River City Girls 2 - Switch Review
"Blends in the nuances of the fighting games that Arc System Works are known for."
Three years after its predecessor’s release, WayForward have come forth with River City Girls 2 where, just like before, you’ll brawl your way as Misako and Kyoko, alongside now playable Kunio and Riki. When an old foe returns, you’ll duke it out in classic beat ‘em up style that harkens back to the arcade times of yesteryear.
The Good
Arc System Works brings forth their expertise in fighting games to River City Girls 2 as combat feels wonderfully fluid, with a plethora of different moves and ways to combo and aerial juggle enemies. As you unlock more moves, you're able to break through guards, use special attacks, and make use of weapons more effectively. Combat can be increased as well with stat buffs whenever you have food items for the first time, as well as new moves and equipment, all of which can be purchased through the variety of stores in the world.
The art is inspired by comics and anime and is very clean all over, with a consistent style throughout the world and characters. Speaking of which, the characters are also brought to life with stellar voice performances all-round, featuring returning NPCs still voiced by their respective YouTubers. It's a delight trying to pick out who is who while the main cast sells the attitude and vibe of their characters perfectly.
TL;DR
- Excellent combat system
- Highly stylised art
- Top notch voice performances
The Bad
The only real downside to River City Girls 2 is how much money you need to purchase all the equipment, moves, and stat increases, which requires a lot of time to build up by defeating the random spawns on every screen. Items can be made cheaper through the purchase of a smart watch at the correct store, but you need $1000 for that in the first place.
The grind for money also makes travelling take longer because you feel it necessary to defeat every enemy you come across for more money, especially while you need to go back-and-forth from point-to-point for quests.
TL;DR
- Can be a bit of a grind for money
- Lots of back and forth
Final Score: 9/10
River City Girls 2 is an incredible addition to the beat ‘em up genre that blends in the nuances of the fighting games that Arc System Works are known for. The art style is just to die for, with the characters being brought to life with some stellar voice performances. While the grind for money and the back-and-forth from different points on the map can drag on, it doesn't deter from the overall experience.
Thank you for checking out our River City Girls 2 Switch review, thank you to WayForward for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:
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