A calling card for Tae Bo exercise enthusiasts come Slinky collectors, Nintendo’s new IP for the Switch means colourful, speedy business in the arena with ARMS. What it lacks in button mapping, online customisation and move combat, it makes up for with bags of fun in its online party matches and versus modes, swiftly becoming a highly accessible and attractive pick up and play title, fun for all ages.
Developed by Nintendo’s EPD division and produced by Mario Kart 8 director Kosuke Yabuki, ARMS does exactly what it says on the tin as a fun-for-all, multiplayer fighting game exclusive to the Switch. Featuring six different modes and ten highly versatile and distinctive fighters, Nintendo’s new IP is what the British would dub “marmite”; you either get it, love it and cuddle it with glee, or you don’t. Just like the ten arenas on show, there’s no neutral ground to duck and dive into, no need to memorise unique combat movement strings, it’s a 1-2 punch, block and pummel set and forget routine. Pick your character, select from three different ARMS on your left and right sides, and begin with or without motion controls. Some might say it’s as easy as 1-2-3.
Between the colourful character selection and the arenas on show, there’s a fighter for every play style out there. From Ribbon Girl’s midair multi-jump or Ninjara’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it warp and dash technique, to Mechanica’s chunky metal exterior and Helix’s shrink-and-stretch move that blends Ghostbusters with Hasbro’s horrendously weird Stretch Armstrong from the ’70s, ARMS is certainly unique. Each fighter not only looks different but feels distinctive in weight class, overall handling and ARMS technique. According to Nintendo, there’s up to 9,000 possible ARMS combinations to choose from, each with their own elemental typing, a staggering number to showcase the depth of fighter customisation available.
Even choosing which controller to use becomes distinct to your play style. Should you want highly precise, responsive punches you’ll want to play with motion control with a pair of Joy-Cons in each hand. Simply resume the thumbs upright Joy-Con position and use the L, R and ZR buttons to jump, dash and unleash your special, as well as throw both arms out to grab an opponent or bring them close to your chest to guard. But if you want smooth control and the ability to direct your punches with or without a curve, using the Pro Controller or Joy-Con grip is the best option. Guarding, however, is more tricky here and without the ability to map your buttons, it’s a sticking issue for fans of the fighting genre for sure. Even playing ARMS in undocked mode with the Joy-Cons attached can be finicky, although the graphics and its overall playability on the Switch itself is superb.
Although ARMS relies heavily on its online ranked and party match modes, single players can learn the basics – outside of the short tutorial – in Grand Prix mode. With up to ten difficulty settings available, you’ll need to fight ten “best of three” matches in standard PvP combat to secure victory. Should you fail to defeat the CPU, you can always take them on in a rematch or quit partway through to automatically save your progress and pick up where you left off. There’s also the option to play Grand Prix mode as a pair in co-operative play, with an extra CPU player added to balance the fight. You’ll be linked together with a transparent coloured rope though, so if one player gets grabbed and thrown, the other will suffer the consequences. A neat feature aimed to give matches a touch of flourish and embellishment.
After winning each battle, you’ll be awarded a set number of ARMS “medals”, depending on the difficulty level chosen. Collecting this in-game currency – which is awarded after every battle, no matter the mode – serves as a way to unlock new ARMS sets. But unlike other games, you can’t purchase these upgrades; instead players will need to tackle a timed arcade mini-game named Skillshot to claim their prize. With 27 additional ARMS sets on offer, which excludes the three unlocked by default, each character must unlock these separately in order to equip them in battle. For the completionists out there, that’s a whopping 270 sets you’ll need to break the ARMS bank for. And while you can substitute your medals for either 30, 100 or 200 seconds in the mini-game, there’s no guarantee you’ll get an ARMS set each time, let alone the one you actually want due to its random selection. It’s a real risk versus reward scheme that doesn’t fully pay off, leaving the player deflated with a sour taste in the mouth for the game’s only unlockable features.
Since ARMS can be played with up to four people in Versus mode, there’s some great multiplayer action to be had in either the standard PvP fight or team matches, V-Ball, Skillshot and Hoops. While V-Ball is certainly the weakest mini-game as it doesn’t require interaction between players as a standard Volleyball game, Skillshot and Hoops are much more lucrative offerings. Both require more skill and accuracy, with Skillshot requiring you to rack up points by hitting multiple targets while counter-attacking your opponent, alongside the slam-dunk basketball, grab and score affair of Hoops. It’s a shame there’s only one way to score in Hoops with the grab technique, however, and even then your character might miss the basket.
Alongside these mini-games, players will find the 1-on-100, ARMS test and training areas in Versus mode. In 1-on-100, you’ll have to fight 100 Helix-style enemies with health and special regeneration tubes placed strategically throughout the survival mode. While in ARMS test and training, players can try out different ARMS and hone their skills in the various arenas. Their inclusion as mini-games broaden ARMS’ scope and playability, with each being well developed in their own right.
