Americanization’s a funny little thing; for instance, Ace Attorney’s blatant entrenchment within Japanese culture with its spirit mediums and yokai creatures stand in stark contrast with its Westernized anglicism. Yet the NES generation was certainly none the wiser when it came to “River City Ransom”, the third installment of Kunio-kun: a hot-blooded brawler series starring muscly, googly-eyed Japanese delinquents cordially pleasant with local businessfolk and mercilessly unrepentant with rival gangs. Any momentary culture shocks in nude bathhouses are quickly smoothed over with how it seamlessly clicks into the 80’s cultural template, what with the wide crop of teen romance and martial arts films filling video stores everywhere with cheesy pulp. (The clunky localized script trivializing the whole escapade with “Ryan’s girlfriend was rescued just in the time to finish shopping” says it all.)

Turns out addictive gameplay speaks to all languages – I dub River City Ransom’s appeal as something resembling “comedic density”: a flexible gameplay loop appealing to knee-slapping humor. The combat frequently escalates with all the subtlety of a slapstick cartoon, as our high school protagonists graduate from knocking out thugs to picking up their unconscious bodies and swinging them around like wrestling chairs. The co-op mode has Alex (Kunio) and Ryan engage in unavoidable friendly fire – deadly accidents that’ve surely ruined countless thought-out plans. Every enemy gang member, no matter who they are, are individualized members of the various gangs littered across River City’s streets, squealing charismatic one-liners upon defeat.

It’s funny, it’s wild, it’s absolutely infectious, and it comes alive in a traversable world where we prowl the open streets for cash, build up EXP, and shop for food and trinkets. “Ahead of its time” is a frequent descriptor for this classic beat ‘em up, and I readily join that chorus: River City Ransom becomes as much of a personalized, grindable unit-builder as it is a delicate exercise in money-management, wherein we scrap up every last coin scavenged from felled thugs to save up for HP-boosting rock music or a copy of Stone Hands – a how-to in unleashing rapid-fire punches. (Did I mention the satisfaction of pounding through an enemy’s guard? I’m not exaggerating when I say these fistfights rival Dragon Ball in their intensity.)

Like the finest of 8-bit classics, most any stumblings are owed to an absent equilibrium: the difficulty ramps up a steep learning curve early on, the economy’s prices get jacked up, and it’s easy to cheese late-game once you know what purchases to prioritize. (Oh, and jumping? An absolutely dreadful affair.) Yet this magnetism to gut-busting anarchy, shattering any pretense of balance, may perhaps be its greatest strength – paired with its unique ambitions, and River City Ransom remains a remarkably confident piece of software over three decades later. Wherever co-director Mitsuhiro Yoshida may be, he can rest easy knowing this is Kunio-kun’s most seminal adventure.

(Not to ruin the post-mortem, but I confess I wasn’t particularly conscious of “Barf!” during my multiple playthroughs -- an undeniable influence of Millennial America’s fascination with gross-out humor, but I suppose its enduring legacy throughout the years showcases the power of River City Ransom for you.)

Still the best brawler I've ever played. The shift from single-screen fights to an open-world is a welcome change of pace. There's also the RPG-like progression mechanics which add some versatility to how you can go through the game. I also love the charm this game has like when I accidentally picked up an enemy and used him as a weapon, or the sign that says "Trash Pickup" with a trashcan that you pick up and throw at people. The world itself is pretty fun. I like the idea of an entire city overrun by teenage delinquents who are mostly pretty dumb and goofy. The fighting is also significantly smoother than in Renegade, and most brawlers that come after it if my memory serves me correctly. Not much else to say. Super fun game. 4/6

Continuación de Nekketsu Koh Kunio-kun (Renegade en la versión occidental), uno de los primeros beat em ups de arcade y predecesor de Double Dragon, trasladado a consola y al jrpg. Una premisa que normalmente me parecería aborrecible, la encuentro aquí llevada con mucha inteligencia.

Los golpes carecen del impacto de Renegade, no caben más de dos enemigos en pantalla por lo que la gestión de multitudes es casi inexistente y no existe la profundidad que sí tenía su predecesor de arcade (sin ser aquel ejemplo de elegancia en su diseño), pero encuentra un giro mecánico inesperado añadiendo fisicidad a su entorno. Los cuerpos rebotan, chocan entre sí, correr guarda su inercia, puedes saltar encima de objetos, muros o compañeros y todo se presta al jugueteo. Las técnicas se alejan de los combos de un juego de lucha, (donde ejecutas una serie de comandos precisos en secuencia) y por el contrario nacen de un contexto de sistemas en fricción. Esto se potencia a dobles donde al combinar sus elementos brotan siempre resultados inesperados. Puedes agarrar una caja del suelo y golpear con ella a enemigos o lanzarla si te viene mejor, o puedes ir corriendo darle una patada en el suelo para dispararla hacia delante. Y si un enemigo la suelta al aturdirse esta rebota y sigue impactando a quien se acerque. O puedes subirte encima de la caja mientras la agarra otro personaje. Reacciones en cadena que viven en un medio físico. Y a pesar de todo, nada de eso es necesario para avanzar. Solo existe de fondo, como tantas otras cosas del juego.

El planteamiento menos lineal y el bucle típico de ser apaleado una y otra vez hasta hacerte más fuerte y lograr vengarte, tiene sentido en su narrativa de pandillero adolescente en Japón. Presta especial importancia a la construcción de su mundo, no mediante texto, sino con contexto. Presenta una cantidad de sistemas invisibles de fondo que determinan la experiencia y dan vitalidad al entorno. El comportamiento de los matones depende de la banda a la que pertenezcan, algunos huirán si los golpeas, otros se volverán más agresivos; si mantienes un código de honor en la calle, subirá tu reputación y al vencer a algunos jefes se te unirán como compañeros y su banda dejará de ser hostil; encontrarás enemigos con personalidad a los que si derrotas volverán más adelante buscando la revancha y más sorpresas que guarda el juego y que no explica en ningún momento ni te obliga a descubrir. Sumado a la fisicidad de antes, el resultado es una experiencia más amplia y completa de lo que aparenta, donde verdaderamente sientes habitar un mundo vivo.

Y es una pena que su acción no logre despegar porque todo lo que la rodea está llevado con mucho estilo e imaginación. Jugando solo termina dependiendo en exceso del grindeo y a dobles es un paseo, por lo que no termina de encontrar un equilibrio. Renuncia a la inmediatez y densidad de la experiencia arcade para buscar más profundidad en su mundo, y, aunque preferiría más contundencia y hondura en su combate, es innegable que lo que busca lo consigue.

I've heard many good things about this game through the years and didn't think much of it. Even when I first played it I initially stopped early because I didn't feel it was anything special. However, something brought me back to it and, after beating the full game, I have to say that this is one of the best NES games I've played. It's very charming, has a great art style, it's not too hard like most other NES games, and the gameplay feels really good to be over three decades old. I have no complaints.