River City Girls 2

About

In "River City Girls 2," the River City Girls team up with newcomers for a co-op beat-'em-up adventure, featuring new abilities, enemies, and locations. Battle foes with guard-crush attacks, lift-off combos, and elemental status effects, and explore a larger River City with a day-night cycle. Play as six characters, each with unique fighting styles, and level up to earn new moves and recruit defeated enemies. Immerse in character-specific VO and an epic soundtrack.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 678 reviews

story27 positive mentions

grinding27 negative mentions

The game features improved combat mechanics, allowing for more fluid combos and juggling of enemies.
The art style and soundtrack are vibrant and engaging, enhancing the overall experience.
The addition of new characters and expanded world provides more content and replayability.

The game suffers from performance issues, including a 30 FPS lock and input lag, especially in online play.
Many quests involve tedious backtracking and fetch tasks, which can disrupt the pacing of the game.
The dialogue and character interactions feel repetitive, lacking the charm and uniqueness of the first game.

story
171 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
81%
4%
The story of "River City Girls 2" is characterized by its humorous and quirky tone, featuring memorable characters and engaging dialogue that keeps players entertained throughout the campaign. However, some players find the narrative direction lacking, with criticisms aimed at its absurdity and disjointed quest structure, particularly the reliance on fetch quests and backtracking. Overall, while the story may not be deeply nuanced, it serves as a lighthearted backdrop for the game's enjoyable combat and vibrant world.
- “A good combat system, six different playable heroes/ines, a cozy open world with upgrade & equip shops, and most importantly — a hilarious story campaign with nice humor and memorable characters.”
- “The plot unfolds through vibrant cutscenes and hilarious dialogue, keeping players invested in the adventure from start to finish.”
- “This series has always been great at not taking itself seriously, and this one continues that with another ridiculous, goofy story that has some top-tier voice acting giving it personality.”
- “Unfortunately, none of the story makes sense.”
- “The main story is a step down from RCG1 at all levels.”
- “The story doesn't need to make 'sense.' The main issue with the story is that it lacks all the charm that the first game had.”
music
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
48%
2%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy and energetic soundtrack that complements the gameplay. While some tracks are recycled from the first game, the new additions are generally well-received, though a few players noted that certain songs can feel repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, enhancing the game's vibrant atmosphere and engaging combat.
- “A superb game in its genre, with stunning pixel graphics and a mind-blowing catchy soundtrack.”
- “Complementing the gorgeous visuals is an energetic soundtrack that perfectly captures the game's frenetic pace.”
- “The soundtrack is full of bangers.”
- “The music is shit and plays dumb muzak songs or whatever her name is almost every chance it gets.”
- “Although an interesting way to develop an area, many of these songs seemed to be on loop far more than necessary, and seemed to go against what I thought was one of the strengths from the prior title.”
- “So it's a shame that sometimes you'll be stuck with the same song for ages and then the other extreme by the end of the game when you'll be moving so fast you'll rarely hear past the first minute of a piece of music.”
gameplay
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
65%
3%
The gameplay of "River City Girls 2" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its addictive beat 'em up mechanics, engaging combo system, and charming visuals. While the game introduces new characters, side quests, and improved combat mechanics, some players find it repetitive and lacking depth compared to its predecessor. Technical issues, such as frame rate drops and loading screens, have also detracted from the overall experience, leading to a consensus that while the game is fun, it still has room for improvement.
- “With its engaging gameplay, charming characters, stunning visuals, and infectious energy, it's a must-play for fans of the beat 'em up genre.”
- “At its core, River City Girls 2 retains the addictive beat 'em up gameplay that made the original so enjoyable.”
- “The gameplay is absolute combo porn and very fun, the writing is hilarious and the soundtrack slaps.”
- “They're essentially trash mob spawns that pop up on every screen of the game, and this is because without this obligatory trash mob hassling you and giving you the potential for XP and money rewards, there would be literally no gameplay here of any kind.”
- “To be honest, I don't know how I fell for this shallow gameplay model in the first place, and in retrospect, I think it's almost entirely the presentation--it tricks you into thinking the game will have far more mechanical depth and even unlock content than it actually does.”
- “I went into this game thinking I'd enjoy it, but to be completely honest, the gameplay needs more character and impact.”
humor
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
