Super Technos World: River City & Arcade Classics

I enjoyed the overall variety within Super Technos World: River City & Technos Arcade Classics a great deal but at the same time, some of the included games are clunkers and there really aren't that many of them to begin with. 🕹️

Super Technos World is a mixed bag of Technos obscurities, mostly propped up by the quality of The Combatribes, Shadow Force and Super Dodge Ball. The other games will depend on your mileage with their various quirks and associated jank, along with the fact two are them are fully in Japanese.

I believe that all games, regardless of their quality, should be preserved, and for that, Super Technos World deserves nothing but praise. However, the way this collection presents these games and worlds, and unfortunately the lack of an online presence, make me have certain issues with the quality of the package in general.

Super Technos World is a collection of 12 games from the arcade and SNES era of gaming. While the actual emulation and settings of the games elevate this as a collection, the choice of games feels lacking, along with inconsistent translations that turn this from a must-buy into a mixed bag.

Is Super Technos World: River City & Technos Arcade Classics worth the investment? I would say yes, but with caution. Despite the meager collection of games and its minimal preservation factor, it is still a collection of solid games and some of Kunio-kun's most entertaining secondary titles. It's not the best way to pay respect to Kunio-kun's legacy, but it is an intriguing selection to see a bit of Technos history.

I enjoyed this history trip down a classic game makers library. The package is very clean and easy to navigate. The inclusion of online play makes it one of the most convenient ways to play with others that can’t get to the arcade with you. While not all were hits, in my opinion this package includes plenty of great games to keep you busy on a nostalgia trip. One of my major gripes is the omission of ‘River City Ransom’ & ‘Double Dragon’.

Super Technos World: River City & Technos Arcade Classics is the victim of having an unbalanced game selection. There are the two standout titles of River City Renegade and Super Dodgeball which are fantastic, but I wouldn’t say those two alone are worth the asking price. The rest of the games are more curiosities rather than must-plays, though I am still excited to play more baseball. Sadly, Super Technos World: River City & Technos Arcade Classics is the weakest of the collections from Arc System Works for the Technos titles. There is fun to be had here, especially if you can grab someone locally or convince a friend to pick the game up to play online, but otherwise, it may be worth looking into some of the other re-releases that have come out over the last few years.

Super Technos World has a decent selection of games from a well-known studio, but it could have been better curated. You can find your favourites in the list and invite other players to play, but there are certainly more tempting retro compilations on the market.

I like my retro gaming to be bathed more in rosy nostalgia and details about what made a game great or a company significant, not drenched in cynicism. Super Technos World: River City & Technos Arcade Classics isn’t awful by any stretch, but it’s hard not to come to the conclusion that it is something of a cynical cash grab first and foremost. Do better, Arc System Works!

This collection of Technōs Japan’s iconic titles feels less like a simple re-release and more like an emotional restoration for those who remember the era. From the controls to the sound and the texture of the pixel art, the sensations of that time are preserved with remarkable fidelity. Compared to modern games, it can feel quite unforgiving—but in that very way, it brings us closer to the spirit of its original age. While there are some shortcomings in its overall presentation, the fact that these games are being reintroduced at all is a meaningful gesture in itself.