River City Ransom Review
River City Ransom is a beat ‘em up game developed by Technos Japan and released in 1990 in North America. It’s part of the Kunio-kun series which not only features beat ‘em up games, but also dabbles in the sports genre, as well - with Super Dodge Ball being a personal favourite of mine. River City Ransom escaped me in the early 90s, but I did discover it thanks to the Nesticle emulator, which was introduced to me by my fellow Grade 7 classmates. It’s always a game that I’ve come back to for a few minutes at a time, but put off playing it because I felt I needed to own a physical copy to truly enjoy it. I now realize that this is a silly way to approach gaming and that I should enjoy a game if I have the means. Thanks to being a member of the Nintendo Switch Online service, I have the means to enjoy the game. So, with that being said, let’s take a look at the joys and cons of River City Ransom.
A Fun Beat ‘em Up That Can Be Tricky to Navigate
This game is a little tricky to navigate... but I think I'm making progress. #NES #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/PqUrCnKwWG— Joy-Con Reviews is Playing🕹️ River City Ransom 👊 (@JoyConReviews) October 13, 2019
River City is fairly open, meaning you can pretty much go wherever you want, whenever you want. The problems arise when you visit areas that are seemingly unimportant, but actually hold a critical boss fight that won’t happen unless certain conditions are met. These conditions usually mean finding another boss and beating them. Some bosses won’t appear until you clear all the enemies in the room, so it can be a little tricky to navigate this nonlinear world. You can stumble upon the correct path if you keep playing, and enemies will actually give you tips on where to find key gang members, so it’s not an impossible experience. There is also a couple of moments where platforming is necessary to progress, but this game wasn't meant for platforming. Luckily, you only need to jump on boxes and not over pits, so again, this isn't an impossible game to beat.
Hungry Boys Like to Level Up
— Joy-Con Reviews is Playing🕹️ River City Ransom 👊 (@JoyConReviews) October 13, 2019
One thing to keep in mind is that It’s always a good idea to spend your money as you’ll lose half of it when you die, which can halt progress, and is honestly a little annoying. You won’t lose your hard earned stats when you die, so you might as well make it rain.
Humorous Presentation
Rocking Technos Soundtrack
Conclusion
River City Ransom is a must for fans of the beat ‘em up genre. It may seem a little basic at the outset, but it has some depth with its RPG elements, a fantastic cooperative experience, memorable moments, and a rocking soundtrack. It’s one of the better beat ‘em up games on the NES, not the best, but it’s readily available to members of the Nintendo Switch Online service. So, if you haven’t fought your way through River City yet, it might be worth a look.
Final Score: +3
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