Co-Optimus: We look forward to the sass. Now, about Marian: getting to play as her is pretty special because she has rarely been a playable character in other games. What’s the story behind Marian joining in Misako and Kyoko’s adventure? And, more trivially, why is her hair white now instead of blond?
Bannon: Well, she's kinda always been in this world as a side character. Her hair was [also] white in her previous appearance as a shop owner in the first game. I always figured she's much older than our cast of characters since she's been doing Double Dragon stuff since the '80s. I don't want to spoil why [Marian has] joined up with [the main characters in RCG2], but it's not centered around her being kidnapped per usual. She's done with that whole shtick.
Co-Optimus: RCG2 has improved navigation tools such as a GPS feature to help players get around River City. How large is the map compared to the first game?
Bannon: Because of the sheer size of the map, the GPS had to be more helpful this time around, for sure. I would say it's about three to four times the size. There are places that make return appearances, but they have changed visually to show the passage of time in the city. There are also whole new areas to explore as well. This time, we let the players choose their own path.
Co-Optimus: River City Girls 2 is the first game in the series to offer online co-op, and you mentioned that cross-play will be supported as well. Which platforms can play online together?
Bannon: This is what has taken the longest to develop and make sure everything runs smoothly. We can't answer this question outright because of multiple companies involved, and those companies have consoles.
Co-Optimus: Intriguing! Speaking of online co-op, the Japanese and Asian versions of RCG2 will receive online support post-launch rather than at launch. Once these versions get their online updates, will they be able to play online with the North American and European versions of the game?
Bannon: Indeed they will, and we have multiple written languages this time and a choice of English or Japanese voiceover. Just make sure everyone picks the same region when connecting.
Co-Optimus: Another new feature in River City Girls 2 is 4-player local co-op support, which was announced at the beginning of September. How did you decide to add this feature, and what kind of challenges did it add to the project? Does the enemy count change when more than two players are present?
Bannon: This was decided the moment we finished the first game. Knowing that we would have, at bare minimum, four characters to play as, it just made sense. I really pushed for it because I think beat 'em ups really benefit from that party-game atmosphere.
The biggest challenge came with balancing. How do you allow four players, who can each do their own crazy double-digit combos, to all attack one enemy in a corner and still make it fun and challenging? It took lots of tweaking and balancing.
The more players you add in, the more enemies show up. There's lots of stuff happening behind the scenes to balance all that out.
The other big challenge came with level designing since you don't have to share the screen in online mode. I had to make sure enemies didn't gang up on one player while the other one was hanging out by themselves in a corner of these massive levels.
Co-Optimus: I know I’m very excited for the game to come out. Do you have any last pre-launch thoughts that you’d like to share about River City Girls 2?
Bannon: I just hope people can see what I was trying to achieve with the sequel. This game shouldn't feel like a quarter-munching beat 'em up; I really want [it] to feel like its own thing. This is a game for people that might finally convince people that never tried a fighting game or beat 'em up to give it a shot. It's also a game for hardcore combo maniacs and fighting-game enthusiasts. I'm super excited to see what people can do in this game.
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River City Girls 2 supports 4-player local co-op and 2-player online co-op. The North American version of River City Girls 2 will sell for $39.99 when it launches on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam on Thursday, December 15. The soundtrack is available now for $11.49 at Amazon and other digital music stores!