The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa explained

The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa
Designer:Yeo
Engine:GameMaker Studio[1]
Platforms:Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
Released:May 17, 2018 (Win)
October 17, 2018 (Mac)[2]
April 4, 2019 (Switch)[3]
April 14, 2021 (Xbox One)[4] [5]
Genre:Beat 'em up
Modes: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).[6] Another similar game by the same developer, Fading Afternoon, was released in 2023.[7] [8]

Plot

The game takes place in a small-town in Japan.[9] The player takes the role of a high school delinquent.

Gameplay

The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is a story driven beat 'em up using 16-bit-style pixel art.[9] 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.[9] The game's combat system draws influence from Konami's and Rockstar's Bully.[9]

Development

The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa was developed by one person from Moscow, Russia named Vadim Gilyazetdinov, better known by his handle Yeo.[10] [11] 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. The game started as a prototype developed for a local game jam in summer 2014.[12] The title is a reference to the 1973 film The Friends of Eddie Coyle.[13]

Release

The game was announced for PC release on April 18, 2018.[14] The Switch release was announced on October 10, 2018.[15]

Reception

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

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."

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln of Nintendo Life summarized: "[...] 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 [...] there's a really interesting story to be found."

Matt S. of Digitally Downloaded called the it "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.[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Showcase - The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa . . 20 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221026004819/https://gamemaker.io/en/showcase/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa . 2022-10-26 . live.
  2. Web site: Yeo . MacOS version is alive! . . . 19 February 2023 . 17 October 2018.
  3. Web site: Romano . Sal . The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa for Switch launches April 4 . Gematsu . 19 February 2023 . 28 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211108195532/https://www.gematsu.com/2019/03/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa-for-switch-launches-april-4 . 2021-11-08 . live.
  4. Web site: The friends of Ringo Ishikawa . . . 19 February 2023 . Release date 4/14/2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220728220557/https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa/9n8w09zdvzsb . 2022-07-28 . live.
  5. Web site: Romano . Sal . The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa now available for Xbox One . Gematsu . 20 February 2023 . 14 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210617201116/https://www.gematsu.com/2021/04/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa-now-available-for-xbox-one . 2021-06-17 . live.
  6. Web site: L. . Harvard . Review: Arrest of a Stone Buddha (Nintendo Switch) . Digitally Downloaded . 19 February 2023 . 26 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200528063309/https://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2020/05/review-arrest-of-stone-buddha-nintendo.html . 28 May 2020 . live.
  7. Web site: Romano . Sal . The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa developer Yeo announces Fading Afternoon for PC . Gematsu . 19 February 2023 . 6 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221222203048/https://www.gematsu.com/2021/07/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa-developer-yeo-announces-fading-afternoon-for-pc . 2022-12-22 . live.
  8. Web site: Yeo . FAQ . Fading Afternoon . 19 February 2023.
  9. Web site: Byford . Sam . The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is a free-form 2D brawler with a unique sense of melancholy . . . 20 February 2023 . 19 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221003125327/https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/19/18691106/the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa-review-interview-yeo . 2022-10-03 . live.
  10. Web site: 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】 . GameSpark . Japanese . 19 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220518132409/https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2018/05/19/80905.html . 2022-05-18 . live.
  11. Web site: Hosking . Jeremy . The Incredible Real-Life Story Behind The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa . . . 20 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190531160041/https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2019/05/30/the-incredible-real-life-story-behind-the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa . 30 May 2019 . 31 May 2019 . dead.
  12. Web site: @shin_yeo . Remembered that the starting prototype for Ringo was "Freedom of a Fool", which I made in summer 2014 for 1 week local game jam. . . . 28 June 2024 . https://archive.today/20240628114351/https://x.com/shin_yeo/status/1805727210055286926 . 28 June 2024 . 26 June 2024 . live.
  13. Web site: @shin_yeo . The title is homage to this (if you didn't know): [poster of The Friends of Eddie Coyle] ]. . . 28 June 2024 . https://archive.today/20240628114035/https://x.com/shin_yeo/status/1805912408071831840 . 28 June 2024 . 26 June 2024 . live.
  14. Web site: yeonoblues . The friends of Ringo Ishikawa . . . 20 February 2023 . 18 April 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221013034119/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh8AqnRmMoY . 2022-10-13 . live.
  15. Web site: Romano . Sal . Open-world beat 'em up The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa coming to Switch . Gematsu . 20 February 2023 . 10 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210410112611/https://www.gematsu.com/2018/10/open-world-beat-em-up-the-friends-of-ringo-ishikawa-coming-to-switch . 2021-04-10 . live.
  16. Web site: Banks . George . Best Beat 'Em Ups Of All Time . Time Extension . Hookshot Media . 20 February 2023 . 14 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230218151935/https://www.timeextension.com/guides/best-beat-em-ups-of-all-time . 2023-02-18 . live.

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