Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 78 | 46 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 86% | 79 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 5 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 15 reviews sampled · 13 total reviews in window · weighted 12 up / 0 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (43)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 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.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“If you love the first game then you should probably wait for updates and a price drop before picking up River City Girls 2. And if you never played the original game before - check it out first.”
read full review ↗ - 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.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“River City Girls 2 is a fun game to knock out over a weekend, especially with a good friend, and I hope WayForward Technologies considers giving Misako, Kyoko, and friends another whacky adventure in the future.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“[...] River City Girls 2 adds more positive changes and upgrades to make it the de facto 2D RPG beat 'em up that's fun with more people in tow. With some small-but-noteworthy 2D combat tweaks, a slew of minigames, and new fun characters to play as alongside new Megan McDuffee bangers, you'll be glad to spend 10+ hours in your River City holiday tour beating the crap out of everything and everyone.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“River City Girls 2 is a fairly good beat-'em-up title. It's certainly an improvement over River City Girls, although it carries with it some of the original's flaws, including tedious backtracking and repetitive enemy encounters.”
read full review ↗ - 87
“The girls are back with some new friends, new moves, and new challenges for beat-em-up fans”
read full review ↗ - 80
“River City Girls 2 takes the series to the next level. More frantic fights and devastating combos, the game is a real improvement. The soundtrack is wonderful and you really have a good time. But we won't lie, the game is still expensive and suffers from loading, at least for the version on Nintendo Switch. If you're considering getting it, you might want to consider another version. Unless you don't mind. But know that having tested it on another console, the game probably would have deserved an extra half point. The fact remains that River City Girls 2 is a lot of fun, whether you're playing alone or with your buddies.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“A much more modern and enjoyable beat 'em up than its predecessor, River City Girls 2 does almost everything right. Despite that, its performance issues get in the way of the fun.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 68
“Yet, I am once again hoping for another game, this time a River City Girls 3, that nails the landing and is awarded gold medals across the board. For now, River City Girls 2 is an enjoyable co-op romp with some rough edges that leaves me eager for more.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“River City Girls 2 expands on the solid foundations of the previous game to deliver a broad, rollicking feast of an brawler-RPG.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
GameMAG
Nintendo Life
RPGamer
Kakuchopurei
VGChartz
Nindie Spotlight
Geeks & Com
Capsule Computers
NintendoWorldReport
Forever Classic Games
Siliconera…and 31 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Version 1.1.3Jan 15, 2025
- River City Girls 2 Balance Patch Now AvailableJul 10, 2023
- River City Girls 2 - Balance Update Public BetaJun 13, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- River City Girls 2 Performance Update Now AvailableJun 2, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- FRAMERATE FIX INCOMING!Dec 16, 2022