• Developer: Technos Japan• Publisher: American Technos • Released: January 1990 • Composer: Kazuo Sawa • Directors: Mitsuhiro Yoshida, Hiroyuki Sekimoto • Genres: Beat ‘em up / RPG • Modes: Single player / multiplayer Featured on the Page: • [Review] • [Tips] • [Strategies] • [Game Genie Codes] • [Scans] |
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River City Ransom is one of the games that defined my youth. I used to rent it constantly from Blockbuster until I found it a brand new copy of it for $15 in 1991. It’s likely that those were the best $15 I have ever spent, as the game has provided so many hours of enjoyment for my friends and I over the years. The story for River City Ransom is best summed up by the one given to the player in-game: “I hold your city captive & Ryan’s girlfriend hostage. With my gangs of students & evil bosses, nobody can stop me now. Meet my demands – or else! … P.S. Alex & Ryan if you interfere, you’ll be in for the fight of your lives! … SLICK”. If that call-to-arms doesn’t make you want to bust the heads of hordes of students and evil bosses, I don’t know what will. One of River City Ransom’s more prominent features is the way that it looks. The graphics for the games that American Technos created for the NES look the same in that the characters are stubby, blockheaded people with big eyes. That said, this aspect certainly doesn’t detract from the game and in fact gives it more character. Also, the colors used are vibrant and mesh well with how the game is designed. Speaking of design, the level design is generally well done and is rather vast. There are 34 screens in the game and they all fit well together. The malls for recharging your character are spaced fairly evenly apart, save for Waterfront Mall (the 2nd one) and Flatirons Mall (the 3rd one), though I think the distance between those two was intended to give the player more of a challenge. One thing that helps with that challenge are the walls that you can hop up on to cool down the action or prepare some death-from-above attacks. One great thing about River City Ransom is that the controls let you prepare those attacks and travel the streets of River City with ease. The running is easy to activate with a double-tap on the control pad in the preferred direction, jumping is a simple pressing of the B & A buttons together, fists fly with the the A button and kicks land with the B button. You can also acquire weapons by standing over them and pressing the A button, then proceed to attack with them by using the A button as well. If you want to get rid of them by hurling them at the nearest student and/or evil boss, you can do so by pressing the B button. There are also techniques that you can purchase will give you rapid fire punching, kicking, and weapon attacks (among other things). The music in River City Ransom is great. When called upon to remember video game music, this game is usually one of the first ones that comes to mind. The soundtrack has a good balance of music that ranges from mellow to rather intense, though the one theme you’ll be hearing the most is very upbeat and moves the action along well. The sound effects are quite well done also and add appropriate elements to the sonic spectrum when called upon. The coins jingle, the sticks whack, and the garbage cans thunk. Unlike some side-scrolling fighting games of the time, River City Ransom is not especially frustrating. That’s likely due to the fact that you have unlimited lives, though when you die, you lose half your money and return to the mall behind you. That works pretty well, as it gives you the opportunity to build up your character some (pending you had any money when you died), though it certainly puts a damper on things if you’ve been saving up for a technique. There are two difficulty settings – Normal and Advanced – and it goes without saying that Advanced is quite a bit more challenging that Normal. The enemies are much more ferocious in their attack, they defend themselves with a higher frequency, and they take longer to dispose of. While it’s fairly easy to breeze through the game on Normal, it takes some serious grinding and strategy if you want to beat the game on Advanced, let alone make it to River City High. To sum things up, River City Ransom is one of most fun games for the Nintendo Entertainment System and is chock full of replay value. There’s a number of ways you can build up your character’s stats (while getting a laugh at how your character consumes things), and that little bit of personality which each of the students and evil bosses possess adds even more to the game’s humorous nature, especially while knocking the crap out of them with a variety of weapons. One of the slight drawbacks is that the password system is rather daunting, though you should be able to finish a game in around an hour on Normal with some strategic help (see below), thus rendering the password system unnecessary. All in all, this is one of the best side-scrolling fighters for any system and you should definitely play it as soon as you can, especially if you’ve already played it before. |
