diff --git a/gfx/drivers_shader/glslang_util.cpp b/gfx/drivers_shader/glslang_util.cpp
index d00f6d3002..12923f2c98 100644
--- a/gfx/drivers_shader/glslang_util.cpp
+++ b/gfx/drivers_shader/glslang_util.cpp
@@ -19,10 +19,11 @@
 #include <sstream>
 #include <algorithm>
 
+#include <retro_miscellaneous.h>
 #include <file/file_path.h>
 #include <streams/file_stream.h>
 #include <lists/string_list.h>
-#include <retro_miscellaneous.h>
+#include <string/stdstring.h>
 
 #include "glslang_util.hpp"
 #include "glslang.hpp"
@@ -227,7 +228,7 @@ const char *glslang_format_to_string(enum glslang_format fmt)
 static glslang_format glslang_find_format(const char *fmt)
 {
 #undef FMT
-#define FMT(x) if (!strcmp(fmt, #x)) return SLANG_FORMAT_ ## x
+#define FMT(x) if (string_is_equal(fmt, #x)) return SLANG_FORMAT_ ## x
    FMT(R8_UNORM);
    FMT(R8_UINT);
    FMT(R8_SINT);
@@ -309,7 +310,7 @@ static bool glslang_parse_meta(const vector<string> &lines, glslang_meta *meta)
              * if they are exactly the same. */
             if (itr != end(meta->parameters))
             {
-               if (itr->desc != desc ||
+               if (   itr->desc != desc    ||
                    itr->initial != initial ||
                    itr->minimum != minimum ||
                    itr->maximum != maximum ||
diff --git a/gfx/drivers_shader/shader_vulkan.cpp b/gfx/drivers_shader/shader_vulkan.cpp
index dbd999f306..614073b172 100644
--- a/gfx/drivers_shader/shader_vulkan.cpp
+++ b/gfx/drivers_shader/shader_vulkan.cpp
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ static const uint32_t opaque_frag[] =
 
 static unsigned num_miplevels(unsigned width, unsigned height)
 {
-   unsigned size = std::max(width, height);
+   unsigned size   = std::max(width, height);
    unsigned levels = 0;
    while (size)
    {
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ static void image_layout_transition_levels(
       VkAccessFlags src_access, VkAccessFlags dst_access,
       VkPipelineStageFlags src_stages, VkPipelineStageFlags dst_stages)
 {
-   VkImageMemoryBarrier barrier = { VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_IMAGE_MEMORY_BARRIER };
+   VkImageMemoryBarrier barrier        = { VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_IMAGE_MEMORY_BARRIER };
 
    barrier.srcAccessMask               = src_access;
    barrier.dstAccessMask               = dst_access;
diff --git a/libretro-db/Makefile b/libretro-db/Makefile
index cb6412f5ea..d544966154 100644
--- a/libretro-db/Makefile
+++ b/libretro-db/Makefile
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 DEBUG                = 0
 LIBRETRODB_DIR      := .
-LIBRETRO_COMMON_DIR := ../libretro-common
-INCFLAGS             = -I. -I$(LIBRETRO_COMMON_DIR)/include
+LIBRETRO_COMM_DIR   := ../libretro-common
+INCFLAGS             = -I. -I$(LIBRETRO_COMM_DIR)/include
 
 TARGETS              = rmsgpack_test libretrodb_tool c_converter
 
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ CFLAGS               = -g -O2 -Wall -DNDEBUG
 endif
 
 LIBRETRO_COMMON_C = \
-			 $(LIBRETRO_COMMON_DIR)/streams/file_stream.c
+			 $(LIBRETRO_COMM_DIR)/streams/file_stream.c
 
 C_CONVERTER_C = \
 			 $(LIBRETRODB_DIR)/rmsgpack.c \
@@ -21,10 +21,11 @@ C_CONVERTER_C = \
 			 $(LIBRETRODB_DIR)/bintree.c \
 			 $(LIBRETRODB_DIR)/query.c \
 			 $(LIBRETRODB_DIR)/c_converter.c \
-			 $(LIBRETRO_COMMON_DIR)/hash/rhash.c \
-			 $(LIBRETRO_COMMON_DIR)/compat/compat_fnmatch.c \
+			 $(LIBRETRO_COMM_DIR)/hash/rhash.c \
+			 $(LIBRETRO_COMM_DIR)/compat/compat_fnmatch.c \
+			 $(LIBRETRO_COMM_DIR)/string/stdstring.c
 			 $(LIBRETRO_COMMON_C) \
-			 $(LIBRETRO_COMMON_DIR)/compat/compat_strl.c
+			 $(LIBRETRO_COMM_DIR)/compat/compat_strl.c
 
