We spent some time with Nintendo’s new IP, ARMS, during the Global Testpunch on the Nintendo Switch. It’s a unique and new fighting game with a ton of potential.
When we first saw footage of ARMS for the Nintendo Switch, it wasn’t a game that we were really looking forward to. It looked very generic, and in some ways, full of useless gimmicks. However, as time went on and more footage/gameplay was released, we became more and more intrigued by it. The fighting looks different and the characters all seem like a ton of fun to play. Thanks to the Global Testpunch, which went live this weekend, we got to test it out for ourselves. Our thoughts are still very basic since it is a limited demo, but this game has a ton of potential.
Based on the controls, we were worried about Nintendo forcing us to use the motion controls. Thankfully, they were only optional. Much like Splatoon 2, this game runs much smoother when playing with the pro controller or the Joy-Con grip. It still takes a bit of getting used to, but it’s easy to pick up on.
The gameplay is a ton of fun and there are seven characters to choose from in the demo. We found ourselves mostly playing Ninjara and Helix, which are both complex, but cool characters. What’s great about all of these characters is their diversity in fighting styles. The selection of arms is a particular highlight. Each arm does something different, and you have the option of choosing which left and right arms to play with.
Depending on your play style, there will be characters that are better suited for you, which is like most fighting games. That’s about the only comparisons we can draw when comparing it to other games. The perspective and fighting style is somewhat similar to Pokken Tournament, especially in looks and the stages you play on, but that’s about it.
The combinations you can throw are also up to you. It’s likely that you’ll spam the same buttons over and over again at the start, but you learn more and more as you continue playing. You can mix up combos and angle your punches depending on where your opponent is. You can dash left and right to make yourself a harder target, and jumping also helps you get different angles while avoiding incoming attacks. What’s truly awesome is your special move. As you land more attacks, your special move will become available and you unleash a vicious attack. Of course, every character has a different attack, which is great.
The online multiplayer will be something to watch. The first day, the servers were a bit wonky for us. We won’t say that was the case for everybody, but we couldn’t really play much the first hour. However, we had zero server issues on Saturday or today, so kudos to Nintendo for that. There was only one mode, which was Party Match. You can do one-on-one matches, play V-Ball (Volleyball), or team matches with random players. They’re extremely fun to play and we can’t wait to test them out a bit more.
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So far, this is looking like a first-day purchase for us. We already enjoyed ourselves tremendously with a demo that doesn’t include a ton of content. We can only imagine once we can play the final product.
ARMS released on June 16, 2017.