River City Girls 2

 Switch
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Starbit
    Jan 13, 2023
    90
    Its additions make what was an already slick and fun experience even better, and the open world maps now bring a dimension of exploration, which coupled with a gorgeous visual environment, a very fitting soundtrack, and a finely executed co-op multiplayer all contribute to make River City Girls 2 a bright gem in the Nintendo Switch catalogue.
  2. Atomix
    Dec 24, 2022
    90
    Despite not being the expected genre revolution, River City Girls 2 is a fantastic sequel. WayForward improves every element possible, and pays homage to Kunio-kun's legacy.
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Mar 30, 2023
    85
    If you're unsure if you want to take the plunge, the less expensive prequel is a great way to test the waters. If you get through it and end up hungry for a much bigger burg to brawl in, and can stomach a few technical hiccups, you'll more than get your money's worth with this full-throated, knuckle-dusting follow-up. [Issue #64 – March/April 2023, p. 31]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Vgames
    Feb 23, 2023
    85
    River City Girls 2 tries to take the Beat-em-up genre to the next level with a plethora of improvements that for the most part pay off greatly. What an incredible game by WayForward.
  6. Hobby Consolas
    Dec 13, 2022
    84
    Changes here and there make this new installment feel fresh and atractive. Long exploration may not appeal some gamers, but the rest will feel the joy of pixel-art.
  7. SpazioGames
    Dec 29, 2022
    83
    Bigger and better perfectly fits for River City Girls 2, that manages to improve what the previous entry achieved.
  8. NintendoWorldReport
    Dec 21, 2022
    80
    If you liked River City Girls, you’ll probably like River City Girls 2. It’s mostly the same thing, just way more of it. The new characters are fun, the city is much larger, there are way more quests, and the story has higher stakes. The minigames are a great new addition, boss fights are tough but fun, and oh man, that soundtrack.
  9. GamingTrend
    Dec 13, 2022
    80
    If you're a fan of beat em up games and the first River City game you'll most likely enjoy River City Girls 2 and all if not, you will still enjoy the game if you can ignore its few annoyances.
  10. The Mako Reactor
    Dec 15, 2022
    75
    River City Girls 2 should've been a slam dunk release by building on the excellent original and supporting online multiplayer with cross platform play, but it is held back by the gameplay feeling sluggish compared to the original thanks to a lower frame rate target. The music, voice acting, and boss fights are excellent though. Hopefully the performance can be addressed in future updates.
  11. TouchArcade
    Jan 3, 2023
    70
    River City Girls 2 is more River City Girls, with all the good and bad that implies. The expanded playable roster and some minor gameplay tweaks are appreciated, along with the ability to play with others online, but so much here is the same that you probably don’t even need to read a review to know if you’ll like it or not. Want another reason to stomp around River City with Misako and Kyoko? Here it is. Looking for the next great brawler after Shredder’s Revenge? You’ll have to keep waiting.
  12. Nintendo Life
    Dec 13, 2022
    70
    River City Girls 2 is more River City Girls, feeling less like a full-fledged sequel and more like a RCG 1.5. Switch-related performance issues aside, it was still a great time to return to River City thanks to its phenomenal music and voice acting, sharp writing, gorgeous sprite work, fun new characters, and satisfying combo-based gameplay, but at launch it feels a patch or two away from greatness. If you loved the original as we did, you’re bound to like this follow-up, and we hope the team at Wayforward gets more time and money to really expand the series for a third entry.
  13. Pure Nintendo
    Jan 11, 2023
    65
    River City Girls 2 almost ticks all the boxes: fun gameplay mixed with anime-style aesthetics and a humorous story. The jarring loading screens between each playable area annoyingly slow the pacing. It’s enjoyable, it’s just not as smooth as it should be.
  14. Hey Poor Player
    Dec 13, 2022
    60
    River City Girls 2 does a lot right. With fantastic presentation, an incredibly exciting soundtrack, and tons of creativity and variety, all of the elements are here for a classic beat ‘em up. Poor performance, though, really brings the experience down, being an almost constant thorn in your side. It’s by no means unplayable, and I still had a fair amount of fun along the way, but this feels like a game that wasn’t ready to release yet. Hopefully, after a few patches, we’ll be talking about it being the great game it could be, but for now, know what you’re getting yourself into.

Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Best Switch Game of 2022
78
#78 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 5 out of 11
  1. shearow
    Dec 30, 2022
    9
    Really fun beat em up game that's just a better version of of the first game in the best ways. The multiplayer aspect is what really brings itReally fun beat em up game that's just a better version of of the first game in the best ways. The multiplayer aspect is what really brings it up a notch but I feel like that's most games in this genre. Game controls similar to the first but just a little better that helps you feel more control of the character you're playing. If you like beat em up games I definitely reccomend it!… Full Review »
  2. Promotheus
    Dec 21, 2022
    7
    I thought the first game was awesome and a breath of fresh air. I’m not a big beat ’em up-fan, but RCG reinvented the genre and made it muchI thought the first game was awesome and a breath of fresh air. I’m not a big beat ’em up-fan, but RCG reinvented the genre and made it much less repetitive.

    Part Deux as it were is more than anything more of the same, which is fine. I feel generally that the quality is less inspired than in the first one over the board. The biggest problems are the much lower framerate and the long loading times. Going from a smooth 60 fps to 30 is a considerable downgrade. I can’t for the life of me understand why this was done though, this is a pixel art game, same goes for the loading times. I seriously doubt this is something a patch can fix. Highly suspect it’s poor optimization which would be tied to the source code.

    Here are some other improvements I’d like to see:

    * A reworked map. You have to look at the map a lot, there really should be a mini map on the HUD. And often the map does not correspond to how the game works. There will be an exit to the side when it’s actually on top etc.

    * A cancel button. When doing the ”combos” by repeatedly pressing punch, you can often tell that you are going to get hit long before it happens.

    I loved the music in the first game and listened to it long after I had stopped playing the game. There is nothing wrong with the music in RCG 2, but it doesn’t have the banger factor that the first one had.

    It’s nice with new characters, but I would’ve liked at least one more womanly character. The ones we got now are both butch. Bosses are fine but they are more about dodging and getting your pot shots in, than a straight up fist fight. If you liked the first one definitely check RCG 2 out.    … Full Review »
  3. shin777
    Dec 17, 2022
    0
    Game is fun and soundtrack is incredible. The problem is that the open world is so bad on this kind of games. We are litteraly walking betweenGame is fun and soundtrack is incredible. The problem is that the open world is so bad on this kind of games. We are litteraly walking between zones for 5 min after each missions, plus the low framerate and load screes its so horrible.
    You too should focus on the main game and dont make any secondary missions, they are a lose of time to do.
    And idk why but we oneshoted the final boss even when we didnt do any secondary mission    … Full Review »
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