River City Rival Showdown (Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari SP in Japan) is a remake of River City Ransom (or Downtown Hot-Blooded Story Special) with more of an emphasis on the plot. The characters' motivations and backstories are much more elaborated.
In Nekketsu High School; there is no stronger Delinquent than Kunio who uses his might to protect the school. He's even taken on the Yakuza! One night while walking, he gets attacked by two mysterious martial arts users. The fight is prevented a conclusion by the arrival of the police; but this is the start of a 3-day set of events that will pit Kunio against multiple schools, waves of delinquents, and mysterious psychic force that is brainwashing students into mindless fighters.
The game was released on October 27, 2016 in Japan and November 21, 2017 in other regions for Nintendo 3DS. A remastered version for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows with online play and various other new additions was released on October 11, 2023.
This game has examples of:
- Artifact Title: There is no "River City."
- Another Side, Another Story: Beating the game with the true ending unlocks Yamada's campaign, detailing his rise to prominence prior to the game's beginning.
- The remaster also adds "Riki's Story" missions to single-player after beating the game's true ending, revealing what Riki was up to in-between meeting him across the regular story, which can culminate in an entirely different ending sequence.
- Blood Knight: Both Mochizuki of Reiho's Elite Four and Godai are just there to fight and have fun.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Something is doing this to students from all the schools. The worst of it happens to Onizuka who Used to Be a Sweet Kid.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Godai is peculiar in his mannerisms but doesn't have actual malice.
- Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Goda is the only person Godai looks up to and will listen to.
- Continuity Reboot: The events of the game are roughly same as River City Ransom but elaborated on to an extent of being a new game.
- Elite Four: The "Shitteno" ("Four Heavenly Kings") of Reiho High School.
- 11th-Hour Superpower: In the secret ending, Kunio gains a type of power to counter Yamada's
- Expy: The Dragon Twins have always been this for the other Dragon Brothers; even having their background music. But it's taken to another level when their special ability actually let's them channel Billy and Jimmy Lee in a Freeze-Frame Bonus.
- Harder Than Hard: "Tough As Nails" mode.
- Honey Trap: Taira attempts to lure Kunio into one, hiring a hostess girl to feign being a Reiho student interested in Kunio as his flunkies ambush him and attempt to film a viral video that would destroy his reputation.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: Kunio is not going to be able to beat the Dragon Twins at the start of the game. Whether he loses or staves off the inevitable, he is saved by the arrival of the police. To a lesser extent, the Wrestlers during the first day as well.
- Item-Drop Mechanic: Partially randomized, but students can drop equipment, money, health restores, and buffs. They increase in value and Rare Random Drop the higher difficulty you play.
- Multiple Endings: The game has a total of 4 endings, 5 in the remastered version, that can be obtained depending on your actions in the game. Though notably, only two of them count as completing the game.
- Variant Ending: Playing through the game without beating all four of the Reiho Four, and Kunio is forced to fight at Nekketsu High on the final day on his own against an onslaught of Reiho students, ending with a battle against Kobayashi, his troops, Onizuka and The Dragon Twins at the same time.
- Weird Ending: Defeating all of the Reiho Four but failing to catch any mention of Yamada will have Kunio and Riki storm Reiho High, ending with a fight against the Dragon Twins.
- Story Mode Complete: Performing the same as the above but managing to hear about Yamada will have Kunio and Riki face off against him at the end after the Dragon Twins, ala the original River City Ransom/Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari.
- Golden Ending: Befriending all notable NPCs, defeating all of the Reiho Four and learning all the backstory of Reiho High changes the assault on Reiho High to include many of the non-Reiho characters assisting Kunio and Riki as the climb the tower, causing Yamada to reappear after defeating him at the top of the school, going berserk and having one final battle on the schoolgrounds.
- Riki's Story Ending: Completing all of Riki's Story missions allows the player to select Riki's Story for the final day, where Riki climbs Reiho High by himself to hang his belt at the top of the tower to make a wish, as various other characters impede him to take the wish for themselves.
- The Paragon: Goda is one of the nicest guys in the series, and is only working for Reiho because they are threatening his sister.
- Secret Shop: A staple of Kunio-kun, these won't have anything in them until you get into New Game Plus and the contents depend on which difficulties you have beaten.
- Snake Oil Salesman: Multiple characters around town are selling party tickets for a big party in the future, which is quickly revealed to be a ploy by Reiho to scam any willing participants. In particular, Sawaguchi and Nishimura are encountered trying to push them onto Kunio.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Hasebe gives one to Kunio if you fail to meet the requirements that lead him to storm Reiho Academy, saying how he spent too much time fooling around and now Reiho is attacking Nekketsu High as a result.
- Timed Mission: Kunio has three days, consisting of 3pm to 11pm. Certain events only happen at certain times; but after the three day period is up; Kunio must go into the end-game. Fortunately New Game Plus takes some of the sting out of this. The Secret Shop does have special clothing that can slow or stop time, if you beat Beginner Mode and Tough as Nails respectively.
- True Final Boss: Yamada who goes berserk after seeing Kunio become beloved by everyone.
- Took a Level in Badass: Yamada has gone from having barely any context to a sinister psychic force capable of brainwashing students in addition to having Mind over Matter.