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• Don’t get surrounded! It’s really easy to lose life you do. Instead, regroup and try to get both of them on the same side of your character. • Running at an opponent and attacking them is best way to take them out, as a running strike has increased power. • The chain is the best weapon to use due to its range, though I must admit I’m partial to the lead pipe. • When the enemies talk, something will happen. They’ll either run, die, or get an adrenaline boost. • Grind for a while near Grotto Mall (the 1st one), as you’ll be able to buy more items and make it through the game more easily if you do. • If the fighting’s getting a little too intense, hop up on the back wall to take a breather and set up a death-from-above attack on the enemies. • The trip from Waterfront Mall (the 2nd one) to Flatirons Mall (the 3rd one) is a long one with three bosses along the way, so be sure to stock up on supplies. • Flatirons Mall to Oak Hill Mall (the 4th and last one) is pretty vicious too, but at least it’s short. Get ready for lots of Squids. • Grand Slam (a technique available at Flatirons Mall) is the best technique to purchase, as it gives you a rapid-fire weapon attack for the rest of the game. |
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• First off, take out two screens of enemies, which will give you at least $29.00 altogether. Once you have that amount, go to the Grotto Mall and enter the far right store (it has a blue and white awning). Buy Stone Hands and equip the technique in the Belongings screen once you leave the store. Now you’ve got rapid speed punching! • Next, it’s time to level up the punching power, so you’ll need to save up $33.75 in the areas around Grotto Mall. Once you get that saved up, go into the Sushi Bar, access the Cheaper Sushi menu, and buy 15 Eggs. This will get your Punch up to 30 and should add somewhere between 20-25 to your Max Power. • If you’re having trouble with losing power and saving up money, you can always pick up a Salad Roll or two at the Sushi Bar (under the Rolls menu) to boost your Stamina. They’re only $2.00 a piece and they give you 20 stamina, which should be enough to go back out and take out more enemies with your rapid fists of fury. • Speaking of which, the next thing you want to boost after leveling up your Punch to 30 is your Max Power, and Salad Rolls are the key to doing so. You’ll want to save up at least $32 (though you might need more depending on your current health) and buy as many Salad Rolls as you can until your Max Power is maxed out at 127. • Once you’re done with that, head two screens east of Grotto Mall, fight the four gang members, then take out Moose. If you run at him and punch, the Stone Hands attack will take him out in one shot on Normal! • Repeat this a few more times until you have $17.50 saved up, then move up one screen to the Waterfront Mall, head into Mao’s Place and buy 5 Egg Rolls, which will boost your Defense stat up to 30. Then go right one screen, listen to Roxy’s schpiel, then head up one screen to fight Benny & Clyde. They’ll both go down with a running punch as well. • Take them out one more time, then go back to Waterfront Mall and buy 4 more Egg Rolls at Mao’s, which will get your Defense stat up to 42. Now head two screens east, one screen up, and enter the W.S.L. Co. Warehouse. Take out the four gang members, then take out Rocco. Hit him with a running punch, and he’ll go down on Normal. When he gets back up to take a breather, do it again and he’ll be done. • He’ll tell you that Blade’s waiting for you in Sherman Park, so head there. It’s back six screens and up from Sticksville (the screen with the trees). Blade’s a little tougher to take out, but he goes down after one running punch and two standing ones on Normal. • After taking out Blade, you can grab some Salad Rolls at the Grotto Mall if you need the Stamina, or you can head back to the W.S.L. Co. Warehouse where Rocco was (and is again) and keep going from there. • There are two bosses between the Warehouse and the Flatirons Mall, but you should have a fair amount of money saved up at this point and going after Turk and Mojo are probably the best ways to lose it. Once you exit the Warehouse door that Rocco stands in front of, beat feet by going right, right, right, up, and up to Flatirons Mall. • Flatirons Mall is where you’ll be mostly finishing