The Rumble Fish

The Rumble Fish uses a unique 2D fighting system with the ability to easily create combos. Weak attacks can easily chain into slower, stronger attacks, a common system shown in games like Guilty Gear and Melty Blood. There is also a button dedicated to multiple evasive maneuvers.

The game also introduces the division of the power gauge into Offense and Defense. Advanced techniques are available to the player, at the cost of either gauge.

The game takes place in the distant future during the 21st century. During the turn of the 21st century, a large-scale natural disaster tears through the eastern side of an unverified country, destroying its economical and political operations and taking a total of 158,000 lives. A prominent corporation in the series, called PROBE-NEXUS, moves its base of operations to the ruined east side and begins reconstructing the area. The rebuilt area flourishes again as it becomes a wealthy and busy city known as Zone Prime, which serves as the backdrop for many locales in the game.

In the underground of Zone Prime, PROBE-NEXUS also sponsors a tournament known as the Fight for Survival, or F.F.S., where fighters are gathered from the city's slums and compete for sport. The first Rumble Fish game follows the fifth F.F.S. tournament.