There are two types of fighting game players: those who know of Dimps, a Japanese company that has worked on Street Fighter IV, a pivotal entry which pushed the genre to unseen heights at the time, and those who think only Capcom is responsible for this success story. Luckily for them, it is never too late to broaden one’s horizons.
Enter The Rumble Fish 2, a 2D fighting game developed by Dimps a few years before its partnership with Capcom started, originally only available on arcade machines. It received multiple console ports in 2022, as well as a Nintendo Switch 2 version on January 22, 2026, which is the object of today’s review. While it oozes with style in both art direction and gameplay thanks in no small part to its 2000 anime aesthetics, varied cast of playable characters, and gorgeous pixel art, there are simply not enough players in the scene to keep such a small and older title thriving. The fact that it comes from a very niche series within a niche genre is working against it.
It is not a purchase recommended to someone who is looking to get into fighting games, and many of its parts have aged. In a tragic twist of fate, one of the modern conventions adopted for this port are DLCs, as the three hidden characters – Greed, Hazama and Beatrice – which used to be unlockable through single-player content, are now locked behind a paywall. Thankfully, gameplay remains the game’s strongest point.
Its playable cast may feel tropey when seen through a modern lens, but it makes them all the more endearing. Not to mention they all feel distinct in how they play despite being tied to the same system mechanics. For those looking for depth, it is there waiting, and the best part is that, despite being mechanically complex, The Rumble Fish 2 is simple to pick up thanks to its gatling system.
Normal attacks can easily be chained together, à la old-school Guilty Gear and Marvel vs. Capcom, which makes combos easy to learn. Exploring multiple characters in a single session without ever feeling confused is a joy and a testament to how well the game’s mechanics have aged. Even the way meter works is interesting. It is split into two gauges: one for offense, the other for defence. Stay aggressive and the offensive gauge will increase, giving access to powerful super moves. The defence gauge, on the other hand, fills up as enemy assault is blocked, granting strong defensive options such as a guard cancel, allowing for the perfect momentum swing.
Every fighter has access to a “Boost Dive”, more commonly referred to as an “install” in fighting game lingo, which changes some of their moves’ properties. For example, after activating her Boost Dive, Kaya will freeze her opponent upon hitting them, causing them to slowly take damage over time and slowing their movement speed. As for Bazoo, one of the game’s larger-in-size characters, he powers up his projectile by making it bigger, with the trade-off that he cannot hold onto it anymore, limiting his mix-up opportunities to increase his damage.
Ironically, or perhaps unsurprisingly, Capcom put its own twist on this idea with Street Fighter V’s “V-Trigger,” which also enhances character capabilities at the cost of a resource. Granted, Dimps is not responsible for creating such a mechanic, but it is still interesting to see how some of its DNA has seeped into the biggest 2D fighting game franchise of today.
It is then a shame that the gameplay is so exhilarating, because to be a successful fighting game in 2026, arcade, survival and time attack modes will not be enough by today’s standards, and that is all The Rumble Fish 2 has to offer. Not to mention the AI can feel frustrating to face on high difficulties, as it constantly reacts in a single frame with the perfect answer to every button press.
As far as training modes go, this one is barebones, only featuring the basics, such as manipulating health bars and super meters, or forcing the AI to behave a certain way, but is missing modern essentials such as a frame data display. Crucially, there is no tutorial. This means that getting acquainted with core mechanics can feel like detective work. This can be fun for genre experts, but is sure to make casuals flee in terror.
At the end of the day, however, this is a fighting game, and they are best enjoyed when facing other players of similar or higher skill level. 3goo, the company behind this port, knows this, since it has implemented rollback netcode to it, which is the best infrastructure to play these games online. Alas, matchmaking is effectively dead, and it is impossible to find opponents through regular means.
The only way to fight other players is through dedicated Discord servers, if those are still active, or offline events. It is of course possible to play with friends for casual, stress free sessions, but if they are beginners, forget about quality matches. This also means that even the brand-new team battle mode exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 version cannot be easily experienced, as it is only available in VS mode which requires other people to function. Yes, you cannot play VS mode against the AI. It is strictly a multiplayer mode, which is unfortunate
To say that The Rumble Fish 2 is a hard sell for the uninitiated is an understatement, but there is fun to be had for seasoned players who are looking to test the limits of what is possible gameplaywise. Those looking for an entry point into the genre, however, should look elsewhere.
