- For the Game Boy Advance remake see River City Ransom EX.
River City Ransom (ダウンタウン熱血物語, Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari?, "Downtown Nekketsu Story", known as "Street Gangs" in Europe) is part of the Downtown Special series. Unlike other beat-'em-ups of the era it features a largely free-roam environment, reusable weapons, and a shopping system.
The plot is simple: Slick has kidnapped Ryan's girlfriend, and has recruited gangs from the local high school to take over the River City. Alex and Ryan must fight their way into the school to rescue her, and save the city from Slick's cronies.
River City Ransom was ported to two systems. The Super CD port uses Redbook music and digital sound effects as well as improved graphics, while the X68000 version features an expanded game world. The game was later significantly redesigned by a different publisher, Atlus, for the Game Boy Advance and released as River City Ransom EX.