Kunio is trading the streets of River City for the road to India. River City Saga: Journey to the West launches worldwide on June 4, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, priced at $19.99, and it sends the long-running beat-'em-up series tumbling headfirst into the classic Chinese epic.
Published by Arc System Works and developed by UnitePlus, the spin-off reimagines the four pilgrims of Journey to the West as — who else? — Kunio. The hot-blooded delinquent plays all four leads, stepping into the roles of the Monkey King Sun Wukong, the gluttonous Zhu Bajie, the steady Sha Wujing and the monk Tang Sanzang, with familiar River City faces popping up as allies and bosses along the way.
A roguelike twist on the classic brawl
Where most River City games are straightforward side-scrolling brawlers, Journey to the West folds in roguelike structure. As you punch your way toward Tianzhu, gods appear at random to offer Secret Skills — 80 in total — that stack and combine to reshape each run with new powers and stat boosts. No two attempts through the pilgrimage play out quite the same.
Three heroes, three fighting styles
Each of the playable pilgrims brings a distinct flavour of combat. Sun Wukong is built around speed and relentless pressure, Zhu Bajie leans on raw power and heavy hits, and Sha Wujing keeps enemies at bay with long-range attacks. Swapping between them — and chaining the right Secret Skills onto each — is the heart of the game's comedic, chaotic action.
It is the kind of cheeky, affectionate mash-up the Kunio-kun franchise has always done well, and at a budget-friendly price it slots neatly into a busy early-June release window. Expect plenty of slapstick, plenty of fists, and a surprising amount of replay value from those randomised skill runs.
River City Saga: Journey to the West launches June 4, 2026 on PS5, Nintendo Switch and Steam for $19.99.
