And that carries through the entire experience. There are threads of interesting ideas weaved within, but largely don’t compliment each other or get sewn into a more cohesive larger picture. Stuff like the swapping of allies in battle could have been more compelling or the diverse move set could have been more effective in a better game, but this is not that better game.
STAY COOL, KOBAYASHI-SAN!: A RIVER CITY RANSOM STORY
Arc System Works · Nov 7, 2019
About
A short while after the events of "Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari"... Reiho High School, where the battle took place, has these Big Four, who are feared by all the others schools around. And at the top of the Big Four, reigns only one man: Masao Kobayashi. Here's one of his stories. Back in middle school, a mysterious event led him to meet a boy named Mizoguchi, who was actually a Time Regulator, going after an evil organization that has disrupted the time-space equilibrium.
Trailers & screenshots
Scores by platform
Critic reviews
- Overall, Stay Cool Kobayashi-san! may not be what some devotees of the Kunio-kun/River City series are looking for after what the fantastic River City Girls delivered a few months prior. The 16-bit retro beat ‘em up is simple to dive into but quickly becomes dull and forgettable. At a short length to complete, it barely had enough to hold one interest after the final boss fight. Even with various endings, you can go through, there’s little to no incentive to unlock them all out of sheer curiosity.
- 5.0While some will no doubt find enjoyment in beating up goons in Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!, most will find it overly repetitive and a tad too obscure. With its basic combat, small pool of enemies and often unfair bosses, there’s little here to pull Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san! out of mediocrity. Its saving grace is that it’s relatively cheap, so you won’t feel too let down by its short running time should you decide to take the plunge.
- If your first introduction to the Kunio-kun series was River City Girls, I can’t say this game is for you, but if you can speedrun River City Ransom and want an “old-new” challenge, this may just be up your alley.
- I really like that its short duration was perfect for multiple playthroughs, but its story is nowhere near as engaging as its female-led predecessor, nor is its combat. I still recommend it if you’re into beat ’em ups. This is a very competent game with nice graphics and a neat gameplay loop. Just make sure to know that there are other better River City games out there, one of which was released just a few months ago.
- 5.0Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story is a mundane beat 'em up that's held aloft by a couple clever ideas. The combat is fun at first, but the doldrums set in long before completing the first of potentially many play-throughs. Some fights, particularly the finale, definitely could've used a few tweaks. Still, figuring out the fastest route to the end is really cool. It gives the adventure a tinge of replay-value. However, unless you "have" to play every game in the River City Ransom canon, then this won't catch your interest.
Related games
Rate this game
Drag or use arrow keys to rate
to rate this game.