#RiverCityRansom

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Episode 126
River City Ransom is one of the most unique, and exciting two player games for the NES! At first glance it looks a lot like Double Dragon - You'll use your Martial Arts skills to punch, and kick your way through waves of bad guys.
But this is more than just a beat 'em game - River City Ransom is essentially an Action RPG! You'll fight enemies for money, which you'll use to increase your stats, and purchase new moves. While it is possible to win with hardly any equipment, real success in River City Ransom comes from building your character into an invincible tank!
In Japan, this game is part of a larger series starring a hot-headed brawler named Kunio. For the English version, many changes were made to try to make the game more appealing to a Western audience. What did they actually change? In today's video we'll find out, then we'll dive deep into the gameplay where we'll learn:
The FAST and EASY way to build up your character's STATS!
Where to find ALL of the bosses, including the optional ones!
How to enable FLOAT STATE - A secret mode that allows you to deal extra damage!
A SECRET PASSWORD to max out your stats!
Complete information on EVERY ITEM! Know which ones are worth your money, and which you should avoid!
Where to find the hidden MYSTERY SHOP!
The trick to SAVE MONEY in 2-Player Mode!
Detailed MAP of River City will show you how everything is connected!
Where to buy EVERY SPECIAL ATTACK, and how to use them!
Information on EVERY GANG in River City!
How to defeat EVERY BOSS, even SLICK HIMSELF... AND MORE!
Thanks for watching!
"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

[@JohnnyFiction]

One of the greatest NES games of all time. Who else remembers how to do the kick bounce dance? It takes some timing but you run into a jump and right as you land, you either jump or kick again and you bounce kick over and over, which freezes all the characters on screen. It's hilarious, and we found out all sorts of ridiculous mini games like this when we played this gem one summer

[@Zeiru]

I loved this game so much as a kid, and it still holds up even today. I always loved how Jimmy and Billy Dragon made a guest appearance as penultimate bosses.

[@christophermaclennan914]

I agree 100% dude!

[@promethiac2641]

You mean Bimmy?

[@nicks4802]

Everyone knows it BIMMY

[@MR.XtheYouTubeboi]

​@@nero48YES IT IS.

[@jmstampe]

I love how we all have the same nostalgic minds to read the comment and immediately think, “Pshhh, Bimmy, duh!” Totally, more of an AVGN nostalgia than for those like myself that remember playing DD3 and how odd it was seeing and how hard/annoying the game was.

[@KingGreatness2355]

YES ! My favorite NES game of all time. Finding the hidden store in the overpass tunnel was mind blowing 🤯

[@yousefslimani99]

Oh yeah, I actually found that secret tunnel as a kid! I just accidently hugging the wall and bam secret tunnel happened

[@MisterTwo-40SX]

I love the comedy potential of this game. I buy the Isis Scroll for twenty bucks and have an otherwise weak character with ridiculous throw power. And then my son and I play the game and wind up hitting each other as often as the enemies, laughing our asses off and saving and loading states like crazy :)

[@sabin97]

@@yousefslimani99 my cousin found it by accident too back in the day. it was mindblowing that there was a hidden store selling magic items. now i never go to that store, i just get acro-circus and cheap food to increase the stats

[@badsanta518]

This was my favorite NES game growing up. I loved everything about it and still do.

[@DrakeEB]

When i bought this game at the bargain bin at a Riteaid in 1990 for like $10 i had no idea how awesome it would be. Brings back so many great memories!

[@OmniGeno]

Rite Aid sold video games? Wow.

[@keithseratt5926]

Oh man the memories of playing this game when I was a kid. My cousin and I used to spend hours days weekends grinding our characters out trying to buy every single thing we could and discover any secrets that may be hidden within the world. I am so excited to watch this. I've seen many speed runs TASs and let's plays but I really enjoy your content I like the way you explain things in such a comprehensive way. We love you man!!!

[@yaboipele34]

RCR was popular but it took a while for people to warm up to it. I remember a friend convincing me to play it co-op and having a great time.

[@NashEsq]

This was by far my favorite beat 'em up on the NES, my friends and I would play it all the time!

