YMMV / River City Girls Zero

• Awesome Art: The explanation trailer for the re-release and the limited run retail preview showcases updated promotional art and bits of the opening trailer (which in itself looks great), which deliberately evokes a 90's anime aesthetic and sticks to the original's tone, to the point of the final art recreating the original game's cover art. You can tell Wayforward wants to give this old classic the respect it deserves.
• Awesome Music: The game gets praise for its soundtrack from those who play it. It goes well for whatever situation the heroes are dealing with.
  • The re-release by Wayforward includes a couple pieces of new music from River City Girls composer Megan McDuffee, most notably "Get Ready For The River City Girls", the tune that accompanies the new 90's anime-inspired opening and also plays over the menus. It's an energetic, boisterous Expository Theme Tune that evokes those 90's anime vibes while also having lyrics akin the vocal songs of River City Girls to emphasize the new-found connections between both games.
• Broken Base: The fact that an official Fan Translation existed well before the official localization(s) caused this. Which is better? The 2002 Aeon Genesis version, the Lighter and Softer River City Girls-esque localization, or the other translation that puts it in line with the original? Many prefer the former due to nostalgia because it was their first exposure to the game well before the series was even known, while some prefer the latter due to the humor. There are also some who don't particularly care for this games' localized connection to River City Girls, preferring to view this game as its own original beast in the Kunio-Kun series, and view the 2022 localization unfavorably for removing all of the context from the original game^note Originally, this was a Darker and Edgier adventure in the Kunio-Kun series, now its treated as an in-universe game re-telling of Misako's and Kyoko's previous adventure, when they weren't even the stars of this title (unless the "Original" text language is selected).
• Hilarious in Hindsight: The game itself can be a bit weird after River City Girls show Misako and Kyouko to be Kunio and Riki's Psycho Ex-Girlfriends in the original ending. The updated secret ending meanwhile keeps them dating, albeit still not very good rescuers.
• Moral Event Horizon: Sabu shoots Misako, Kyouko, and Ken without a second thought during the course of the game.
• Nintendo Hard: Don't expect this game to be a cakewalk. Compared to River City Ransom or the original Renegade, this game is more in line with the Double Dragon series in terms of gameplay. There are no healing items or weapons, enemies can gang up on you if you're not careful and if any of the playable characters die, it's an instant Game Over. Knowing how to use the special moves is key if you want to make it far.
• Nightmare Fuel: While the scream you hear whenever someone falls into a void can be considered narm, the concept of anybody (especially Kunio and Riki) falling into said void with no way back up along with the afforementioned scream could be disconcerting. Also, some players are uncomfortable with Misuzu's masculine death cry.
• Tainted by the Preview: The official localization of the game by Wayforward being rebranded as a prequel to River City Girls made Western Kunio-kun fans concerned about how much it would be changed to appeal to "Global" (that is, USA) audiences and to match a spin-off game it predates by decades. Thankfully, Wayforward confirmed they were focusing on a faithful localization, to the point where they created two versions of the script — one closer to the tone of River City Girls (without shying away too much from the game's more serious elements), the other completely faithful to the original game. Later trailers show updated art and opening animation that deliberately leans heavily into a more retro '90s anime aesthetic with a significantly more serious tone than its framing device.
• Tear Jerker: In his death throes, despite Ken revealing that he isn't actually Kunio's brother, Ken tells Kunio he's always wanted to call him that at least once.
  • Also, Sabu shooting Misako and Kyouko. Kunio and Riki were genuinely horrified at what happened, almost to the point of tears. This showed that they truly cared for one another. One of the rare, but genuine, moments of sadness indeed in the series.
• That One Boss: Misuzu is quite known for this because she strikes the player(s) with fast attacks that cause some big damage and the knockback on her charge is huge.
• Values Dissonance: There's reason why the Tear Jerker above works so well here: Since guns aren't allowed in Japan for civilians, Sabu using a gun symbolizes he's stepping from being an honorable Yakuza to being a deranged, honorless bastard who doesn't care what methods he uses to win as long he can get rid of his enemies, in this case Misako, Kyoko and Ken.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: As the boss fight in Hanazono High rages on, The building starts to collapse down to ground zero. The scrolling in the background and the floors going diagonal drives the point home.