All three River City Girls games are getting a $40 physical bundle

WayForward and publisher Clear River Games have announced the River City Girls: Perfect Attendance Collection, a physical compilation for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 that packs all three games in the beat-'em-up series into a single retail box. Licensed by Arc System Works, the bundle is scheduled to launch in early 2027 for $39.99 (or €39.99).

Everything in the package comes on physical media without download codes: a single game card on Switch, or a single Blu-ray disc on PlayStation 5. According to the announcement, the box includes a printed instruction manual and new reversible cover art. Forty dollars for three brawlers, all their post-launch content, and an actual booklet in the case is a remarkably painless deal, especially compared to what aftermarket sellers currently ask for the individual Limited Run Games printings.

Three games and the Lee brothers on disc

The compilation brings together the 2019 original River City Girls, the 2022 localized retro release River City Girls Zero, and the 2022 sequel River City Girls 2. It also puts the sequel's Double Dragon DLC onto a physical disc or cartridge for the first time, adding martial artists Billy and Jimmy Lee to a playable roster that already includes Misako, Kyoko, Kunio, Riki, Marian, and Provie. While all three titles have been available digitally across PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch, this specific retail package is only heading to Sony and Nintendo's current hardware.

WayForward, the California studio founded by Voldi Way in 1990 and long known for the Shantae series, flipped the traditional Kunio-kun formula when the first game launched in September 2019. Instead of playing as high school delinquents Kunio and Riki, players took control of their hot-tempered girlfriends, Misako and Kyoko, punching their way across town to rescue the boys. Between its fluid 16-bit sprite work, two-player co-op, and a heavy synth-pop soundtrack by composer Megan McDuffee, it quickly became one of the studio's biggest hits.

River City Girls 2 arrived in December 2022 and expanded the scope with four-player co-op, elemental attacks, enemy recruiting, and over 40 shops scattered across a larger map. The sequel's layout can drag a bit during solo play compared to the tighter pacing of the 2019 original, though having the Lee brothers on the cartridge right out of the box makes a replay much more tempting.

From 1986 arcades to 1994 Super Famicom

The broader franchise dates back to 1986 when Technōs Japan released Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (adapted in the West as Renegade), followed by the open-ended 1989 NES brawler River City Ransom. After Technōs folded, fighting game studio Arc System Works acquired its intellectual property library in June 2015, opening the door for WayForward's spin-offs.

Misako and Kyoko didn't actually originate in 2019. Their chronological debut was in Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka, a 1994 Super Famicom brawler developed by Almanic that never saw an original Western release. WayForward finally localized that 16-bit installment in February 2022 as River City Girls Zero, framing the 1994 ROM with new motion-comic cutscenes, an animated opening, and an archival gallery of vintage box and manual scans.

Swedish publisher Clear River Games, an Embracer Group subsidiary formed in 2020 that previously handled retail runs for Gimmick! 2 and Snow Bros. Special, is managing the distribution. If you missed the earlier limited-print windows and don't feel like paying collector markups for three separate cases, early 2027 isn't a long wait.

Pick up River City Girls on Humble Bundle.

Pick up River City Girls 2 on Humble Bundle.

Pick up River City Girls Zero on Humble Bundle.

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