up your stat grinding. This is the list of what you’ll need: • 12 Rib-Eyes for $71.40 (on the 2nd screen of Flatirons in the Steak shop) – adds 12 to Punch, 48 to Agility • 7 T-Bones for $48.65 (in the same place) – adds 21 to Punch, 21 to Defense • 2 Teddy Bears for $56.00 (next to the Steak shop on the right) – adds 40 to Strength • 1 Insoles for $8.20 (next to the Steak shop on the left) – adds 7 to Strength • 1 Mint Gum for $0.95 (on the 1st screen of Flatirons through the right door) – adds 1 to Strength, 1 to Will Power • The total cost of that comes to $185.20, which seems pretty ridiculous. Luckily, most of the gang members in the area drop between $0.90 and $1.10 a piece, so it builds up pretty quickly. Also, feel free to buy things as you go, since it would be quite the feat to save up that much without dying a few times. • After you get a few things with the money you have (and make sure to use them through the Belongings screen), head back two screens to the Armstrong Thru-Way, take out the four gang members, then fight Turk. He’s a little tougher than Blade, but if you’ve been building up your Punch at all, he’ll go down just as fast (if not faster). • Once he’s done, head up to Downtown, take out the four gang members, then fight Mojo. He’s slightly tougher than Turk, but should be pretty easy as well. • One more screen up takes you back to Flatirons Mall, and now it’s time to grind grind grind away. Make sure to do all of your grinding to the right of Flatirons, so you don’t die and end up all the way back at Waterfront Mall. It’s best to stay on the two screens beyond Flatirons – Downtown and Vacant 3rd Wheel Factory. • With all this grinding, you’ll need a Stamina boost now and again, and the best place to do that is at The Roman Cow. It’s on the first screen of Flatirons with an Open sign on the door. Nero Pizza gives you 50 Stamina for $6.25, which is a little steep in price, but it’s the best value for Stamina in the vicinity. • After you get your Punch, Defense, Agility, and Strength up to 63, it’s time to finish off the game. Enter the Vacant 3rd Wheel Factory and take out Thor in the 2nd room. He’s definitely strong, but your character is rather beefed up too and the running punch strategy should have him down and out fairly quickly. • Make your way through Oak Hill Mall until you run into Benny & Clyde again. They’ll go down easy and after you’re done with them, you’ll want to go up into the Health Club and buy 4 Saunas to max out your Will Power at 63. • Now that your Punch is as strong as can be, your Defense keeps your health high, your Agility has you running and jumping around at warp speed, your Strength has you tearing through the enemy’s defense, and your Will Power has you never running out of power in a fight, it’s time to head towards River City High. It’s two screens to the right of the Health Club, so head on over. • Once you get there, the rest of the game is pretty self-explanatory, so I’ll give you a list of who you’ll face where and let you have at it! • Ivan – River City High • Otis – River City High Gym • Tex – River City High 2nd Floor • Randy & Andy – River City High 3rd Floor • Slick – River City High Roof • By getting my character’s Punch, Defense, Agility, Strength, and Will Power up to 63 and his Max Power up to 127, I was able to finish the game in 1 hour and 5 minutes on Normal (I haven’t tried it on Advanced yet). It takes a little bit longer than the Weaponlord strategy, but it’s still pretty fun. |
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• First off, take out 8 screens of Generic Dudes at the beginning of the game. They’re pretty easy and drop $4.50 a screen ($0.50 * 9 guys). Don’t fight any other gangs yet as they’re a lot more aggressive and won’t be worth the extra nickel or dime that they drop. Also, a weapon (preferably a chain) will be handy here, but all your attacks do the same amount of damage at this point, so it’s not necessary yet. If you have any trouble and get down to two bars of health or below, go to the Grotto Mall, enter the Sushi Bar and get two Salad Rolls (under the Rolls menu). It’ll give you 40 stamina and only set you back $4.00, so that’s only one more screen of Generic Dudes you have to take out. Wait until you have $52.80, then move on. • Run to the Waterfront Mall and enter the yellow building to the right of Mao’s (Merv’s Burger Joint) and buy 48 Sodas (under the Drinks menu). Yes, this will be tedious, but it will also max out your Weapon stat and help your Max Power a fair amount too. It saves a little time to consume the sodas in the shop, so do that. • Now go back one screen, take out the four enemies, then take out Moose. He’ll be really easy to defeat with a weapon, as if you run at him and