History VideoGame / TheFriendsOfRingoIshikawa

* LawyerFriendlyCameo: A classmate will frequently talk to you about classic 80's games and movies like ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda Zalda]]'' and ''[[Manga/{{Akira}} Akeera]]''.

* PeriodPiece: A love song to the JapaneseDelinquents genre of the late 80s and early 90s. Notably, there are no cellphones, Bruce Lee films are in vogue, and you can play videogames on a [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom]] {{Expy}}.

* DelinquentHair: Ringo and his crew all have variations. Ringo has a pseudo-pompadour, Ken has a ponytail fade, Goro has a buzzcut, and Masaru has long, MessyHair. Only Shiro has a fairly average haircut.

The game is very reminiscent of classic 2D [[BeatEmUp Beat 'em Up's]] like ''VideoGame/RiverCityRansom'' and ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'', but it offers more simulation and RPGElements akin to ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}''. Despite having a prominent narrative, the game being open world allows the player to explore and do as they please in the small town. You can go to school, play video games, train at the local gym, or enjoy a cigarette and just do...nothing.

** Every book in the bookstore is a reference to real world novels: [[Literature/AnnaKarenina Anna]], [[Literature/TheBrothersKaramazov Brother]], [[Literature/ConfessionsOfAMask Mask]], [[Literature/Oblomov Sybarite]], [[Literature/RumbleFish Fish]], [[Literature/EastOfEden Edem]], [[Literature/Ulysses Odysseus]]. Ringo also begins the game with a partially read copy of "Ohio", a reference to Sherwood Anderson's book ''Winesburg, Ohio''.

** WideOpenSandbox: The game—and the developer—explicitly refuses to explain anything beyond its core mechanics to the player. According to the developer, some players even had trouble figuring out how to block. The result is that the player is indeed given explicit freedom to do whatever they want with the time alloted for any playthrough. However, the effect is to reinforce the melancholic theme of the game, as the player—and Ringo himself—find that having so many choices makes choosing any of them seem less meaningful.

** ComingOfAgeStory: At first, it seems that the game is going to play this trope straight, but then the limitations of the nature of JapaneseDelinquents become apparent. The game is instead about how progressing from adolescene to adulthood is not related to moving beyond high school.

* PeriodPiece: A lovesong to the JapaneseDelinquents genre of the late 80s and early 90s. Notably, there are no cellphones, Bruce Lee films are in vogue, and you can play videogames on a [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom]] {{Expy}}.

* ShoutOut: One of the delinquents you can meet has a red headband and a white gakuran uniform.

''The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa'' is a 2018 [[WideOpenSandbox Open World]] BeatEmUp IndieGame created by Indie developer yeo. The game focuses on the lives of a gang of [[JapaneseDelinquents delinquents]] in their last year of high school circa 1980s Japan. You play as the gang's leader and titular character, Ringo Ishikawa who's at a crossroads in his life as he tries to figure out what he wants for his future. Though, as the name would suggest, the story is far more focused on the lives of Ringo's friends.

The game's official site is [[http://ringo.by-yeo.ru/ here]].

** ComingOfAgeStory: At first, it seems that the game is going to play this trope straight, but RealityEnsues when the limitations of the nature of JapaneseDelinquents become apparent. The game is instead about how progressing from adolescene to adulthood is not related to moving beyond high school.

The game is very reminiscent of classic 2D [[BeatEmUp Beat 'em Up's]] like ''VideoGame/RiverCityRansom'' and ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'', but it offers more simulation and RPGElements akin to ''[[Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona Persona]]'' and ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}''. Despite having a prominent narrative, the game being open world allows the player to explore and do as they please in the small town. You can go to school, play video games, train at the local gym, or enjoy a cigarette and just do...nothing.

!!This series provides examples of:

** The game's title is a reference to [[Literature/TheFriendsOfEddieCoyle ''The Friends Of Eddie Coyle'']]

** The game's title is a reference to ''[[Literature/TheFriendsOfEddieCoyle]]''