River City Girls’ newest trailer shows off one of the two new members of the game’s roster, Marian, alongside a deep-dive into Marian’s gameplay from WayForward Technologies director Bannon Rudis. Marian functions primarily as a grappler with a variety of powerful throw techniques as the only playable character with command grabs, with her throws dealing splash damage to nearby enemies for major damage. Her special techniques like “Mind Meld” and “Party Crasher” also focus on dealing damage to several enemies at once, smashing them into one another or dropping enemies from the air.
RELATED: River City Girls 2 Release Date Delayed
Marian was a staple of River City Girls predecessor Double Dragon as the classic beat-em-up’s “damsel in distress” character, referencing the protagonists Billy and Jimmy in the new River City Girls trailer. She also appeared in the first River City Girls game as a shopkeeper, quickly becoming a popular part of the first game’s cast. Rudis refers to Marian’s position in River City Girls as “bridging the gap” between the River City Girls games and Double Dragon, with publisher Arc System Works holding the license for the classic beat-em-up.
While River City Girls has been a popular return to the classic beat-em-up franchise, River City Girls Zero saw significant criticism for changes made in its localization. River City Girls Zero featured a new script with several changes made to the original dialogue of the 1994 Japan-exclusive Super Famicom game. WayForward was criticized for changes to some themes that were perceived as sexist in the original games, as well as reducing profanity in the game’s dialogue.
While the new trailer for Marian will excite fans waiting for the River City Girls sequel, the trailer’s conclusion still leaves fans wondering when they will be able to play River City Girls 2. No release window was given for River City Girls 2 following its delay in August. With no new release date information in the months since, many fans have speculated the River City Ransom spiritual successor had been pushed into 2023. Marian’s appearance in River City Girls 2 will look to bring a brand-new grapple-focused playstyle to the beat-em-up sequel whenever it releases.
River City Girls 2 is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S with no confirmed release date.
MORE: River City Girls Fans Should Consider Getting Zero Before the Sequel
