River City Saga: Journey to the West review: Kunio has cast himself in nearly every important role

The big picture

River City Saga: Journey to the West takes a famous Chinese adventure and solves the casting process by repeatedly hiring Kunio. Sun Wukong? Kunio. Zhu Bajie? Also Kunio. Sha Wujing and Tang Sanzang? The production has evidently discovered a bulk discount. It's a cheerful premise for sending River City's familiar faces into a mythological setting where a pilgrimage can quickly become another excuse for a brawl.

Arc System Works and UnitePlus released this single-player action roguelike on Windows through Steam on June 3, 2026, with the publisher's Japanese and European launch dated June 4. Switch and PS5 versions are also available. This is its own game, separate from the Three Kingdoms entries and River City's other spin-offs. The series has plenty of relatives, but this particular family gathering is heading toward Tianzhu and bringing three distinct fighting styles. Steam release and overview

Three approaches to resolving a disagreement

You begin with the speed-focused Sun Wukong. As the story progresses, the power-oriented Zhu Bajie and long-range Sha Wujing become available, giving the action three distinct starting personalities. That's a useful division because it changes the basic question of how you want to approach a fight before the temporary build choices get involved.

Speed, power and reach are understandable differences. They give you something concrete to compare rather than asking you to become excited about an obscure statistical adjustment. Do you want to favor quick offense, heavier impact or distance? The answer can help determine which version of Kunio you bring to the next problem. He may look familiar on every application form, but at least the qualifications vary.

Combining a preferred style with the skills acquired during a run is the central promise. A strong build is appealing because its parts support a way of playing, not merely because every number has become larger. The eighty-skill pool gives that process breadth on paper, though players should still approach it as a game about repeated action and experimentation rather than expect eighty entirely separate adventures.

The pilgrimage comes with return trips

A roguelike structure asks you to enjoy another attempt. That is an important part of the appeal and an equally important personal preference. If revisiting the action with a different combination of abilities sounds inviting, the design has a clear use for your curiosity. If repeating an unsuccessful stretch makes you immediately begin checking what else is installed, the mythological costumes won't necessarily change your mind.

The single-player focus deserves similar attention. River City's brawling history can make a prospective buyer assume this is another game for a sofa full of friends. This entry is built for solo play. Your companions in the story do not mean another person can pick up a controller and join the run. Check that detail before inviting anyone over and promising them a sacred journey with snacks.

On its own terms, that solo structure allows you to concentrate on the build and the style you want to use. Nobody else is rushing the decision or demanding that you pick the version of Kunio they think looks funniest. The responsibility for the latest ambitious combination rests entirely with you, which is both liberating and inconvenient when it goes poorly.

Familiar faces, suspiciously divine job titles

The series' recognizable characters give the journey a playful sense of continuity. Seeing them turn up as helpers and obstacles supplies a different pleasure from a completely unfamiliar cast. For longtime fans, the joke includes the casting. For newcomers, the broad idea of a scrappy ensemble loose inside a legendary adventure remains easy enough to understand.

The July Steam version 1.0.3 update added borderless-window support and addressed specific issues involving a healing spring, money drops and a Sorcery-gauge interaction. That's useful context for the current PC edition, particularly if you encounter older reports of those exact problems. Those particular repairs are worth knowing about; they aren't a reason to assume every version behaves identically. Developer's update details

Journey to the West makes the strongest case to players who want a solo brawler with run-to-run build decisions and a cast willing to be ridiculous. The three combat styles give the action a readable foundation, while the Secret Skills provide room to experiment. Choose it for that particular combination rather than for multiplayer expectations carried over from the series. Kunio is already doing enough jobs here. Catering, unfortunately, remains yours.