[@paxhumana2015]

There are new homebrew ones that are being made for that system now.

[@reboot3332]

One of my all time favorite NES games. Must have beaten it 50 times.

[@dieinfire920]

I have a humble small Fangame based on the franchise in case you want to take a look at my channel.

[@zrayburton]

I’ve beat it a ton as well but never played it on hard until tonight!

[@notcardlinsytaccount1355]

“Just like in real life, the Frat Guys carry brass knuckles and whips so look out,” I love the dry delivery of the little bits of humor in these videos.

[@mikeconner3684]

Always loved this as a kid despite not being able to make it anywhere. Never knew what was going on, just ran around beating on guys lol. I'll be glad to finally see it thru.

[@mragin]

As a kid it took me a while to figure out you had to backtrack to Blade in order to progress forward

[@Bill_cipher_official_account]

Me and my dad used to play it all the time togather

[@jamesclark5209]

I hardly ever comment on anything. But i just wanted to take a moment and let.you know how much i appreciate what you do. It takes me back to my childhood (EST 1980) and brings me joy. You Sir are 1 of the best to do it. Thank you.

[@superdave3093]

My brother and I weren’t super close growing up, but when my dad found this at a garage sale we put hours and hours into this game and loved every minute of it. Even beat the game together. Really good times 😊😊

[@danielmarquis5258]

Remember back in the day (before the Internet) when you only had the back of the video game box or a Nintendo Power Magazine to make that decision to purchase the game? I saw a preview of River City Ransom in Nintendo Power when I was 13 in late 1989 and I said to myself, "I need this game." What attracted me to RCR the most was how cool the characters looked. It was revolutionary!!

[@Berzerkules]

Just wanted to drop a line and say how much I dig your videos. Your attention to detail is killer. It's like a guided tour of my childhood, with you peeling back layers of nostalgia with love and care to show us all the cool secrets and tricks we might've missed. You're putting in the work, and it's paying off big time. Each guide feels like a story, unfolding bit by bit, and I'm here for it. Keep 'em coming, because I'm hooked and ready for the next chapter.

[@dieinfire920]

Me when I was a kid: “Double Dragon with Nintendo World Cup characters!!” One of my fave games of all time, from one of my fave developers of all time Technōs!!! This game was way ahead of its time with the RPG elements and free roam, specially for a beat’em up. Not only that, but the entire franchise is among my faves!!! Technos did wonder with the system with all the Japanese exclusive sports games, and the “sequel” of this game which finally got translated and released outside Japan (the Downtown Nekketsu Jidaigeki). I have made fangames based on the characters, you can see my current project on my channel, which also includes a zombie killing mode. All the sports games in the franchise are also totally recommended!!! I can finish this game with my eyes closed, but it’s always great to check a game done on your particular style. Now I’ll relax with a beer in hand, watching your video.

[@aedwardsss]

Never owned this game but I damn well spent every dollar renting it. I never beat Double Dragon, but I beat this game. This is probably my top 1 NES game. So unbelievably good. Used to 2 player this game with my buddy Carl.

[@dieinfire920]

Play the other Kunio games!! They are all good!

[@tonydeluna8095]

Love the intros to your videos UCBV! Your dogs are ready to play some old school retro games! One of the best retro gaming channels

[@chriscripplercruz1833]

Man the nostalgia is kicking in hard core I got this game for graduating 6th grade. When my kids grew up I played it with them as well everytime I think about this game I think about is grinding beating the twins repeatedly to buy as much chow mien as possible and the book for the double kick and punch moves I once wrote down the password wrong which was brutal because I remember it being like a hundred letters lol

[@gamerboy6787]

As a kid, it absolutely took my mind for a spin to see a beat-em-up game mixed with RPG mechanics. One of my favorites of all time on the NES. At the start of a new playthrough, I always go with Dragon Feet instead of Stone Hands, because kicks have a slightly longer reach. But you got the leveling process down to a science here, so I see why you went with Stone Hands instead.