The crux of ARMS’ gameplay lies in its online modes. With Party Match and Ranked Match modes available, it’s easy to spend hours tucked into the game’s lobbies with its smooth player versus player match transitions, which guarantees a match-up within a few minutes, and its target practice warm-up mode for any downtime experienced. Although you won’t be able to specify regional matches, instead you’ll be placed in a random global lobby, you can change your fighter at any time before or after matches without exiting.
Party mode’s box-of-chocolates selection means matches are chosen entirely at random, depending on how many players are frequenting the lobby. From standard PvP matches, V-Ball, Hoops and Skillshot to three versus one boss fights, there’s a good variety on offer to keep ARMS from becoming too limp. Connection lags and time-outs, although minimal, still plague the lobbies. Perhaps it boils down to the unfortunate left Joy-Con de-sync issue, having had trouble on more than one occasion personally. And even though you can play co-operative in the online lobbies, you’ll have to take it in turns to fight in battles instead of playing together. A sure-fire misstep from Nintendo.
Other modes on offer include Friend, Local and Ranked Match. For the latter, you’ll have to win a Grand Prix on difficulty level 4 or higher to unlock the mode, separating the wheat from the chaff. There’s also no health, special regeneration power-ups or bombs in this mode, so you’ll be playing against others on skill alone. It’s a mode with real challenge involved, but you’ll have plenty of chance to level up your rank each time you defeat an opponent. And though it does take a while to match up with another ranked player, you’ll be able to play either Grand Prix or Versus mode while you wait, giving you something else to do than twiddle your thumbs in another warm-up mode.
ARMS truly shines in its party match-ups and versus modes, but it’s let down by a lack of online customisation options and diluted single player offerings which risk becoming repetitive over time. If you’re a fan of multiplayer fighters and prefer the comprehensive combat from Pokken Tournament, Street Fighter and Tekken, ARMS may feel too simplistic with its combat mechanics. But it doesn’t stop us hopping from limb to limb as a back to basics fighting game, albeit with a unique twist.
8/10
I really do prefer a richer single player experience, so I’ll probably give this a pass for now.
Same.
||What theme will your channel have? Hints?…||
It’s gaming related, but hardly traditional. :]
I’ll email you more details Commander! As well as say hello.
||Good, have been waiting for an e-mail for 2 decades now…||
||Do you see it having a longevity factor for the years to come Ambassador? Like with Mario Kart or Smash Brothers?…||
||And you will receive my code shortly…||
Didn’t they already announce free updates for ARMS just like Splatoon, Commander? That could not only increase its longevity, but drastically change its play style over time…
||Yes but all I search for is the essence of it…||
Deep, Your Grace… :p
Colette isn’t around at the moment but she will be on later this evening to answer your questions :) I’ve only played the Global Testpunch.
||Good, so what is your impression then Chief Ambassador? You will also be receiving my code very soon…||
I really enjoyed the Testpunch. I found the best method is to go in reserved and taunt your opponent and then unleash hell upon them. I tried a range of characters but mainly stuck with Twintelle as I found her to be a beast in the ring. I have the full game pre-ordered so I’ll be getting that on the 16th :) No doubt I will catch a few of you online!
Give me your switch friend code baby!!! :((
Also dont forget me commander…give me your code… (i know you are trolling and you will not give it)
||Great, I’ll take that into consideration…||
Chief Ambassador Sickr, you have yet to reported on this.
I therefore feel obliged to inform you:
https://youtu.be/yKCqJ8llKuA
As brightstarbeing said, I think there’s extra content coming to ARMS in the future, so there will be more to come. But I imagine that will be in the form of potential new characters, new ARMS sets and mini-game modes, instead of single player focused content. I think they will focus on the accessibility of party mode, which would be a great way to keep players of all skills playing. The ranked matches are tough, and I’m absolutely garbage. :P
||Sounds appealing enough, especially your final sentence, keep up the good work…||
New characters and minigames isn’t content for single player? Exactly, what do you expect from a fighting game single player mode? All others fighting games are far more bare than ARMS, at most they have CG backround trailers as coreography.
Can’t wait to play this! I really enjoyed the test punch and this is just over a week away so the wait isn’t loo long.
Simplistic compared to Street Fighter and Tekken.
This line is shocking for me, in a way, since we’re led to believe that the motion controls provide a certain depth in accuracy.
I’m not too fussed anyway, I didn’t really enjoy what I played in the Test Punch.
Incredible review, Colette. In-Depth and illustrated. What more could you ask for?
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed reading it. :)
Its is going worse than my hopes.. i had a hope that game will be around 8+ on metacritic ;/
Doesn’t Metacritic score on a 100 point scale? ;)
come troller you get my point :P
8 or 80% or 80/100 or 800/1000 Just not 78 like now… i just really hope it wont get worse
At first I thought the only way to slam dunk your opponent in Hoops was with grabs but I figured out if you could manage to pull off the super move on your opponent it would send them flying to the edge of the ring with the bouncy padding and they would rebound right into the hoop ^^
That would make me laugh like crazy!
