Original Japanese Kunio-kun release is quite better than the "River City Ransom" version of it, so keep in mind that when I'm rating this I'm giving the score to the original Japanese version of it, not to the heavily cut and altered "River City Ransom".

Man, this game was SO ahead of its time. Damn good visuals, an invigorating soundtrack, and solid controls. By those three qualities, it would be just a good game, but River City Ransom had what I think many beat-'em-ups could've had to improve: an intricate RPG system. While not traditional and EXP-driven, the ability to improve your stats and learn new moves through buying products in the numerous stores is a fresh change of pace, even by today's standards. It even includes a very well done cameo by two famous brawling brothers, which is a nice touch. While there are finicky jumps and cheap difficulty, the worst crime is the unbelievably long passwords (64 characters). This is a game you NEED to play... on the Virtual Console.

While this was quite a successful attempt at merging RPG with Beat 'em up, some control problems, uneven difficulty, and odd design choices hold it back for me. Cheap hits occur as projectiles fly in from off screen and upon entering some areas an enemy will spawn right behind you, getting a free hit. As for design choices, running up against a wall knocks you over and even drains health. Now these problems might not sound so bad, but due to the loose camera your reaction window is minimal while moving. Finally, once you get a certain move that's pretty much all you'll need (even though there are many to choose from) since it's so strong, and the final boss is actually weaker than the one before him, making the fight a bit anticlimactic.