[@mragin]

Kicks can also reach enemies on low fences making a lot of the fights easier when you're farming for $

[@Murdoc_rusche]

My brother and I invented a little side game in Sherman Park that was kinda like a cross of baseball and tag. You gotta hit a thrown stone from left to right with a stick, then the batter has to move up and hop up on the background, make it all the way across the top, then jump down to sprint back to where he struck the stone on the right; all while the pitcher pursues, picks up the rock, and has to either bean him in the head with it, or punch him in the face with the rock. Great times during younger days.

[@Telecritter78]

I still love the little gestures your characters make when ordering at the shops and that your character just mows food items whole including the plates and containers. Game was charming as hell and has the most hardcore boss music on the NES.

[@jatwood9648]

The Scott Pilgrim game clearly takes a lot of inspiration from River City Ransom.

[@bloodaonadeline8346]

absolutely, I bought “River City Ransom”for around $20 from a bargain bin.

[@VXA1PSTART]

There's even a move you can unlock in Scott Pilgrim called "the grand slam"

[@willbobsled]

Great work on this extensive guide! River City Ransom is a really fun game but it's easy to get lost if you forget/ignore Rocko's comment about Blade's whereabouts. There are two minor errors that need to be corrected: 1) Strength only affects how much damage you receive and levels up at 21, 28, 36, 45 and 55 so there is no difference between a Strength stat of 55 and 63 2) Floating state is only activated after a High jump, which can be performed by running eight steps before jumping, like the jump over the gap in the factory. Also, it persists through loading zones so you don't need to reactivate it until you leave the ground. Good job!

[@lincolnphillips9727]

One of my all time favorite NES games.

[@westerndragon207]

Your one of my favorite creators. Even if I'm not keen on the game I play and watch your videos you get full play time from me. Your dragon warrior 3 series is my favorite.

[@watchdogpodcast239]

My cousin and I played this game as kids and we just talked about it this summer. Love it

[@Bshertification]

I feel bad saying this but I love putting on your videos as something to fall asleep to.

[@wilsonicsnet]

One of the best games of my childhood. The great story continues with River City Girls on modern platforms.

[@L_Train]

Girls doesn't even come close to Ransom.

[@XiaoFury]

I dunno how I missed this game as a child. It seems fun! I like that our hero is a butt kicker, and also so cheerful when he go inside the shops.

[@cnewtoneov]

I stopped what I was doing to watch this video. One of the best NES games of all time.

[@cjskayakfishing6108]

Yay! My favorite NES game. I was really hoping you'd eventually get to this one.

[@shuaduah]

Used to play this game all the time back in the day. Garlic pork and pepper beef! I loved the element of stopping by shops for items that helped your stats and gave you moves. Awesome game.

[@jaynoyes8526]

This has been one of my favorite games for nes since I was a little kid. I still play this regularly to this day. Best co-op on the system

[@mattb9664]

I rented the game as a kid and knew I had found a gem. One of the first games I remember playing where I figured out how to 'grind' and 'farm' before it was called grinding and farming exp points and money. Unfortunately, I had to return the game and I never got to play it again despite figuring out some of the boosting and leveling concepts.

[@LanEXHikari]

River city Ransom was an amazing game for the NES and really intricated for its era. I'm glad there are still efforts to keep the Kunio Kun series alive! Thank you UCBVG!

[@Alakazzam09]

I'm glad to see this one brother. I have lots of great memories of this one, that classic couch co-op! I'll bet I find out about something I never knew for 30 years lol. That's why I love this channel!

[@bredenis5]

I remember renting this from my local grocery store without having any information on it and instantly being completely fascinated by it. One of my favorite games of all time.

[@mae2759]

Thanks for doing this one. I tried playing it on my own and was lost. The stores get a little overwhelming when you don't know what everything means. This gave me a good kick start to finish it on my own.

[@stretchlimo7275]

I just want to tell you how much I enjoy your content. Every game you cover I always learn new things that I missed, your very thorough and informative. This takes me back to being a kid, RCR was definitely a fun game, I had Super Dodgeball and I can remember a soccer game too. Great upload, have an excellent weekend 👍🏼😎🇺🇸

[@davidt3563]

Great game! Back in 89 I was still learning how to read. This game taught me how to spell barf. So I used to write barf on my school desk and randomly on my schoolwork. So much so that I got detention for it a few times. Those were the days.

