River City Ransom EX (2004). Play online

Summary

River City Ransom EX rolls the classic NES brawler onto the Game Boy Advance with brighter graphics and a deeper role‑playing layer. I like how the game still mixes side‑scroll combat with character building – you can level up stats, learn moves, and even dress your fighter in swapped outfits. The Western GBA release arrived in North America in late May 2004, built by the team at Million and published by Atlus.

Unlike the original, true co‑op isn’t available; instead you recruit AI companions or trade your own character data so friends can fight beside you. A battery‑backed save lets you store up to twelve custom characters, preserving their stats, techniques, money and even their appearance, while secret shop items let you remix enemy types and outfit colours. The game also offers on‑the‑fly options—tweaking enemy counts, AI behaviour, or shop‑item reshuffles—and lets you assemble a posse of up to three computer allies, many of which are nods to both the NES boss roster and later Downtown Nekketsu titles.

Storyline

River City Ransom EX follows high‑schoolers Alex and Ryan as they sprint across River City, aiming to reach River City High and rescue Ryan’s girlfriend Cyndi from the villain known as Slick. Along the way they clash with rival student gangs and take down each gang leader, who serve as the game’s bosses.
Several months after Kunio defeated Sabu, twin brothers Ryuuichi and Ryuuji Hattori enroll at Reihou Academy and quickly dominate nearby schools as the feared “Double Dragon Brothers.” When Riki’s girlfriend Mami disappears, Riki receives a challenge from the academy, and Kunio appears outside his school, offering reluctant help to rescue her.