1991-07-26
Downtown Special: Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki Dayo Zenin Shuugou! is the Japan-exclusive sequel to River City Ransom. It improves upon its predecessor across the board with better graphics, more music, new attacks, more advanced stages, and a much larger world map. Additionally, when you play in single player you have an AI-controlled teammate to simulate co-op gameplay.
This game seems to be a stage play put on by Kunio and friends, thus the medieval Japan setting. The guys over at http://www.romhacking.net made a fantastic fan translation of this game that maintains the story and tone of the original. Check it out!
Jidaigeki is a good follow-up to River City Ransom, and it's understandable yet a shame it didn't get ported over to the US. The new attacks and more advanced areas go a long way to spice up the gameplay, but the new system where you track down enemies can get somewhat tedious. The graphics and sound are excellent, but there is quite a bit of lag.
