River City Girls 2 takes place around where the first game ends. Kyoko and Misako defeat Sabuko, a yakuza member who they thought had their boyfriends. Now that Kunio and Riki are rescued, Kyoko and Misako want to get back to normal. Unfortunately, defeating Sabuko meant making an enemy of her father who is the head of the yakuza.
Kyoko and Misako get kicked out of school because of the yakuza and chill for two months before they decide to clean up the town of yakuza scum who are ruining things. That’s the basic plot of River City Girls 2. Does it innovate past the original, or is it a subpar successor? Let’s figure out this latest brawler’s pros and cons.
8 Best: Satisfying Combat
The combat in River City Girls 2 is just as good as it was in the last game. Not much has changed with the biggest addition allowing players to recruit villains. After pummeling them within an inch of their life, enemies will sometimes plead for their lives. Players can have up to two summonable allies at a time, and the rest will await orders back at the hideout. It’s a small touch to help improve an otherwise already solid brawler.
7 Worst: Not Much New
The recruitable villains are about it as far as new combat additions go. There are new playable characters too, six playable characters in total, which is great and there are new locations to explore. A lot of the map is recycled though, making this game feel more like a half-step sequel instead of a full-blown one.
This lack of mind-blowing new content may not bother some fans that just want to get into a new brawler or be in a game with the spunky likes of Kyoko and Misako again. Others may be hoping River City Girls 2 will be just as revolutionary as the original which is just not the case here.
6 Best: The Opening Movie
While short, the opening anime movie is sick, accompanied by a fun song to set the mood. It harkens back to games of the 90s, like on PS1, that would open with a fancy CG cutscene or an animated one. The game looks good enough on its own with pixelated graphics.
The anime intro is just a nice touch. The rest of the cutscenes in River City Girls 2 are either told in-game with animated portraits or through manga panels. The story may not be original but the presentation in the game, overall, is a dream.
5 Worst: The Widescreen Aspect
This game is presented in widescreen with character stats being in the upper region of the black bar while the bottom bar is reserved for subtitles. It’s a unique look for a brawler, but it is puzzling since black bars are reserved for more cinematic games.
The Order 1886, for example, used them to give the game a more prestigious quality. It worked for that title but it feels misplaced in River City Girls 2 as it did in the original as well. For such a good-looking indie pixel game, it’s a shame so much of it is hidden behind this aspect ratio.
4 Best: Classic Co-Op
Players can rejoice because co-op is an option in the game. It’s not only an option, it’s almost a requirement. Kyoko and Misako talk to each other constantly and it feels weird to not see one of them onscreen if playing solo.
The game is also difficult going at it alone, so the more players join, the easier things will become. Players can play couch co-op with up to three other people while online co-op is reserved for just two people total. The lack of a full online co-op roster is a tragedy, but overall the options are good.
3 Worst: Some Technical Setbacks
The worst part about the game is some technical setbacks. The more characters appear onscreen, the more hectic the frame rate can get. It doesn’t look at bad as the frame rate does in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet, but the lack of smoother animations is noticeable.
This is true on the newer consoles like PS5. Even the load times can be a bit long as one appears transitioning from screen to screen. They are a few seconds at most which isn’t terrible, but they add up since shops count as well. Finally, moving characters around can feel stiff, almost like playing a tank control game akin to the old.
2 Best: Charming Characters
Again, the story isn’t going to be anything spectacular for a brawler. This time around Kyoko and Misako have to stop the yakuza from taking over their town as previously mentioned. The plot may be thin, but the characters are oozing with personality.
This is true of the NPCs and villains players will meet but the true gems of River City Girls 2 are Kyoko and Misako once again. Kyoko has a dopey, cutesy demeanor while Misako is just pissed off at everything. They’re a great duo which is why the original felt as fresh as it did.
1 Best: Killer Music
The soundtrack is banging as ever thanks to composer Megan McDuffee returning. The soundtrack has a great mix of pop, rap, punk, and rock. Some songs have lyrics while others are more classical for a brawler.
One will not want to play this game on mute as headphones are more than recommended. The audio design overall in the game is fantastic from the music to the sound effects to the voices. The voice cast is a big reason why the characters are so likable.
River City Girls 2 was released on December 15, 2022, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.