 C_CONVERTER_OBJS := $(C_CONVERTER_C:.c=.o)
 
@@ -35,9 +36,10 @@ RARCHDB_TOOL_C = \
 			 $(LIBRETRODB_DIR)/bintree.c \
 			 $(LIBRETRODB_DIR)/query.c \
 			 $(LIBRETRODB_DIR)/libretrodb.c \
-			 $(LIBRETRO_COMMON_DIR)/compat/compat_fnmatch.c \
+			 $(LIBRETRO_COMM_DIR)/compat/compat_fnmatch.c \
+			 $(LIBRETRO_COMM_DIR)/string/stdstring.c
 			 $(LIBRETRO_COMMON_C) \
-			 $(LIBRETRO_COMMON_DIR)/compat/compat_strl.c
+			 $(LIBRETRO_COMM_DIR)/compat/compat_strl.c
 
 RARCHDB_TOOL_OBJS := $(RARCHDB_TOOL_C:.c=.o)
 
diff --git a/libretro-db/c_converter.c b/libretro-db/c_converter.c
index 7284ef4e2b..7876e0d10d 100644
--- a/libretro-db/c_converter.c
+++ b/libretro-db/c_converter.c
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #include <rhash.h>
 
 #include <retro_assert.h>
+#include <string/stdstring.h>
 
 #include "libretrodb.h"
 
@@ -341,13 +342,13 @@ static dat_converter_list_t* dat_parser_table(
 
       if (!map.key)
       {
-         if (!strcmp(current->token.label, ")"))
+         if (string_is_equal(current->token.label, ")"))
          {
             current++;
             *start_token = current;
             return parsed_table;
          }
-         else if (!strcmp(current->token.label, "("))
+         else if (string_is_equal(current->token.label, "("))
          {
             printf("%s:%d:%d: fatal error: Unexpected '(' instead of key\n",
                    current->token.fname,
@@ -363,14 +364,14 @@ static dat_converter_list_t* dat_parser_table(
       }
       else
       {
-         if (!strcmp(current->token.label, "("))
+         if (string_is_equal(current->token.label, "("))
          {
             current++;
             map.type = DAT_CONVERTER_LIST_MAP;
             map.value.list = dat_parser_table(&current);
             dat_converter_list_append(parsed_table, &map);
          }
-         else if (!strcmp(current->token.label, ")"))
+         else if (string_is_equal(current->token.label, ")"))
          {
             printf("%s:%d:%d: fatal error: Unexpected ')' instead of value\n",
                    current->token.fname,
@@ -468,7 +469,7 @@ static const char* dat_converter_get_match(
    {
       if (list->values[i].map.hash == match_key->hash)
       {
-         retro_assert(!strcmp(list->values[i].map.key, match_key->value));
+         retro_assert(string_is_equal(list->values[i].map.key, match_key->value));
 
          if (match_key->next)
             return dat_converter_get_match(
@@ -510,14 +511,14 @@ static dat_converter_list_t* dat_converter_parser(
    {
       if (!map.key)
       {
-         if (!strcmp(current->token.label, "game"))
+         if (string_is_equal(current->token.label, "game"))
             skip = false;
          map.key = current->token.label;
          current++;
       }
       else
       {
-         if (!strcmp(current->token.label, "("))
+         if (string_is_equal(current->token.label, "("))
          {
             current++;
             map.value.list = dat_parser_table(&current);
diff --git a/libretro-db/libretrodb_tool.c b/libretro-db/libretrodb_tool.c
index b8c8f25c34..e8b5ed5f69 100644
--- a/libretro-db/libretrodb_tool.c
+++ b/libretro-db/libretrodb_tool.c
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
+#include <string/stdstring.h>
+
 #include "libretrodb.h"
 #include "rmsgpack_dom.h"
 
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ int main(int argc, char ** argv)
       printf("Could not open db file '%s': %s\n", path, strerror(-rv));
       goto error;
    }
-   else if (!strcmp(command, "list"))
+   else if (string_is_equal(command, "list"))
    {
       if ((rv = libretrodb_cursor_open(db, cur, NULL)) != 0)
       {
@@ -80,7 +82,7 @@ int main(int argc, char ** argv)
          rmsgpack_dom_value_free(&item);
       }
    }
-   else if (!strcmp(command, "find"))
+   else if (string_is_equal(command, "find"))
    {
       if (argc != 4)
       {
@@ -111,7 +113,7 @@ int main(int argc, char ** argv)
          rmsgpack_dom_value_free(&item);
       }
    }
-   else if (!strcmp(command, "create-index"))
+   else if (string_is_equal(command, "create-index"))
    {
       const char * index_name, * field_name;