The Long Game
Developer/publisher Nintendo (EPD) Format Switch Release 2017
Progress reports on the games we just can’t quit, featuring the everdwindling reach of Arms
What a shame it would be were Arms to be remembered as the most high-profile victim of Nintendo’s comeback. Even before its first 12 months is up, Switch has had an exceptional debut year, but after the fallow years of Wii U, its comparatively packed release schedule has had an unfortunate impact on the Mario Kart team’s exuberant brawler. Six months on, the lobbies of its wonderfully accessible Party Match mode are notably less populous, and waits for Ranked battles are growing. In a climate where even high-profile fighting games such as Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite are struggling, Arms’ million-plus sales record isn’t to be sniffed at. Even so, it’s becoming clear that Splatoon’s breakout success isn’t going to be replicated here.
It’s tempting to say it’s just bad timing. At its heart, Arms remains irresistibly good fun: colourful, immediate and rich in character, it brings a cheery approachability to a genre that’s grown increasingly impenetrable to the masses. And over the course of half a year, Nintendo has built upon it with a series of additions that, on paper, seem shrewd enough. In the puffed-chest showmanship of Max Brass and clownish acrobatics of Lola Pop, it has two memorable new entrants; the latest, Misango, is equally distinctive, with poison-tipped scorpions and a spirit ally making him the game’s most versatile fighter. Meanwhile, a robotic version of cover star Spring Man presents a good reason to revisit the singleplayer Grand Prix, popping up to offer a stern challenge to players who haven’t suffered a loss en route to the final.
With hindsight, other additions might have been too little, too late. Extra training exercises make for a more comprehensive tutorial, and arguably should have been there from the start. Likewise, the welcome ability to remap inputs, which might have persuaded some to persevere with the more versatile motion controls. Badges for a range of accomplishments provide the kind of hook Arms lacks beyond the pleasure of simply playing it. But a small picture next to your player icon hardly feels like you’re wearing your achievements with pride.
We’ve not played almost 200 hours of the thing without good reason, but these days most players want something more to keep them coming back.
Splatoon 2 has benefitted from the breathing space the original was given on Wii U to build an audience, that previous-gen groundwork allowing Nintendo to maintain more regular updates, with old maps and weapons repurposed for the sequel. Arms’ progress, inevitably, has been rather slower – and with no metagame to speak of, it’s struggling to compete with its publisher’s other big online game. The Splatfest-like Party Crash event may yet generate a spike of interest; otherwise, one of our favourite Switch games is beginning to look all punched out.