strike, he’ll go down in one shot on Normal! • After that, head to the east of Waterfront Mall and listen to Roxy’s schpiel, then go up and take out Benny & Clyde. They’re also one shot on Normal with the run & attack trick. Keep doing this (9 times) until you’ve got at least $57.50 saved up, then run all the way to the Oak Hill Mall. It’s about 15 screens away, so just go go go and don’t fight anyone (if you can help it). If you need a recharge, head to Mao’s Place and get the Egg Roll. It’s 3 defense and 24 stamina for a very reasonable $3.50, which is the amount Benny and Clyde drop separately. You’re going to need the defense anyway, so now’s a good time to start building it up. When you get to the Oak Hill mall, you’ll want to go in the first store on the right. It has a green & white awning and it’s called the Oak Hill Book Store. Go in, buy the Grand Slam and equip it in your Belongings category. You are now officially unstoppable, even on the Advanced difficulty – unless you get hit, of course. • Now it’s time to head back to Waterfront Mall, though you should stop inside the W.S.L. Co. Warehouse first to take out the four enemies and Rocko. After that’s done, head back to Benny & Clyde’s screen and take them out a bunch of times until you have $56. Once you do have the money, go back to Waterfront Mall and enter Mao’s Place. Buy enough Egg Rolls to max out your Defense stat at 63. This should also max out your Max Power stat at 127, which is definitely handy as well. • Once you have that taken care of, head back a few more screens to Sherman Park (go up from Sticksville screen with all the trees) and take out Blade. He’s a little tougher than Moose & Rocko, but this should still be pretty easy. • With Blade dispatched, head all the way back to the east end of the Armstrong Thru-Way, take out the four enemies, then their boss Turk. Then head up to the next screen and do the same thing – this time you’ll be taking out Mojo. He’ll tell you where to find Thor, who is the head of the Zombies. • Before going after Thor, you’ll want to save up $84. Once you’ve got the money, head to Flatirons Mall (the screen right after Mojo) and go in the door under the yellow awning with the Open sign on it. This it the Roman Cow and you’ll want to purchase 24 Ice Creams to max out your Agility stat at 63. Even though you’ve just stuffed your face full of ice cream and dishes, you’ll be running around at warp speed now! • Head to the back of the Vacant 3rd Wheel Factory and take out Thor. After he’s defeated, you’ll want to save up another $72 so you can max out your Strength stat. This is really easy to do, as Benny & Clyde are back at the east end of the Oak Hill Mall in front of the Health Club. Take them out 10 times, then head back into Oak Hill Mall and go to the yellow building with the open door. This will be Hack’s Chicken Shack and you’ll want to buy 48 Biscuits (under the Fixin’s menu) which will max out your Strength stat at 63. Now you can tear through the enemies even easier than before! • After that, head back to the screen with the Health Club (Pop’s Health Club) to take out Benny & Clyde. Take them out a couple times, then head inside the Health Club. Take four Saunas to max out your Will Power stat at 63, which will come in handy for the final stretch. If your health gets low, it’ll help you get right back up instead of dying. • The rest of the game is pretty self-explanatory, so I’ll give you a list of who you’ll face where and let you have at it! • Ivan – River City High • Otis – River City High Gym • Tex – River City High 2nd Floor • Randy & Andy – River City High 3rd Floor • Slick – River City High Roof • By getting my character’s Weapon, Defense, Agility, Strength, and Will Power up to 63 and his Max Power up to 127, I was able to finish the game in 55 minutes on Normal and in 1 hour and 25 minutes on Advanced. A fair bit of that time was spent buying all of the food, grinding, running back and forth buying things and beating all the bosses (which you have to do to beat the game), so I could probably hone up the time a bit more with repeated runs. |
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• TOSNAVYE – Start with double every attribute • LVNYIVYL – Increase stamina to 99 • AGENAYAZ – Player 1 starts with $40 • AGOYYYAZ – Player 2 starts with $40 • PAENIYAA – Player 1 starts with $120 • PAONGYAA – Player 2 starts with $120 |
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• NOSNAVYE – Start with 159 in every attribute • NVNYIVYU – Increase stamina and max power to 239 • YAENIYAA – Player 1 starts with $720 • YAONGYAA – Player 2 starts with $720 • NAENIYAE – Player 1 starts with $999.99 • NAONGYAE – Player 2 starts with $999.99 |
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