There is something refreshingly honest about Girls Force 2: Rising Academy. In an era when many games seem determined to be bigger, darker, and more complicated than ever, this colourful anime shooter arrives with a simple mission: entertain players with fast-paced action, charming characters, and enough unlockables to keep completionists busy for hours. It knows exactly what kind of game it wants to be, and for the most part, it succeeds.
Developed as a follow-up to the original Girls Force, this sequel casts players as two elite operatives tasked with dismantling a mysterious criminal organisation known as Dark Siren. What follows is a straightforward yet enjoyable action-adventure that blends third-person shooting, visual-novel storytelling, costume collecting, and plenty of anime-inspired fan service into a surprisingly polished package.
While it never reaches the heights of genre heavyweights, Girls Force 2 delivers a consistently enjoyable experience that feels like a playable Saturday morning anime series.
A Tale of Two Agents
The story begins when Dark Siren steals highly classified information from Girls Force Academy, triggering a national security crisis. To stop the organisation before chaos spreads across the city, two agents are called into action.
AERIE is the seasoned veteran. Calm, confident, and highly capable, she carries herself like someone who has seen it all. YURI, meanwhile, is the academy’s brightest rising star. Intelligent and determined, she regards AERIE as both mentor and role model. Their partnership forms the emotional centre of the story.
The narrative is hardly groundbreaking. Most of the major plot developments can be predicted long before they arrive, and the mystery surrounding Dark Siren never becomes particularly complex. Yet there is an undeniable charm to the relationship between the two protagonists. Their interactions feel warm and sincere, elevating material that might otherwise feel routine.
The dialogue is lighthearted throughout, rarely taking itself too seriously. Even when the stakes are supposedly high, the game maintains a breezy tone that makes it easy to sit back and enjoy the ride.
Simple Shooting Done Right
At its core, Girls Force 2 is a straightforward third-person shooter. Missions are generally compact and focused, placing players in self-contained environments where the objective is to eliminate enemy forces and progress to the next encounter.
The shooting mechanics prioritise accessibility over realism. Weapons feel responsive, movement is quick, and firefights move at a brisk pace. There is no complicated cover system to learn and no intricate resource management to worry about. Instead, the game encourages players to stay mobile, keep firing, and enjoy the spectacle.
This approach works surprisingly well. While combat lacks the depth of larger shooters, it remains consistently entertaining because everything feels smooth and immediate. Enemies arrive frequently enough to maintain momentum, and stages are short enough that the gameplay never becomes exhausting.
Switching between AERIE and YURI also adds a small layer of variety. While their overall playstyles remain similar, each character’s personality shines through during missions, helping maintain player engagement throughout the campaign.
Bright Colours and Big Personality
The game’s greatest strength is undoubtedly its visual presentation. Girls Force 2 embraces a bold cel-shaded art style that makes every character and environment look as though they have stepped straight out of an anime series. The bright colours, crisp outlines, and expressive character animations lend the entire experience a lively energy that immediately stands out.
Character models are particularly impressive for a budget release. AERIE and YURI each have distinct visual identities, and the sheer number of unlockable costumes ensures there is always something new to discover. Whether you’re running through city streets or infiltrating industrial facilities, the game maintains a clean, appealing visual style that rarely loses its charm.
Special effects also deserve praise. Explosions, muzzle flashes, and enemy destruction all contribute to a satisfying sense of impact in combat. While the environments can occasionally feel simplistic, the strong art direction helps compensate for limited environmental complexity. Most importantly, the game simply looks fun. Every screen bursts with colour and personality, creating an inviting atmosphere that perfectly matches its lighthearted tone.
The Real Progression Loop
Interestingly, the campaign itself is only part of the appeal. Much of Girls Force 2’s long-term appeal comes from its collection systems. Completing missions rewards players with Gold, which can then be used to unlock a growing wardrobe of costumes for both protagonists.
These outfits are not merely cosmetic. Each new costume unlocks additional wallpapers, gallery artwork, and content across the game’s various bonus modes. Dedicated players will likely spend almost as much time unlocking extras as they do progressing through the main story.
The inclusion of Gallery Mode, Character Viewer, and SHOW Mode adds value for fans who enjoy collecting everything a game has to offer. While some players may dismiss these features as simple fan service, they provide a surprisingly effective incentive to continue playing after the campaign concludes.
The steady stream of unlockables creates a satisfying sense of progression that keeps the game engaging even when the core gameplay remains relatively straightforward.
Where the Academy Shows Its Budget
For all its charm, Girls Force 2 remains very much a budget title. Mission design is the game’s most noticeable weakness. Most levels follow a familiar pattern of moving through corridors or arenas while eliminating waves of enemies. Objectives rarely move beyond this structure, leaving the campaign occasionally repetitive during longer sessions.
Enemy intelligence is equally basic. Opponents frequently charge directly towards the player with little regard for strategy or self-preservation. While this simplicity suits the game’s arcade nature, experienced shooter fans may find the challenge somewhat underwhelming.
The story also struggles to build genuine tension. Despite the conspiracy-driven premise, the narrative remains relatively safe and predictable throughout. Dark Siren never becomes a particularly memorable antagonist, and several plot twists lack the impact they clearly aim for.
Fortunately, the game’s relatively short runtime prevents these shortcomings from becoming overwhelming. Just as repetition begins to set in, the story moves forward or a new unlockable reward appears to reignite interest.
A Charming Graduation
Girls Force 2: Rising Academy is not a game that aims to revolutionise the third-person shooter genre. Instead, it focuses on delivering an entertaining blend of action, colourful visuals, likeable characters, and rewarding progression systems. In that regard, it succeeds admirably.
The shooting is enjoyable, the presentation consistently attractive, and the relationship between AERIE and YURI gives the adventure an appealing heart. While repetitive mission design and simplistic enemy behaviour prevent the experience from reaching greater heights, the overall package remains surprisingly hard to put down.
There is a confidence to the game’s design that deserves recognition. It understands its audience, embraces its anime identity wholeheartedly, and delivers exactly the kind of experience it promises from the opening moments.
For players seeking a deep tactical shooter, Girls Force 2 will probably feel too lightweight. For those looking for a cheerful action game packed with unlockables, charming protagonists, and colourful arcade fun, however, Rising Academy graduates with honours.
Final Verdict
Girls Force 2: Rising Academy is a bright, energetic, and thoroughly enjoyable anime shooter that succeeds through charm rather than complexity. Its straightforward combat and repetitive mission structure hold it back from greatness, but its vibrant presentation, addictive unlock systems, and lovable cast make it an easy recommendation for fans of lighthearted action games.
