On one hand, having all of River City laid out before you is liberating. No matter the character, all battles take place across the expansive open world of River City Girls 2, which, like the sandbox of its predecessor, is both a blessing and a curse. The former fights with heavy-hitting boxing and wrestling moves while the latter dances around the battlefield with nimble Capoeira-style attacks.

Newcomers Marian and Provie are especially interesting.

Best of all, each character has its own move-set and fighting style. Adding some extra nuance to the fighting framework are melee/projectile weapons and recruits you can deploy in battle. This sequel introduces new moves, and places a greater emphasis on aerial combat, leading to some spectacular combos. As one of six different playable characters, you'll brawl with baddies along a 2D plane, deploying punches, kicks, dash attacks, special moves, launchers, throws, and more. The beat-'em-up combat was the best part of the first game, and remains the highlight here. In some areas, however, you'll crave that that sensation of déjà vu, particularly when it comes to the moment-to-moment action of River City Girls 2. The game introduces new bosses, quests, multiplayer options, and playable characters - more than enough to justify its existence - but it's hard to shake the feeling of déjà vu. In fact, you'll see many of the same spots, people, and enemies during your adventure. This new zone is especially beneficial because River City Girls 2 reuses several locations from the previous game. There's even a brand new neighborhood in the city where you can explore Technōs HQ. You'll buy donuts and strudel from Shadow Billy of Double Dragon II, complete a fetch quest for Skullmageddon of Double Dragon Neon, and recruit Sol Badguy of Guilty Gear fame in the New Game Plus. River City feels like a melting pot of beloved heroes, villains, and side characters from previous titles in the Technōs canon and elsewhere. River City Girls 2 is much more interested in world-building and in creating an absorbing place populated with big personalities and guest characters from old Technōs games. Yet story is clearly not the priority for the developers at WayForward. The central narrative in River City Girls 2, like the plot-line from the original, is nothing to write home about. After that, they do what they do best: explore the city streets, knock heads, deliver plenty of sarcastic teenage dialogue, and casually attempt to take down a sprawling criminal syndicate.

When unlikely high-school heroines Misako and Kyoko head to the mall to get the latest video game, they run straight into the ongoing occupation. The family members of the big bad from River City Girls have attempted a takeover of River City, installing legions of yakuza and several bosses to maintain control. River City Girls 2 takes place a few months after the end of the first game. Is it enough, though, to rank among the best beat-'em-ups of the year? This follow-up to River City Girls takes what was good (and not-so-good) about the original and expands upon it, adding new zones, moves, characters, and multiplayer options. Now, thanks to WayForward's tongue-in-cheek sequel, River City Girls 2, they can once again fight yakuza in the streets of River City. Over the last 12 months, players have fought a lot of bad guys in a lot of different locations, including goblins underground, kaiju in Toronto, and Rock Soldiers in Dimension X. By Evan Norris, posted on 22 December 2022 / 3,376 ViewsĢ022 has been quite a year for co-op beat-'em-ups.

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