5%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players enjoying the witty dialogue, memorable characters, and playful tone that often leads to laughter, especially in co-op play. However, some critiques highlight instances of cringe-worthy writing and repetitive jokes that detract from the overall comedic experience. Overall, while the humor can be hit or miss, it generally adds charm and entertainment to the gameplay, making it a fun experience for many players.
- “A good combat system, six different playable heroes/ines, a cozy open world with upgrade & equip shops, and most importantly — a hilarious story campaign with nice humor and memorable characters.”
- “The plot unfolds through vibrant cutscenes and hilarious dialogue, keeping players invested in the adventure from start to finish.”
- “The writing is very entertaining and funny in my opinion (much like the first game), I wasn't cracking up at every joke but it was always fun to hear the characters talk and interact.”
- “The dialogue was annoying and unfunny, with characters acting unlike themselves.”
- “The attempts at humor fell flat and often felt forced, making the experience more cringeworthy than entertaining.”
- “I found the jokes to be stale and repetitive, lacking any real wit or creativity.”
graphics
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
55%
5%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning pixel art, vibrant colors, and charming character designs, which enhance the overall aesthetic experience. Many reviewers noted the improvements in animation and detail compared to the previous installment, while some expressed mixed feelings about the art style's blend of American and Japanese influences. Overall, the visuals are described as engaging and well-suited to the game's energetic gameplay, complemented by a catchy soundtrack.
- “A superb game in its genre, with stunning pixel graphics and a mind-blowing catchy soundtrack.”
- “The hand-drawn art style is bursting with detail and personality, bringing the vibrant city of River City to life in stunning fashion.”
- “The art style is so vibrant, cute, detailed, and gorgeous; it makes me want to get into pixel art.”
- “The art style is a mix of American and Japanese, and it doesn't always look good depending on the character.”
- “The graphical art is hit or miss.”
- “Ugly as hell, what even is the art style here?”
grinding
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
3%
93%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the repetitive nature of farming enemies for currency and experience, while others find it tedious and hollow, especially in single-player mode. Many critiques highlight the excessive backtracking, tedious side quests, and poorly designed boss fights that detract from the overall experience, making grinding feel more like a chore than a rewarding gameplay mechanic. Despite these issues, some players appreciate the potential for fun in cooperative play and the balance of money and leveling that can make grinding feel less burdensome.
- “I've collected all recruits and their special last 2 variants. All that's left is to collect all the achievements, and it'll be onto the fun plays where it's all just deaths and not farming money and moves because of how impossibly fun this game's combat is.”
- “There's a huge potential this game could still be mindless fun if you don't mind farming mobs or just want to press buttons while hanging with a friend... but as an actual gameplay experience, especially single player, this feels hollow to the extent that it's almost fraudulent, and given my recent experience with other WayForward titles, it has me placing serious doubt on their pedigree as a developer overall.”
- “Or how the game was designed to have not only a huge amount of tedious collectible side quests, involving mundane things like, 'break every single destructible object in an area to get a purple card drop' to far more unforgivable ones where there are completely hidden doors with no icons or visual cues, while also being completely off the map or in areas no one would normally even think you could access, such as specifically wall-jumping on a high ledge to bounce onto a powerline cable, and walking over to a background door.”
- “In its current state, River City Girls 2 is a painful experience due to the constantly dying frame rate, though the actual gameplay seems fun and the story interesting, the fact that just trying to fight one enemy can become tedious from the fact the game can barely handle itself. I hope WayForward fixes this quickly, as currently this is an extremely disappointing start to a sequel that I was very excited for.”
optimization
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
55%
24%
The game's optimization has seen significant improvements following a performance update that addressed initial issues like 30 fps locks and stuttering, making it more playable for many users. However, some players report that this update altered game mechanics, affecting combos and hit physics, leading to frustration. While the beta version has been praised for enhancing performance, minor issues still persist for some players, highlighting a mixed reception regarding overall optimization.
- “Update: since writing this review, there has been a performance patch released that fixes the 30 fps issues mentioned in this review.”
- “The beta significantly improves performance, to the point where I wish that was the version that released first.”
