Above: Another benefit of having arms like that is reaching all of those itchy spots on your back.
You’ve explored Hyrule and raced your friends in karts. Now its time to beat people silly with Slinky fists.
Arms is a big deal for Nintendo. Its Switch console is an early success, but it needs more hit games if it wants to keep that momentum going.
Following the launch title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and last month’s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, this is Nintendo’s third big software release for its new system. Many could have guessed that those games would be hits, but Arms could be the surprise success story of the Switch’s early days thanks to its unique, fist-flinging gameplay.Unlike Zelda and Mario Kart, Arms doesn’t have a big franchise name to back it up. It is an original game, something that’s become rare for a company like Nintendo that likes to depend on its established brands. But as we saw with Splatoon for the Wii U back in 2015, these new franchise gambles can pay off. That ink-splattering team-based shooter was Nintendo’s first notable new franchise in years, and Splatoon 2 is coming out for the Switch on July 21.
So, is Arms the next Splatoon? It’s just as offbeat, featuring a cast of colorful characters, like a robot dog-and-cop duo and tea-loving movie star that fights with her giant pigtails. And, just like Splatoon, it’s mostly a multiplayer affair. Most of your time with Arms will be spent fighting against friends around the couch or strangers online.
But Splatoon succeeded because it took a familiar format — the multiplayer shooter — and added a Nintendo spin to it by making it less about killing people and more about covering stages in your team’s ink color. And that’s how Arms earns its Splatoon comparison. Nintendo took something familiar like the 3D fighter and made it its own.
A simple idea with great execution
Arms is a game about punching people. Every character has elastic appendages that can send out swings over long distances. The concept is simple. You want to hit your opponent a lot. But you’ll find depth in the simplicity. You can slightly curve your punches, and anticipating where you think your target will be is a big part of strategy. And since you have two arms, you can send one fist flying in one direction, wait to see how your opponent reacts, and then shoot out the other punch.
The elastic arms things is a bit unconventional (Dhalsim from Street Fighter aside), but fans of fighting games will find a lot here that’s familiar. Fights have a paper-scissors-rock triangle: blocks beat attacks, attacks beat throws, and throws beat blocks. You also have a super meter that slowly fills up during matches. When it’s ready, you can push a button to activate a flurry of strong…
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