Since its release 35 years ago today,River City Ransomhas enjoyed a remarkable cultural turnaround.
For much of its existence, though,River City Ransomwas often simply considered a cult classic.
It was always a strange little game that not everyone immediately gelled with.
Many critics and fans throughout the years have expressed mixed feelings towards the title.
Others have been far more negative.
Then again, the more mixed receptions to the game over the years really shouldnt be too surprising.
At a glance, it looked just likeDouble-Dragon: the beat-em-up title that most obviously influencedRiver City Ransoms development.
Beyond the Where am I supposed to go?
The most logical path forward may be filled with enemies that you are not yet capable of defeating.
In that sense,River City Ransomis actually a bit more linear than it may initially appear to be.
It was a seemingly simple twist that felt positively inspired in its day.
It was, by just about any definition, fundamentally an action game.
That combination of real-time combat and character growth was still largely limited to a new generation of ARPGs.
The situation now is quite different.
If anything, its jarring to play a modern action title that doesnt offer some version of that idea.
The evolution of the action genre has forced us to viewRiver City Ransomin a different light.
If anything, its gotten a bit better over the years.
Yet, that same quality has further complicatedRiver City Ransoms historically complicated legacy.
Youre not alone if you shudder at the sight of yet another bare-bones skill tree in an action game.
The less said about games that use such systems as an excuse to push microtransactions, the better.