[@Sh4dowNexus]

I really enjoy how you do your research of the game and give it a history lesson. I learn a lot about the background of the game before even playing and gives me a deeper appreciation of the game before playing it again. Thank you for taking the time to do so.

[@davehardenburg2924]

This was like one of my favorite games as a kid. 47 years old now and finally finished it .I was playing it on my switch. Than saw you made a video about it. Thanks brother. Appreciate you.

[@joshuasears4566]

One of my very favorite video games! When I found out you could backtrack and it had light RPG elements, I was hooked!

[@nyquillmacquaid]

- Thanks for playing this, for me. I always wanted to Understand and Enjoy its mechanics. I knew I would. And I did! Never thought I'd just Sit and Watch a video of someone playing a Game. What a concept.

[@skapunker21]

i loved this game as a kid. my brother and i would play it constantly. the friendly fire aspect was especially appealing. balloon fight, river city ransom, and final fantasy 1 are my favorite nintendo games of all time.

[@linusdoesstuff625]

Even though I've beaten this multiple times already, I was SUPER hyped to watch this video!

[@StarkMaximum]

Hack's Chicken Shack must be a ghost kitchen for Merv's Burger Joint. Clearly Merv trying to get a second revenue stream.

[@EarthPoweredHippie]

This game is awesome. My brother and I beat it in like 4 hrs, would have been 2 but we spent 2hrs looking for the 1 area we missed😊

[@bluewolf8873]

Oh wow…. I played this game for years!!! I didn’t even know a lot of these secrets and the blatant references made in the Scott pilgrim game

[@RonnieMyers777]

This game is STILL in my Top -Ten- Five 🗿💪

[@ReneDeEchte]

Can I just say, i never intent to play let alone beat any of the video games you cover, but i love listening to this plus i love the hole format with the retro "game magazine"-pictures on the left.

[@Porter81]

Was waiting for this one, finally have a chance to sit down and dive in. I love playing along with your videos, even when I've beaten the game multiple times. This one is easily in my NES top 3.

[@zrayburton]

Currently playing it on hard for the first time. It’s pretty tough! Almost beat it in one night but I’ll have to finish it another day. Made it to the front gate of River City High before stopping for the night.

[@zrayburton]

Just beat it! 👊🏼

[@vankook]

I owned It as a kid. I loved it. I loved all the unique enemy names. The jokes there were hilarious. I would tell my friends at school they they were in this game.

[@LordSephleon]

So many great memories playing this with my oldest childhood friend, such as our first time fighting "Randy" and "Andy" and quite literally getting thrown out of the room! This game is still one of my favorite NES games, and definitely my favorite Beat-Em-Up of the console. Thanks for the playthrough video and the always-awesome behind-the-scenes lore, UCBVG!

[@LordSephleon]

Oh, I dunno if anyone noticed or already made a comment about it, but the entrance to the WSL Warehouse is a sort of callback to the first stage in Double Dragon 1.

[@azforu29]

You know, since youse did this, maybe it would be cool to consider doing River City Knights for the Nintendo 3DS. My personal favorite River City but I cant imagine many people have access to it, unless its on Steam or something. Anyone curious about it though, you love it if like this homie.

[@samt5911]

This is a great game. I never knew about the connection to Dodgeball and Double Dragon. I still have the NES cartridges of this game and Dodgeball and play them once in a while. When my nephew was very young I introduced it to him to these games. He loved playing them even though we had a GameCube, Dreamcast, and PS2 at the time.

[@merlinyesreally]

An absolutely rad undertaking. I wasn't aware of that password, and having max defense for the effort required is ridiculously useful. Thanks UCBVG!

[@gr8gmr]

Yes! I love River City Ransom! I hope you'll also do other River City/Kunio-kun games.

[@paxhumana2015]

Fun facts, in River City Girls 1 and 2, as well as in Double Dragon Neon, a very popular Western and Eastern anime and video game voice actress voices characters in both franchises as well as contributes to the soundtracks to them as well. She also contributes to the Shantae franchise, as well as to Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and to a recent video game adaptation of one of the series that she voices as well.

