The Rumble Fish 2 is one of Dimps’ most overlooked arcade-based fighting games outside Japan, but recently, the game has found new life on modern day platforms. Dimps’ pedigree in the Japanese gaming industry goes back to the turn of the new millennium, and The Rumble Fish series holds some of the first few games that were developed by the former SNK and Capcom employees. From my experience with the game, The Rumble Fish 2 carries the spirit of more classic fighting games that players saw on the Dreamcast, and Nintendo Switch 2 players can join in on the fun with The Rumble Fish 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, thanks to publisher 3goo.
The story of The Rumble Fish 2 isn’t its focal point, but it’s a backdrop that sets the foundation for the fighting game from a stylistic view. The Rumble Fish 2 is set in an alternate universe near the beginning of the 21st century after a large-scale natural disaster struck a certain eastern country. In the ruins, the conglomerate PROBE-NEXUS, or Probe for short, began reconstruction efforts in the country with massive capital and bleeding-edge technology. Now regarded as Zone Prime, the country’s undeveloped sector on the western block is home to the slums, where this game’s story begins.
The Rumble Fish 2 is an Arcade Fighting Game with Much Better Quality of Life
The Rumble Fish 2 is a simple fighting game with high-skill ceiling for those who want to spend time learning the intricacies of each playable character on the roster. There’s a two-gauge system with Offense and Defense mechanics that are easy to learn but difficult to master along with combos and other special moves, which follow the 8-way directional stick inputs that were popularized with Street Fighter back in the arcades. If you’ve played Street Fighter, casually or competitively, then you’ll have a general understanding of The Rumble Fish 2 sooner rather than later.
The Rumble Fish 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, and all other versions of the game on modern systems, feature a lineup of single-player based modes that are derived from the typical arcade-ladder style game mode, along with multiplayer. There’s Arcade, Survival, Time Attack, VS Mode with two-player online and offline, and a Gallery Mode. The online Versus Mode features player matches and ranked matches, all of which are new to the series. This is on top of the use of rollback netcode, the standard for online play. Rollback netcode corrects the lag between players, making online play in The Rumble Fish 2 feel accurate, responsive, and seamless to play. Players also have the option to remap the controller scheme as they see fit, which is a great feature to have.
When coupled with the stable 60 FPS, The Rumble Fish 2 provides simple but fun pick-up-and-play gameplay experiences that are addictive in short bursts. That’s not all, though. The Rumble Fish 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition has an all-new Team Battle Mode that’s reminiscent of The King of Fighters, allowing players to choose three of their favorite characters in head-to-head battles with a CPU opponent offline or other player online. As a fan of KOF, I really do enjoy Team Battle Mode since it lets me test my muscle memory for characters I’ve started learning.
There are more quality of life improvements worth noting, however. Players have a variety of different settings at your disposal, including match time and rounds to win for single player modes and two-player modes, the ability to automatically record VS Mode matches, and an Assist Mode for offline play. For a port of a 20-year old game, The Rumble Fish 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is keeping up with the times and doesn’t miss a step in terms of options and gameplay feel. There’s also a retro graphical filter for those wanting to replicate that arcade machine/CRT style display view, along with 16:9 wide-screen and 4:3.
The Rumble Fish 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a Great Port
The visuals of The Rumble Fish 2 look amazing and clear on Switch 2 both in handheld and docked mode. S.M.A, or Smooth Model Animation, makes the 2D visuals more expressive compared to other 2D fighting games of its time. It’s a style uniquely of its own, but it’s not far off of what subsequent games of the genre, such as the much-celebrated The King of Fighters XIII, would pull off in terms of visual flair.
For those who own the Nintendo Switch version of The Rumble Fish 2, you’ll be pleased to know that you can upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition with an Upgrade Pack for $4.99 in the Nintendo eShop. This applies to physical and digital purchases, and the upgrade process isn’t cumbersome like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition for Switch 2 was, either. Those who don’t own the game can pick up the Switch 2 version for $19.99, which isn’t bad at all for what you get in this port.
Overall, The Rumble Fish 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a feature-rich port of an arcade fighting game that was great for its time. At the end of the day, it’s still an arcade game, so your mileage may vary when it comes to replayability. I see The Rumble Fish 2 as a perfect in-between fighting game that I can enjoy between big releases and RPGs, and since its on Switch 2, it’s as easy as booting up and starting up an Arcade Mode playthrough or heading into Training Mode to fine-tune some combos.
I’d say the only things holding The Rumble Fish 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition back slightly are based on the game itself. The control scheme in handheld mode makes some directional inputs hard to pull off due to the short travel distance on the Joy-Con 2 thumb sticks. Assist Mode remedies this issue somewhat, and if you prefer to play docked with the Pro Controller, then you’ll be able to properly learn inputs over time.
The Rumble Fish 2 is available now for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
Disclaimer: 3goo provided a digital key of The Rumble Fish 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition for review purposes.
