Ever since River City Girls 2 was announced during last years E3, I have been eager to jump back into its world and see all of its colorful characters and learn all of their stylish moves. Luckily I won’t have to wait long. After playing a 30-minute demo at this year's PAX West I am happy to say, River City Girls 2 is a game I am definitely looking forward to playing.

The gameplay in River City Girls 2 remains essentially the same with tons of quality-of-life features to keep the action fast-paced and stylish. During my session, I tried out Misako and Kyoko, the characters from the original game, and some new ones. Misako and Kyoko’s attacks seem to have way more potential to juggle enemies in the air and they can also cancel out of their moves into their specials which makes for some really interesting combos.

The new character Marian seemed to have a decent amount of strong punches and suplex moves. I especially liked her move where she would charge up her first and go flying across the screen which made clearing out enemies a breeze. One new mechanic included having two ally partners this time around which made very easy to do air combos. There were even quests during the game where you could hire an ally with special unique moves.  

After a short but sweet time spent with River City Girls 2, I can say that I am super excited to jump back into its universe. River City Girls 2 has had a lot of work put into it and it’s refreshing to see a top-shelf developer, such as Way Forward making sure fans get to play a super polished game on its release. There is a lot to be excited about with a new story, stylish moves, new characters, and more and I cannot wait for the final release.