NES Game Reviews – #39 Street Gangs (River City Ransom)

I made the cardinal sin of judging this game by its cover. I just assumed this was going to be another sub-par brawler, what I wasn’t expecting was River City Ransom!

This is Technos’s take on an RPG using sprites very similar to those from their Double Dragon series. It plays like a more refinded DD, with less moves, however theres an abundance of weapons to keep it interesting. What sets this aside from other brawlers of the time, is the RPG elements. You an upgrade stats for punch, kick, throw, weapon, stamina, strength, agility, Defense, will power and max power. leveling isnt done through EXP like most RPGs, instead you collect money from defeated foes and purchase items from the many marketplaces. Heres my only real criticism of the game. There simply is far too many different items available to purchase from the many stores. Most items cost more than is worth it for the benefit they give, and some do nothing at all. There’s no way to tell what does what but trial and error. There’s alot of grinding to acquire money. It’s not a sustainable habit and it does get a tedious quickly.

This game looks lovely and has a charming little story which is very tongue in cheek. The fighting mechanics are responsive and satisfying to use. There’s some challenge but like most RPGs, grind the game long enough and you’ll level sufficiently to make progress far easier.

Personally I only found the penultimate boss (the twins) any real challenge, usually I manipulated bosses with the triple kick once they were knocked down. Even the twins were unable to actually defeat me. The final boss i dispatched without taking any damage! Handy since I only had one hit point left!

to sum up, this isn’t a particularly difficult game if you power-up sufficiently. Still a very enjoyable and charming play though.