[@AshBloodfire]

Slick: I have an army. Alex: I have cookies and candy.

[@Nikamato_kun]

- How many times you beat Benny and Clyde? - Yes

[@BigEll6969]

Fun video! Played this often with my sister as a child. I’ve got to say, we NEVER got Fatal Steps. That’s super OP! I loved how you kept saying Stone Fists instead of Stone Hands interchangeably. Good times.

[@crookmcstealie]

I never really played this game but I'm going to watch this video anyway, and I've got to say I really love your channel. I like everything about it, I've been sick with a stomach bug and I can't think of anything I'd rather do right now than lay on the couch and watch you beat video games.

[@PhysicalSciences]

Another worthwhile video the enjoy after completing a massive ton of graduate homework to not be bogged down during Thanksgiving break. As always, love the videos

[@OmniGeno]

My older brother and I played the heck out of this game as kids. We used up so many sheets of paper to write down our passwords.. and they were often incorrect, which is infuriating. But man.. Stone Hands! Dragon Feet! What a great game.

[@PANZERFAUST90]

I have this game on NES and I've always loved it!

[@PolishMuscle1981]

So good to hear an in depth perspective, especially on all of the shops. I never knew how powerful those egg rolls were! 😂

[@anon_y_mousse]

Definitely time to go back and play River City Ransom and all the Double Dragon's again. Loved those games as a kid.

[@travezripley]

I love you so much for playing this for us! One of my fave games as a youth!!! UCBVG ❤❤❤

[@JBM113]

This is in my top 3 favorite NES games. One of my top 3 franchises.

[@ExtinctSS]

YOU FINALLY DID RCR! HELL YEA ONE OF THE BEST NES SOUNDTRACKS!!

[@mountainmgtow5421]

About time you did this one! This is one of the best games ever made! Also, you can eat Take Out orders at the store by selecting "No." when the games asks you if the order is to go. Saves a lot of time.

[@craccbabyy]

SICK bro im so glad i found this channel! i beat slick as a kid but never knew about jinny or the ivan and tex fight option.. replaying this game is awesome

[@cornhustlah]

My brother and friends and I would laugh uncontrollably at the eating animation and the sauna scene. And all the dialog was so clowning * B A R F *

[@akuma2124]

A few tip worth mentioning. In regards to the password screen, you'll notice there's a button on the right that says "swap". In a 2 player game, this basically swaps the stats and inventory of P1 with P2. In a single player game, this still functions, and can double as a second "file" if you want to have a certain build for various boss fights... but more importantly, can save your ass/money, if you're about to die, swap out. If you do it while it says "Alex has lost all his power" the swapped one loses the money. If you do it before this message, and the other profile has sufficient stamina, you'll get up and keep fighting (unless you fell in a pit, of course) you can then swap back and fight on your main (with 0 stam). Additionally, with acro circus, if you get good at using it, there's 2 great techniques. 1 - if you run + jump and hit a enemy with acro on the upward motion of the jump, you can follow it up with a kick on the way down (holding opposite direction to the way you're facing while in the air helps with not drifting far from the enemy). This is sufficient to kill most gang members on novice early game, even with base stats if both hits are within the succession window to knock them down. 2 - if you jump with acro and press kick as you're about to land, your character will do a kick followed by a mini jump, and if you time it right you can kick again and the cycle will repeat infinitely (i think this works without acro circus too, but looks cooler with it, plus you get extra hits in, if you make contact with it). Most gang members stop in place when you jump, so you can literally use this as a slow cheese to across the map without taking damage if there are no background objects to jump on. Shoes - if you equip new shoes and decide to throw them away, your kick and agility drop below the base of 15, so you'll run like half the normal starting speed. On the note of running, if you run and use/throw weapons they do more damage than standing still and using them (once you get your weapon/throw stat about half maxed, this can be noticeable as a running use/throw can instant kill/knockdown, vs a standing that cant). Lastly, you honestly don't need all those learnable techniques to beat the game, if you've already spent the time maxing out your stats. Grand slam + a chain weapon is a godly combination. The chain has one of the best reaches in the game. All the other techniques are good to have to make it super easy, but not necessary. (Final note - I grew up playing this game for years, but I played it on PAL; in a region that called it street gangs, so if any of the above mentioned doesn't work for you, I can only say its a regional difference) [edit] - decided there was another thing worth mentioning - in the video at 22:02 boss fight in WSL, it wasnt mentioned but the timing on those hits are just outside of the 2 hit succession window to knock down a enemy. They're coming out of a dazed state from the first hit but then get hit again (effectively a stun lock) if you time it right, this works on bosses a majority of the time. Some will occasionally snap out of a daze and block/attack, but keeping them in the stun lock can help you win a fight, rather then letting them recover from a 1, 2 hit beat down.

