Review - The Rumble Fish 2 (Switch 2)

Review – The Rumble Fish 2 (Switch 2)

Posted on February 21, 2026 by andrewcamac Leave a comment

The Rumble Fish 2 (not to be mistaken for the 1983 film Rumble Fish) was an arcade title based on the Dreamcast-ish Naomi arcade hardware and developed by DIMPS, who would then go onto make a somewhat genre reviving title called Street Fighter IV, with a cult following and prestige to boot. It has received many ports over the years, with the Switch 2 being the latest console to receive a brand new iteration of this lesser known cult classic. Does this version of The Rumble Fish 2 call fighters from around the globe to celebrate, or is it more of a dead trout? Grab a quarter and throw down, it’s Rumble time.

Look at that motley crew!

The premise behind The Rumble Fish 2 is a story as old as the genre itself. A corporation called PROBE NEXUS rebuilds a city after a natural disaster and decides to host the “Fight For Survival” tournament in the slums. It is a competition that brings in the best fighters from across the city, all throwing down for riches and a shot at a better life. And yes, the corporation is obviously a little corrupt. But if you have played literally any fighting game before, you probably figured that out the second I said a corporation was involved.

The Rumble Fish 2 dropped in 2005, back when the fighting game genre was in a bit of a slump. Mortal Kombat was basically asleep, Street Fighter looked like it had thrown in the towel, and it was pretty much just Tekken out there throwing hands. Story was not a huge selling point at the time, and while there is a little bit of it here with the intro and some character specific endings, it does not really do anything that other games back then were not already doing with their setting or narrative.

Fight For Survival!

The Rumble Fish and The Rumble Fish 2 were actually pretty unique for their time, and that is a big part of why the series ended up with a cult following. They were among the first games to really lean into chain combos, where light attacks flow naturally into stronger ones without feeling forced. It does not have that loud, in your face energy that Guilty Gear brings to the table, but the combos and overall combat in The Rumble Fish 2 feel insanely fluid. Everything just connects in a way that feels smooth and natural, which makes it really satisfying to play.

Another thing that makes The Rumble Fish 2 stand out is the Offense and Defense gauge. Both meters build up depending on how you play. The more you attack, the more your Offense gauge fills, which unlocks stronger special moves and some unique attacks. On the flipside, defending builds up the Defense side of the gauge. That gives you access to moves that create a bit of breathing room or let you pull off extra techniques to avoid damage, like dropping prone on the floor to dodge incoming attacks. It is a simple idea, but it adds a nice layer to the fights and rewards different playstyles.

You seem Hangry.

Balancing these gauges eventually merges them into a Critical Gauge. You get full use of both Offence and Defense options, but also your character’s most powerful Critical Move, creating a unique balance of having to play aggressive but also defensive until you get into your most powerful stance, where you can start laying into your opponent.

The Rumble Fish 2 has a weird and wonderful roster of 16 characters. Sadly, whilst there are a few secret characters, but instead of unlocking them the usual way, you have to open your wallet and buy them as DLC. Yes, DLC. On a game from 2005. A game that probably had a combined fanbase of about twelve people at the time, and is mostly known today because Justin Wong has been such a strong champion for it over the years. It is kind of hilarious when you think about it.

Gotta love that stage art!

Alongside the bizarre cast, you might also notice that the character models look a little… unusual. That is because the game uses a 2.5D style with 3D models. The big reason for this was to allow real time damage during fights. Characters show scrapes and bruises as the match goes on, and even their clothes can get torn up. Naturally, in some cases it leans a little into fan service, because of course it does. It is a fighting game with female characters, and the genre has never exactly been subtle about that. Dead or Alive basically built a whole franchise around it.

As for modes, The Rumble Fish 2 includes all the usual stuff you would expect. Arcade, Versus, Survival, Time Attack, and Training are all here. The Switch 2 version also adds a Three-on-Three Team Battle mode, where you can build a team of three fighters from the roster and go up against another trio. It is exclusive to this version, and honestly, it is a pretty nice little addition.

Can we kick it?

The multiplayer of the Switch 2 port runs smoothly thanks to the saviour of the fighting game community, online Rollback Netcode. This would be brilliant in theory, if you could find anyone to play, but unfortunately, there is no cross-platform functionality in any shape or form; you can only fight against people who own the game on Switch or Switch 2, immediately killing the player pool for this admittedly still niche title.

It’s a knockout!

The Rumble Fish 2 is a fun fighting game that will definitely click with the old school crowd. It is niche, it is weird, and it feels great to actually play. Once you start running sets with someone, it is hard to complain because the combat really does carry it. That said, the DLC still feels a bit cheeky, and the whole package comes off as pretty dated. It might have made more sense to bundle both games together as a collection and throw in some extra bonuses to really make it worth diving into. As it stands, this Switch 2 port is a fun but pretty barebones experience.

Graphics: 8.0 A little funky looking to start but when seen in motion there is a lot to appreciate, a wild roster and some amazing stage art on offer	Gameplay: 8.0 Core gameplay is fantastic, one of the most underrated innovators of the genre, easy to pick up and play but has enough depth to really become a master, fast flowing combos and a unique cast of fighters to tackle.
Sound: 6.0 Punchy sound effects, decent enough music, nothing here quite on the scale of Street Fighter III: Third Strike or many of the SNK offerings but it’ll do.	Fun Factor: 6.0 It’s fun if you can get someone to play it with otherwise you’ve got a barebones product with DLC shoehorned in.
Final Verdict: 7.0