It definitely adds insult to injury, I lol’d
Ha, That’s great! Will have to try it. :)
Had that happen during the Testpunch. My opponent rebounded right into the hoop; winning point too. I was like “wait, what?”
Pingback: ARMS Review Roundup - The Scores are Coming In! - NintenCity
Exactly what I expected. The game is only skin and bones, like most of the recent Nintendo games.
One question….. Is Biffy in the game? I don’t think I’ll enjoy matches without his hilarious commentry
He’s in the Grand Prix mode and introduces each match but he isn’t voiced, sadly. :(
The real question is when we will see Non-Specific Action Figure in a game. :p
An 8 seems fair, but even without A+ reviews, I think its going to have a niche following that loves it to death.
Not so much criticism here as a general question that seems tricky to handle as a reviewer: If the game had no single player and billed itself as multiplayer only (or vice versa), would it be docked points for having no single player? Why does a fighter need anything more than the traditional single player mode? I’ve got an arcade built in the basement with loads of fighters and none of them need more than that.
Critically, I will score a game on what it includes, as well as how well it’s developed and designed. If the game includes a single player mode, then it will be scored accordingly, if it’s a multiplayer only, it would go through the same motions. If I feel there’s something missing that would have improved said game then I will say it, as it’s affected the core gaming experience. I can’t speak for other reviewers but I focus on what’s there rather than what’s been missed out. It would also depend on if this is a new IP, or if it’s a sequel as to how it eventually scores. As I said, I can’t speak for all other reviewers but I try to be as fair as I can. :)
I’m willing to bet all those fighting games you have include a second arcade stick for multiplayer battles. All of those games were designed that way because it’s what pumps the most quarters into those machines. Arcade mode was more so to practice while waiting for a new challenger to appear. I personally always appreciated when there was a decent story line involved in the arcade mode though. That’s why I always liked the old Mortal Kombat games in the arcade, they had one of the most extensive story lines for an arcade fighter back then. I remember in MK1 the arcade machine used to have a screen that would advertise how you could send a check or money order in to receive the original Mortal Kombat comic book, it was pretty awesome.
For myself, this game looks stupid. I’ve thought that ever since the first trailer. Though I don’t care about fighting games OR boxing games.
Pingback: Check Out This Original ARMS Concept Art – My Nintendo News
As usual your writing is excellent. I though I knew most of the game, but your writing does a reeeaaally detailed and good job, and learned me even more about it!
You did mention Pokkén, Street Fighter and Tekken, but not King of Fighters/Fatal Fury……. O. M. GEEEEEEE– Nah, just kidding :P It’s only I in the whole world who cares about Neo Geo titles.
Sorry about late respons. Been pretty busy at late. Awesome work, C! I really enjoyed reading it :)
PS. Which controll type did you prefer the most? (It seemed Pro Controller/Joy-Grip wasn’t your primary choice, but you know… I like to ask stuff:D)
of late*. Hate that one cannot edit comments.
Glad you enjoyed reading! Ha, I only mentioned mainstream fighters as most people would have played those titles. :)
Thanks for popping by and commenting despite how busy you are – I actually enjoyed using the pro controller more, but felt the Joy-Cons have more accuracy. So it’s catch 22, either way I’m still absolutely useless at the game. *chuckles*
Did you… did you just insult King of Fighters by calling it “not mainstream” right now?… OH MY F– Nah, just kidding again :P I should stop this now… But KoF is a really great series :D
I was useless myself when I tried it last time. When I get my own copy, we should try to fight each other once :)
And yeah, I always enjoy your reviews. It’s always a pleasure :) Reviewer #1!
Yeah, I’m always up for multiplayer battles with friends. But honestly, I really am terrible. Please do not hold that against me. ;) And thank you again!
I trained kickboxing, so if I were to win, you could blame on that. And if I loose, you can rub it all over me 😁
Thanks for reviewing this one Colette. And OMG I LOVE THE NEW WEBSITE LAYOUT!!!!!<3
Pingback: ARMS Producers Say Art Designs Were Influenced By Dragon Ball And Akira – My Nintendo News
Pingback: Japan: ARMS Has Best Launch For An Unlicensed Fighting Game In The Last 7 Years – My Nintendo News
I think we can all agree that Colette is the best god-damn video game reviewer in the video game industry. amiright?
Pingback: Japan: ARMS Grand Prix 2017 Coming This Fall – My Nintendo News
Pingback: Next ARMS Party Crash “Bodyguard Recruiting” Kicks Off 4th January | My Nintendo News
Pingback: ARMS Party Crash Bash Featuring Mechanica And Dr. Coyle Happening 12th April | My Nintendo News
Pingback: ARMS Party Crash: Spring Man defeats Ribbon Girl | My Nintendo News | TECH, MUSIC & GAMING NEWS
Pingback: ARMS Party Crash: Spring Man defeats Ribbon Girl - Gamer Clouds