[@L_Train]

Possibly the best NES game, especially if you have a friend to play with.

[@danielblake1537]

I remember i got stuck in this game and couldnt get to the end....😂 i have fond memories of playing this game as a kid and seeing your characters bare butts when they go to the Sauna and me and my neighborhood friend were laughing like school girls over seeing that in a NES game lol😅

[@mragin]

One reason i always get dragon feet first is because in areas with low femces in the background you can stand on them and attack/kill enemies that run up on you

[@EgotisticalPear]

I discovered this game on Wii Virtual Console and it’s since become one of my favorite games

[@glassvial]

Loved this game when I was younger, I had an NES Advantage and turned the turbos on, made this game much easier!

[@donwagner8661]

Awesome guide! I always wondered what Arnold Schwarzenegger's secret was. Now I know....onion rings. Lol

[@jonbourgoin182]

I can't be the only one who enthusiastically says "Alllllriiighhhht!" with him before he starts the game

[@cmfort2696]

I think the term "nes hard" definitely includes the insane password systems. The system almost exemplifies and explains how things are mistranslated over time. The very worst of a password foul up is mistaking O''s for 0's; that's the letter O for the place holder number 0. Among others. Also, in an age where producing a picture was a week-long process. It's crazy how that changed. We literally have gone from physically recording things to digital. Scary. Are we literally no longer seeing our reality through human eyes and the other physical, senses?

[@kylekostamo1880]

Such a classic, one of the GOATS hands down. Epic NES greatness and fun!

[@thatnuccadp]

My son now plays this game years after I was his age and it was my favorite game.

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

5:18 i know thats right. I had to back a bus into a bay tonight and the way its setup, i told the spotter this is like one of those old NES games where you gotta be all super precise or else you fail 😅😂😂😂😂

[@glenngriffon8032]

Loved this game as a kid. I enjoyed it more than Double Dragon but everyone i knew at school said that i was either crazy or they had no idea what RCR was.

[@bloodaonadeline8346]

I got this game in a bargain bin at the video game store in the mall. It was so amazing.

[@heyarnoldce]

You MADMAN! You've done it! Insanely happy for this video!! :D

[@thebiglebowski8468]

Oh my god, this game is my childhood! Thank you for this one, I'm so happy RN

[@chriscripplercruz1833]

Man that made me extremely happy to see ot finally got some love being ranked 15th on the greatest NES games ever made

[@stormykeep9213]

In a time when renting games from the video store was hit or miss, RCR was a BIG hit! I recall when my brother and I reached the final boss fight, and the Double Dragon theme started to play...We practically crapped ourselves! It was so unexpected as we weren't aware of the Technos connection.

[@yazars]

I'm a big fan of RCR (see the walkthrough videos I made years ago) and am happy to see people who still enjoy and remember the game! 🙂

[@definitelynotanAIchatbot]

Loved the couch co-op as a kid.

[@terrydionne1541]

This was one of my favorite games even though I never owned it. Love this!

[@Stormfist02]

This is awesome!! One of my favorite NES games ever. So much fun and so many hours spent on it

[@ARescueToaster]

I never managed to beat the game, but it's stuck with me all these years and it's one of my favorite NES games. Thinking about it now, it's something like a proto-Yakuza / Like a Dragon game

[@AlgaeNymph]

According to the manual, the Squids were the tech nerds if I recall. Pedantry aside, thank you very much for showcasing one of my favorite games. : )