Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story
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Critic Reviews for Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story
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.
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.
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.
Candidly, the story itself is nonsensical in a way that is tough to follow and really kind of non-consequential.
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.
Old-school beat 'em up fans will surely have some fun with Stay Cool, Kobayashi-San! but its repetitive and random nature definitely makes it an ultimately tedious and frustrating experience.
While Stay Cool Kobayashi San! isn't the most in-depth brawler out there, it does provide a good dose of fun for fans of the series and fans of the style alike. Been needing a good beat 'em up? This could definitely scratch that itch!
