The Rumble Fish 2 (PC)

Powah Dunk | April 26, 2023 | Review | No Comments

The Rumble Fish 2 isn’t a game that would be high on many people’s “port” list by any stretch, an incredibly niche title even for the fighting game genre that gathered a slight cult following. Worth admiring or should you throw it back?.

The Rumble Fish 2 was developed by DIMPS who are known for titles like Sonic Advance, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai and Street Fighter 4. Developed during the lull in the fighting game genre for the ill-fated Atomiswave and fairly early on the developers career, it didn’t see much success outside of a hardcore following, my first exposure to the series actually came from the Triple KO podcast where Justin Wong spoke enthusiastically about the title, so imagine my surprise when this title all of a sudden got a re-release announcement!.

Being a fan of 2D fighters I just had to try this one out and while we got this code on launch, sadly it wasn’t in the best of shape, lambasted for its widescreen presentation which broke combos, sadly penny pinching DLC and poor online options, with talk of a patch on the horizon I left off covering the title until it’s had a fair shake.

I’m glad to say that my time with The Rumble Fish 2 post patch has been fairly positive outside of some egregious DLC where boss characters are being charged at £4 each and the developer has said this is to keep it authentic to the “Arcade experience”, yeah ok!

The Rumble Fish 2 is a traditional 2D fighter with a few unique that helped garner the cult following it created. First off the Offensive and Defensive meters offer so many different ways of taking on your opposition through move cancelling, slow motion dodges, multi-tiered super moves and aggressive move chaining which go hand in hand with the chain combo system where you can link basic attacks together with ease.

The roster is a strange cast and this is furthered by the stiff 3D models they have, this was done as a way to make production easier and cheaper but also the game features a destruction system where the characters clothes get destroyed and they develop bruises and cuts as the battles go on, it’s clunky at first but it does have an air of charm that you can’t deny, especially when you consider this game predates Street Fighter IV.

In terms of extras and bonus features this game doesn’t have any, as previously mentioned even the bonus characters are nickel and dimed making it a very pricey re-release. It does have online multiplayer but in my experience player count was very low and I only managed a few fights where it didn’t just disconnect and no Crossplay means it’s pretty much a dead game online at the moment.

The Rumble Fish 2 should have definitely came as a collection with the first title rather than locking it behind a physical special edition, it’s a pricey niche title that unfortunately had a really rough start and is struggling to gain any traction. It’s a fun as all hell fighting game and an interesting look at the genre during its darker pre-Street Fighter IV days but my advice would be to wait on a sale before you dive into its quirky cast and addictive combat mechanics.