units themselves was a wall with the key art from the game.
Gameplay
The demo gave players a look at a small town where there were a lot of shops and people to talk to. The start of the demo had quite a bit of text to set up the scene, but when time is at a premium at events like this (the allotted time for the demo was ten minutes), it’s always best to just breeze through that kind of thing to get to the action. Outside of the town, there were a few areas that featured some enemies that you could fight, and that’s where I spent most of my time with the demo. The final version of the game will feature a continuation of the story from the first title, a retelling of the classic Chinese story of The Three Kingdoms. For more on the first game, be sure to check out our review of the Japanese version here.
Three Kingdoms Next is easy to pick up and play, especially if you’re familiar with the previous entry in the series or beat ‘em ups in general. You can punch, kick and throw enemies. Players are also given “Tactics” which serve as special moves. These unleash powerful attacks that can take out multiple enemies and cause some serious damage. New to Next, Kunio’s motorcycle, Red Hare, will be there to make traversal faster and can be used to beat up enemies. I didn’t come across this in the demo, but it looks like a fun addition.
My only issue with the first title was the inclusion of occasional platforming elements, which I found to be a bit finicky. That wasn’t on offer at all in this demo, so i can’t comment on that. What I did play on the TGS 2024 show floor left me impressed.
Visuals & Performance
Three Kingdoms Next sports a clean look with chunky, high resolution sprites on top of 3D environments. Cutscenes feature clean 2D art depicting the Kunio-kun characters blown up on the screen. It’s really a great mix of both old and new in terms of visuals. Not only that, but the game runs smoothly on the Switch.
Conclusion
If you like Kunio-kun/River City Ransom style games, you’ll feel right at home with Three Kingdoms Next. Better yet, if you enjoyed the first entry into this side series, this is a direct sequel that will give you more of what was on offer before. The gameplay is fluid, the visuals are sharp and the game runs smoothly on the Switch. River City Saga: Three Kingdoms Nexts hits the Switch, PlayStation 4 and Steam on November 7, 2024.
But, let’s turn things over to you. Are you a fan of River City Ransom/Kunio-kun? Did you pick up the first title in this side series? Do you plan on picking this one up? Sound off in the comments down below. We’d love to hear from you.
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