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Gaming Get up — Nintendo’s new boxing hit wants you to make a move in real life, says Ben Travis

NINTENDO’S new boxing game, ARMS, is a full-body experience. Dismiss any preconceptions of video games being the chosen hobby of the couch potato — the latest Switch title wants to get you moving.

The controls are simple. Players hold one Joy-Con controller in each hand and punch forward to deliver a blow to their opponent, tilting them together in a direction to move, and pressing the shoulder buttons to dodge and jump.

Bani sh those memories of the unresponsive and unpolished boxing mode on 2006’s Wii Sports. ARMS is a totally different beast. Not only do the motion controls work but the game challenges players to throw their fists tactically rather than delivering all-out attacks. One-on-one matches are all about blocking your opponent , deflecting incoming attacks and finding the right timing and position to dispatch your own extendable springy limbs.

“ARMS might be the first game that has such depth with its technique in its motion controls,” producer Kosuke Yabuki told Time magazine. “I think it would be great if ARMS were to become an e-sport.”

With its colourful and cartoonish graphics, ARMS is a distinctly Nintendo take on the fighting game, a world away from recent side-scrolling punch-ups Tekken 7 and Injustice 2. It continues a tried-and-tested formula for the Japanese gaming giant: take an existing genre and give it an all-ages, no-experiencenecessary twist. Much like Mario Kart, Splatoon and Super Smash Bros before it, ARMS’ skill-based gameplay is relatively simple to understand but rewards players who invest their time in experimenting with customisable options. Different characters can sport varying sets of fists with their own pros and cons — h e av y ones do extra the next round — it becomes a proper workout.

Throw your punches with intention. You’ve got to really pull your arm back in and flex it so that you work your triceps, biceps, shoulders and core. You’re recruiting more muscles, so you’re working a lot harder.

Your heart is a muscle. The game increases your heart rate, meaning damage but fire slowly, lighter ones are quick but won’t take so much strain on your health points.

There’s an emphasis on multiplayer, much more entertaining than the solo play rounds, which are essentially a training ground for player-versus-player. Nintendo clearly has hopes that ARMS could become a competitive favourite – there was even a mini-tournament at E3 last week, with brave players taking to the stage in front of a large crowd.

The game’s greatest strength is its uniqueness — it could only really exist on the Switch, a console designed to take risks with form and function, and whose Joy-Cons are stuffed with the gyroscopic technology and HD Rumble feedback that makes this kind of genrebusting gameplay possible.

If there’s one drawback, it’s the shareability. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Snipperclips only require a single Joy-Con per person, ideal for casual off-thecuff multiplayer, but two-player ARMS in local play requires an additional pair, costing from £70. Playing side-by-side with a mate is the best experience in the game, so it’s worth considering splashing out on the new neon yellow Joy-Cons launched to coincide with ARMS’ vibrant colour scheme.

Unlike Zelda, you won’t buy the Switch specifically to play ARMS, but it proves the console has more surprises up its sleeves. Nintendo’s knockout year continues.

@BenSTravis ARMS is out now on Nintendo Switch it’s working your cardiovascular system. You burn more calories when you increase your heart rate because your body has to work harder.

If ARMS has got you off the sofa and has given you the inclination to be more active, try a boxing class at a gym. I go to Islington Boxing Club in Upper Holloway, where they do classes for all ages and abilities. It’s a really cost-effective way to exercise.