river city girls 2 kyoko store
Image via Wayforward/Arc System Works

How to Increase Stats in River City Girls 2

Can't fight on an empty stomach.

In the olden days, sidescrolling beat ’em ups didn’t have much in the way of deeper systems. You walked right, you punched dudes, and you kept doing that until the game ended or you ran out of quarters. Nowadays, though, in games like River City Girls 2, you gotta put in a little extra effort to be the best dude-puncher you can possibly be. Here’s how to increase stats in River City Girls 2.

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How to Increase Stats in River City Girls 2

If you played the original River City Girls, the means by which you raise your stats will feel familiar. As you get into brawls around the city and punch dudes, you’ll accrue experience and level up. Every time you level up, you’ll receive a modest boost to one of your six character stats:

  • Stamina
  • Special
  • Attack
  • Agility
  • Weapon Damage
  • Luck

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However, leveling up alone won’t boost your stats enough to keep up with stronger enemies, not to mention bosses. So how do you level the playing field? Simple: stuff your face!

Raising Stats with Food

river city girls 2 kunio store
Image via Wayforward/Arc System Works

All throughout River City are food shops, denoted on maps with dollar signs and on stages with a shopping cart prompt. These shops will sell you food you can use to restore your health, as well as gain other occasional effects. More importantly, though, the first time you eat a particular food from a store, you’ll also receive a permanent stat increase! For example, if you swing by Merv’s Burger next to the mall and eat a Merv Single, you’ll receive a permanent +1 to your stamina stat. You can see which foods boost what under their prices in a store, though these will disappear after you eat them the first time. Eating the same food again will only restore your stamina.

Remember that, when you buy food, you can choose to either eat it on the spot or take it to go. Taking food to go is vital for keeping your health up in a fight, and if it’s the first time you’re eating that particular food, you’ll get the stat bonus even if you eat it on the go. Just remember that you have to actually eat the food before you get the bonus.

You should poke your head into any and all stores you pass by on your journey. If you’ve got the cash, you should avail yourself of the stat bonuses, not to mention stock up on healing for later.

Author
Image of Daniel Trock
Daniel Trock
Since the first time he picked up a controller as a child, Daniel has been a dyed-in-the-wool gaming fanatic, with a Steam library numbering over 600 games. His favorite pastime, aside from playing games, is doing deep dives on game wikis to learn more about their lore and characters.