Software:The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa

From HandWiki
Short description: 2018 video game
The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa
The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa cover.jpg
Steam header
Designer(s)Yeo
EngineGameMaker Studio[1][2]
Platform(s)Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
ReleaseMay 17, 2018 (Win)[3]
October 17, 2018 (Mac)[4]
April 4, 2019 (Switch)[5]
April 14, 2021 (Xbox One)[6][7]
Genre(s)Beat 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player

The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is a beat 'em up developed by Yeo for Windows on May 17, 2018. Port for macOS, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One were released later. The game forms a series called Existential Dilogy with the follow-up game Arrest of a Stone Buddha (2020).[8] Another similar game by the same developer, Fading Afternoon, is to be released in 2023.[9][10]

Plot

The game takes place in a small-town in Japan.[11] The player takes the role of a high school delinquent.[3]

Gameplay

The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is a story driven beat 'em up using 16-bit-style pixel art.[11] The game has a freeform structure where the player can decide what to do between story sequences. These include going to school and studying, reading at the library, working out at the gym, or beating rival gang members for cash.[11] The game's combat system draws influence from Konami's Kensei and Rockstar's Bully.[11]

Development

The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa was developed by one person from Moscow, Russia named Vadim Gilyazetdinov, better known by his handle Yeo.[12][2] All backgrounds in the game were made by Artem "Wedmak2" Belov and animations were made by Yeo's father who learned pixel art in his 60s especially for this occasion.

Release

The game was announced for PC release on April 18, 2018.[13] The Switch release was announced on October 10, 2018.[14]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic64/100[15]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid5/10[3]
IGN7.5/10[16]
Nintendo Life6/10[17]
Digitally Downloaded4.5/5[18]

The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[15]

Kohei Fujita of IGN Japan said that "The game's systems aren't well explained, which will catch many gamers off-guard at first, but its climax has a lasting impact that is worth experiencing."[16]

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln of Nintendo Life summarized: "Screenshots really don't do The friends of Ringo Ishikawa justice. What looks like a traditional side-scrolling brawler is actually something far more intricate. It's more of a teenage simulator than anything, and with some really well-written dialogue (filled with the kind of malaise and sense of directionless rebellion we all experienced in our formative years) there's a really interesting story to be found. Its everyday activities will remind you more of Bully or Shenmue than Street Gangs/River City Ransom, just don't expect to have your hand held as you head out into the world to discover them."

Matt S. of Digitally Downloaded summarized: "The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is one of the best examples of subversion within the brawler genre since the mighty Lollipop Chainsaw. Given that the genre is best known for being loud and boisterous, as well as straightforward, linear and providing players with explicit direction (going as far as to have flashing arrows to show players where to move next), the fact that Ringo Ishikawa is subtle, reflective, and directionless, makes it a brilliant bit of subversion. It also means it's the most surprisingly thoughtful game I have played in quite some time."

Time Extension included the game on their top 25 "Best Beat 'Em Ups of All Time" list.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Showcase - The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa". https://gamemaker.io/en/showcase/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hosking, Jeremy (30 May 2019). "The Incredible Real-Life Story Behind The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa". G/O Media. https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2019/05/30/the-incredible-real-life-story-behind-the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Glagowski, Peter (13 July 2019). "Review: The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa". Gamurs Group. https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa/. 
  4. ↑ Yeo (17 October 2018). "MacOS version is alive!". Valve Corporation. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/846110/view/4041374038291269717. 
  5. ↑ Romano, Sal (28 March 2019). "The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa for Switch launches April 4". https://www.gematsu.com/2019/03/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa-for-switch-launches-april-4. 
  6. ↑ "The friends of Ringo Ishikawa". Microsoft. https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa/9N8W09ZDVZSB. "Release date 4/14/2021" 
  7. ↑ Romano, Sal (14 April 2021). "The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa now available for Xbox One". https://www.gematsu.com/2021/04/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa-now-available-for-xbox-one. 
  8. ↑ L., Harvard (26 May 2020). "Review: Arrest of a Stone Buddha (Nintendo Switch)". Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200528063309/https://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2020/05/review-arrest-of-stone-buddha-nintendo.html. 
  9. ↑ Romano, Sal (6 July 2021). "The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa developer Yeo announces Fading Afternoon for PC". https://www.gematsu.com/2021/07/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa-developer-yeo-announces-fading-afternoon-for-pc. 
  10. ↑ Yeo. "FAQ". http://fading-afternoon.by-yeo.ru/faq/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Byford, Sam (19 June 2019). "The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is a free-form 2D brawler with a unique sense of melancholy". Vox Media. https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/19/18691106/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa-review-interview-yeo. 
  12. ↑ "高校生不良ACT『The friends of Ringo Ishikawa』「キャラを描く人が見つからなかった時、名乗り出たのは58歳の父でした」【注目インディーミニ問答】" (in Japanese). 19 May 2018. https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2018/05/19/80905.html. 
  13. ↑ yeonoblues (18 April 2018). "The friends of Ringo Ishikawa". Google. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh8AqnRmMoY. 
  14. ↑ Romano, Sal (10 October 2018). "Open-world beat 'em up The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa coming to Switch". https://www.gematsu.com/2018/10/open-world-beat-em-up-the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa-coming-to-switch. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "The friends of Ringo Ishikawa for Switch Reviews". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 藤田, 幸平 (18 April 2019). "The friends of Ringo Ishikawa - レビュー" (in Japanese). Ziff Davis. https://jp.ign.com/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa/34948/review/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa. 
  17. ↑ Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (22 April 2019). "The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa Review (Switch eShop)". Hookshot Media. https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/friends_of_ringo_ishikawa. 
  18. ↑ S., Matt (11 April 2019). "Review: The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa (Nintendo Switch)". Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190412172206/http://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2019/04/review-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa.html. 
  19. ↑ Banks, George (14 February 2023). "Best Beat 'Em Ups Of All Time". Hookshot Media. https://www.timeextension.com/guides/best-beat-em-ups-of-all-time. 

External links



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