Quirky fighter with colourful characters jumps into action on Switch
Nintendo has said the key to maintaining the momentum for its popular Switch console is to regularly release high-profile games featuring its most popular exclusive properties.
The gaming giant kicked off that strategy with the critically and commercially successful The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, while Super Mario Odyssey looks like it could be a system seller when it comes out in October.
Nintendo hopes some new faces will make an impression in the meantime, starting with the cast of characters from the quirky new release, Arms. Nintendo’s newest intellectual property is a 3D fighter in which colourful characters like Spring Man, Ribbon Girl and Kid Cobra use their elongated appendages to bash each other.
Arms mixes cartoony fun with surprising depth. You won’t find complicated move sets or lengthy combos that require elaborate inputs here. Instead, the game emphasizes movement, countering and finding your opponent’s opening before unleashing a flurry of punches. Almost as important to punching is jumping and dodging — flailing blindly with your springy appendages is a sure way to rack up a loss.
Arms utilizes the Switch’s motion controls, letting you throw left and right jabs with a Joy-Con controller in each hand while adding some creative flourishes to your punches. It can be very satisfying to hook your punch around an obstacle and catch your opponent by surprise. However, I found moving and blocking in this mode less reliable than I would have liked. Using the classic controller, while less unique of an experience, eliminated these issues.
The fighters have essentially the same move sets, but each has a unique special ability. Ribbon Girl can use height to her advantage with multiple jumps, Master Mummy can regain health while blocking, Ninjara can briefly disappear with his midair dashes and Mechanica can hover.
Each character also has a choice of “fists” to put at the end of each appendage, starting with three different options. More can be unlocked during the course of the game.
Arms can be difficult to master and might seem a tad frustrating if you feel left behind by the learning curve. But it’s a well done and fun game with a slick presentation.