- “The game is fantastic now that the performance on PC has been fixed; I can wholeheartedly recommend it to all beat-em-up fans out there!”
- “The caveat comes in when this game launched; it was not only locked at 30fps but it had baked-in stuttering.”
- “Performance is all over the place and makes the game unplayable.”
- “The game's frame issue has finally been optimized!”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
"River City Girls 2" boasts strong replayability due to its multiple difficulty levels, unlockable characters, and distinct movesets for each of the six playable characters, encouraging players to explore different playstyles. However, some users note limitations in replayability due to the lack of diverse game modes and the linear nature of the story mode, which restricts the number of playthroughs per save slot. Overall, while the game offers engaging mechanics and humor, its replay value may be hindered by its current structure and multiplayer options.
- “With multiple difficulty levels, unlockable characters, and secret areas to discover, 'River City Girls 2' offers plenty of replay value.”
- “This is an amazing and fun game; it has simple mechanics and yet they are quite fun, and there is a lot of replayability with the extra characters you get, if only to see the changes in attitude.”
- “The game has six characters with very fleshed-out movesets, which makes it pretty replayable and surprisingly deep.”
- “There are not any other game modes besides story mode at this time, so only allowing 2 story mode plays per save slot seems to limit replayability.”
- “Regardless, I think a linear map design would be better and more replayable, especially for multiplayer, than trying to be an underwhelming metroidvania.”
- “New minigames are not replayable (yet?) without doing a new run.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
92%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing minor freezes, soft locks, and various in-game bugs that occasionally disrupt gameplay. While many report a generally stable experience without crashes, others highlight significant issues such as animation locks and frame-rate drops, particularly during boss fights. Overall, while improvements have been made since the first game, stability remains a concern for some users.
- “The game runs great on Steam Deck!”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs; the stability is impressive.”
- “The performance is smooth, and I can play for hours without any issues.”
- “I've had minor freezes after boss fights and a soft lock where cut scenes failed to play - but losing all my progress is the final nail for me to say, yes the potential for the game to fail and require all data to be lost does ruin it and make me not recommend a game.”
- “It had a rough start due to constant frame-rate drops and glitches here and there.”
- “Other issues in the game include the usual bugs and glitches, like being animation-locked in a jumping pose, so you lose the ability to literally fight unless you restart the game.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Character development in the game is highlighted by its colorful and distinct character designs, which contribute to an aesthetically fun and charming experience. Players appreciate the engaging voice acting and entertaining gameplay, complemented by a strong narrative and humorous writing, making the characters memorable and enjoyable. Overall, the combination of visual appeal, gameplay mechanics, and character depth enhances the overall gaming experience.
- “The art style and character design is aesthetically fun and charming.”
- “The tight gameplay, the world, the funny writing, the immaculate OST and character designs; I would literally buy this game twice—no, thrice—no, four times.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The atmosphere of River City Girls is characterized by a light-hearted and playful tone that enhances its memorable experience. Reviewers appreciate how this carefree vibe, complemented by engaging music, contributes significantly to the game's overall charm and enjoyment.
- “It's a perfect fit for the game's atmosphere and is largely responsible for making this game memorable.”
- “What I find special about River City Girls is its light-hearted atmosphere that doesn't take itself too seriously.”
- “We need more games with tone and atmosphere like this.”
- “Nothing beats the atmosphere and the music either!”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is marked by a sense of heartbreak over its current state, despite the recognition of its incredible potential. Reviewers express a deep connection to the series, indicating that the game's flaws are particularly poignant given its strengths.
- “It's even more heartbreaking because, as I said, I think this game is incredible, and when it gets fixed, I have no issues recommending it.”
- “It's heartbreaking to see where it has sent the series.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
Reviews indicate a strong negative sentiment towards the monetization strategy, with users criticizing the game as a "soulless cash grab" and expressing frustration over the absence of microtransactions, suggesting a desire for a more genuine gaming experience.
- “There are zero microtransactions, which makes the experience much more enjoyable.”
- “I appreciate that the game has no microtransactions at all.”
- “The absence of microtransactions really enhances the overall gameplay.”
- “I just can't with this soulless cash grab, dude.”
- “Zero microtransactions.”