Hello. I have something a little bit different today, as I will be providing my thoughts on the new DLC release for River City Girls 2. The Double Dragon brothers, Billy and Jimmy Lee have taken the leap from background characters to being fully playable. This additional content has been released on consoles, with all new content that fits perfectly into the game. There is also additional free gameplay content for players to enjoy alongside the premium offering.
Disclaimer: before I get into the coverage, I want to thank WayForward for providing a code for the Double Dragon DLC content used for this piece. The provision of this content has not influenced the content of this article, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
In this mini review, I will be covering the new additions to game provided through the premium content, with some thoughts on the free bonus materials. I have also covered the base game for River City Girls 2 in an extensive review, with a link to that and my other River City coverage further below.
Premium Content – in this premium content release, the Double Dragon brothers, Billy and Jimmy Lee, are now able to take the fight to River City. These new playable versions of the legendary duo are based on their River City appearances, with their role expanded from just being vendors. The two characters have their own distinct move set, personalities and have been fully integrated into the story of River City Girls 2.
The brothers Billy and Jimmy have been given new character portraits and dialogue, performed by the Game Grumps, Dan Avidan as Billy and Arin Hanson as Jimmy. These characters can be used right from the start of a new game, or in an existing playthrough, mixing up the gameplay experience. The two brothers feel fun and responsive to play as, with their move sets inspired by their 35 year legacy, as well as some references to other games.
Both characters share all of the core moves, with a normal combo attack, heavy strike and special power attacks that have a little overlap. The two characters have their own distinct personalities, which bleed into their special moves and the names. Billy is more calm and composed, with his main special move being the Dragon Stinger energy ball. Whereas Jimmy is brash and hot-headed, with his main special being the Brodouken fireball.
The voice work for the two characters is performed well, making these characters feel alive and less one dimensional than their NPC appearances. The dialogue matches their personalities, with the back and forth between the two characters, as well as the other NPCs having a lot of entertainment to them. There is also a good amount of humor, with self-aware and fourth wall breaking jokes that further added to the entertainment value.
There is also a new shop keeper, which is a guest character from Double Dragon II, who will appear when the player is using one or both of the brothers. Additionally, a new double dragon rap song has been added, which is performed by Avidan and Hansen with music composed by Megan McDuffee. All of these together make for a fun addition that expands the experience, breathing new life into the game after the original release two years ago.
Free Update – alongside the premium content offerings, there has been a big free content update that went live at the same time as the DLC. There is a new Double Dragon motion comic, which can be viewed from the main menu, providing story details for the brothers joining the adventure. Then we have the addition of multiple color palettes for all characters, giving them 4 new color sets that can be selected when starting a game and during play.
With the inclusion of new player colors, there is also the new ability for players to use the same character during online play sessions. This lets all four players use the same character if they wish, with a color palette for each. Then we have the new shops, the special “Season’s Beatings” shop which has a rotating supply, with the shop keeper voiced by Jaden Dittfatch (JaidenAnimations). This shop will change stock every couple of months.
There is also a second new shop, which is the “Devil’s Candy” shop, which is a special crossover with the web comic of the same name. This further expands the vast array of guest character voices, which already includes Jacob “Alpharad” Rabon, Sean “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin and Matthew “Matt McMuscles” Kowalewski. Finally, there is a special Double Dragon themed training dojo to round out the offerings for the free content update.
Final Thoughts – I was already a fan of River City Girls, having previously reviewed the three main games which you can find (HERE). So, when the DLC for River City Girls 2 was announced, I was very excited to get my hands on this new content. I have fond memories of Double Dragon, having played games from the arcade, NES and even the Neo Geo. And “Bimmy and Jimmy” bit from the AVGN episode for Double Dragon 3 will be forever burned into my mind.
Seeing this new version of the legendary Lee brothers come to life was a joy, with the way they were written and included fitting perfectly into the River City world. Their move sets are extremely fun to play, their dialogue was entertaining, especially during interactions with the other characters. This made playing through the game again from the start so much fun, either alone or with another player. I even switched the partner regularly to see what happened.
This DLC package offers a fresh perspective on the story, being able to play through all of the familiar areas with a new pair of fresh faces. The addition of the hard hitting Technos boys was something that was a long time coming, finally crossing the boundary between the River City and Double Dragon worlds. I hope that if WayForward ever get greenlit for a third River City Girls game, or just a new River City game in general, I hope the Lee brothers get to play a part.
The free part of the content included, with the latest update were an excellent addition too, as they expanded the game even further. All of these additions are done to perfection and I am happy to recommend this, especially for hardcore fans of the Double Dragon series. This duo fit the River City Girls series like they were made for it, and they are performed to perfection by the Game Grumps boys.
If you want to check the DLC out for yourself, it is on the console pages which will be below. Please note, due to some unfortunate technical difficulties with steam, the DLC will be coming to PC at a later date.
UPDATE! The Double Dragon DLC and free content update has been added to the Steam page for River City Girls 2, going live today Wednesday December 4th. For a limited time, all titles in the River City Girls series have been put on sale, with 50% off until December 17th. Check out the Steam page in the link below.
Link to Nintendo Switch page (HERE)
Link to PlayStation page (HERE)
Link to Xbox page (HERE)
Link to Steam page (HERE)
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