Both of the main River City Girls games from WayForward have featured cameos from the Double Dragon series in the form of shopkeepers. River City Girls 2 even made Marian an unlockable character. Still, fans have always longed for more Double Dragon content in RCG 2. Now they finally get their wish thanks to the "Double Dragon DLC." The paid DLC adds Billy and Jimmy Lee as playable characters, essentially transforming RCG 2 into a weird, awesome Double Dragon game.
Free Update Too
Before we dive into the paid DLC, note that the DLC arrives alongside a free update to the game. The update adds:
- Double Dragon-themed motion comic
- Play as the same character in online multiplayer
- New character color palettes for all characters (including Billy and Jimmy Lee, if you own them)
- New "Season's Beatings" seasonal shop
- New "Devil's Candy" shop
- 3 Achievements/Trophies (and the DLC adds 3 more)
Being able to play as the same character as someone else in online co-op games should make it easier to stick with a preferred character. Of course, that also creates the need for new color palettes, a feature that was also added to TMNT: Shredder's Revenge last year. Note that Billy and Jimmy do not have green, yellow, or purple outfits that would allow them to look like Jeff, Sonny Lee, or a shadow double. That's a missed opportunity, but their alternate colors are still fun if you don't want to look like canonical Billy and Jimmy.
The first new shop is called Season's Beatings. You can find it just east of Kyoko's house at the start of the game. Miho, the shopkeeper there, sells exclusive new accessories that change every two months. When the accessory lineup changes, so does her appearance. Season's Beatings should give serious RCG 2 fans a reason to revisit the game periodically.
As for the Devil's Candy shop, it's inspired by a webcomic and manned by two characters from it: Kazu and Pandora. Devil's Candy sells new consumable items and is found in Uptown/Outdoor Plaza.
Double Dragon Impressions
The "Double Dragon DLC" adds Billy and Jimmy Lee as playable characters. Players can choose to begin a new game with them or jump into an existing game and start leveling the heroes from there.
RCG 2 is a story-heavy game with dozens of fully voiced cinematics. Thankfully, Billy and Jimmy have their own unique voices and dialog. Billy is voiced by Dan Avidan, and Jimmy is voiced by Arin Hanson, both from the Game Grumps, a popular YouTube channel. Billy is played as a wizened, serious martial artists, and Jimmy is played as a lighthearted meathead. Avidan and Hanson also perform the silly "Double Dragon Rap" that plays in the DLC's trailer and in the player's in-game hideout.
Playing as Billy and Jimmy is great fun. Keep in mind that characters in RCG 2 start out slow, weak, and with a reduced move set. Leveling up characters will make them stronger and faster, and they'll occasionally gain new moves. Players will also want to visit the dojos (found in Crosstown/Winding Way and Ocean Heights/Ocean Heights Shops) to buy additional moves. Billy and Jimmy have a fireball special move (inspired by their shadow clones in Double Dragon II) as well as classic series moves like the cyclone spin kick, hyper uppercut, and rising knee kick.
Part of the pleasure of playing as the Double Dragons in RCG 2 is seeing what Billy and Jimmy have to say when they meet other Double Dragon characters. Throughout the game, our heroes will encounter Marian, Abobo, Williams, and even Skullmageddon (the boss of Double Dragon Neon). Billy and Jimmy's lines are usually hilarious in these situations, and each brother shows a distinct personality (unlike other RCG 2 characters, whose lines are interchangeable). The NPCs still seem to say the same things as before, which sometimes results in humorous reactions from the Lee brothers.
The "Double Dragon DLC" is a must-have for any Double Dragon fan who plays River City Girls 2. Even if you're somehow not into Double Dragon, the two additional characters and new dialog will add more replay value to an already phenomenal beat 'em up.
River City Girls 2 sells for $39.99 on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam. The "Double Dragon DLC" costs $7.99 on consoles. The DLC is not available on Steam yet, oddly. We'll update when it arrives.
An Xbox download code was provided by the publisher for this review.