River City Girls 2 Flexes on PS5, PS4 from 15th December

Fans of sumptuous sprite-based artwork and classic beat-‘em-up gameplay will probably want to keep a keen eye on River City Girls 2 when it punches to PS5 and PS4 next week. Curiously, the WayForward sequel is already available in Japan and Asia, but will not arrive in the rest of the world until 15th December. At least it’s not a long wait, eh?

Connected to Technos’ classic Kunio-kun series, River City Girls 2 features six playable characters with RPG-like character development systems. New arrivals include Marian from Double Dragon and Provie from River City Ransom: Underground, both of whom will be selectable in four player co-op alongside the returning cast of Misako, Kyoko, Kunio, and Riki.

You’ll find even more depth than in the previous release, with each character having their own unique upgradable movesets, and a larger sandbox than ever – filled with side-quests and secrets. You can even hire henchmen to help you in battle, and there are over 40 shops to pillage – each with items and accessories to aid you.

Sounds and looks good, doesn’t it? Well, at $39.99 it’s a little on the steep side, but there does appear to be enough depth here to justify its asking price.