Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story

 Switch
Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story Image
Metascore
46

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Awaiting 2 more ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: Stay Cool, Kobayashi-San!: A River City Ransom Story is a time-traveling, beat’em up set in the Kunio-kun universe. The game features an fun open-ended fighting system with multiple endings depending on the choices you make in the game.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 6
  3. Negative: 2 out of 6
  1. Nintendo Life
    Nov 17, 2019
    60
    Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story is an interesting entry in a genre that is experiencing a revival of sorts on the Switch thanks to the ever-increasing number of re-releases and brand new experiences. Long-time Kunio fans will find this a rewarding and worthy experience, but newcomers – or anyone who wants to jump into this series – should opt for the far superior River City Girls instead. The time we spent with Kobayashi-san was fun, but a bit repetitive; the franchise can do much better than this, but it's a neat little side-story nonetheless.
  2. GameSpew
    Nov 18, 2019
    50
    While 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.
  3. Cubed3
    Nov 27, 2019
    50
    Stay 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.
  4. NintendoWorldReport
    Jan 7, 2020
    50
    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.
  5. Pure Nintendo
    Nov 20, 2019
    40
    Sadly lacking all the options seen in previous entries, Stay Cool Kobayashi-san! may entertain longtime Kunio-kun fans but others will find it bare bones and forgettable.
  6. TheGamer
    Dec 15, 2019
    20
    There's no reason to bother with this game. In fact, there's already been a great River City Ransom game released this year that completely blows this out of the water. River City Girls is a fantastic game that honors the series' legacy, has amazing music and characters, and features gameplay that's actually enjoyable. Play that instead, because Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story is about as far away from cool as you can get.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. TheRateDude
    Nov 8, 2019
    8
    A short game, like it's predecessor, River City Ransom (Took about 2 hours to complete my first run) but with multiple endings. You chose aA short game, like it's predecessor, River City Ransom (Took about 2 hours to complete my first run) but with multiple endings. You chose a character at the beginning. You can make Kobayashi's friend, boyfriend, or girlfriend, and he's fighting to rescue that character. You can play as Kobayashi, along with series regulars Kunio, & the Dragon Twins, or newcomer Mizoguchi all with their own move set, which keeps the game from feeling stale while you play through it. You don't level up or eat food to increase your stats like in most Kunio-Kun games, but it doesn't make the game more difficult or anything. It was a fun romp and even though it's just a tedious brawler I feel myself craving it again for another ending.… Expand