Not every new IP is a smash hit. But ARMS sure as hell should have been.

The motion controls are a joy to use and harken back to the delightfully silly days of Wii Sports and Resort. Even if you opt for the traditional controller setup there's so much ridiculous fun to be had but more than this you can begin to discover the intricacies of ARMS's combat system. Yes, it's rudimentary and unbalanced but we have to consider this is the first stab at this potential new combat, something that no other game in history has ever dreamt up. Looking to ARMS's spiritual sister—Splatoon—we can see a similar lack of polish and balance in the earliest opening (Splatoon 2015). But in the games sophomore outing, much needed balancing was done that brought the games competitive scene to new heights. It is reasonable to believe ARMS could see such improvement in a second installment as well, dispelling much of the sentiment that ARMS is just a stupid party game too reliant on a gimmick.

Moreover there is some of the most inventive story, world, character, and sound ever created in a video game. ARMS oozes style, from the start menu to the credits the heavy cultural inspiration and sport motifs give ARMS one of the most incredible and enrapturing tones I have ever experienced.

Give this silly game a serious chance. It's all I ask.
ARMS 2 WHEN?

i was really hoping nintendo would pull a splatoon with this one and it would rule. the testpunch was pretty fun and when the game came out i enjoyed it. there just isn't any content. there's an arcade mode and online matches and thats it. there are a couple side modes such as hoops and targets but you can experience most of what this game has to offer in a couple hours and the updates just added new characters which while nice wasn't really my problem with the game in the first place. if you want a fun multiplayer game on switch there are a lot better options then arms

Arms seemingly had everything it needed to be a hit. A unique gameplay conceit, a fun cast of characters, and a colorful world. Arms looked like it could be to the Switch what Splatoon was to the Wii U and Nintendo seemed to be banking on it, capitalizing on its prospective success by announcing a graphic novel based on the game published by Dark Horse comics. At first, Arms did become the success Nintendo was hoping it’d be, receiving positive reviews from most publications and eventually going on to sell over two million copies. This success wouldn’t last because as it turns out, the game was called Arms because it had no legs.

Unlike Splatoon, which retained a very dedicated fanbase, once the hype died down people just kinda stopped talking about Arms. It’s easy to understand why. It’s a fun game for the first few minutes you play it, but it’s far too gimmicky for hardcore fighting game players to have any interest and is too lacking in content to keep the attention of casual players, a problem which would go unsolved as the game would receive only a few content updates in the form of characters and stages before support stopped in December 2017, just 6 months after release. With that, the Arms franchise basically died before it got the chance to even become a franchise. The graphic novel went radio silent for years before being officially canceled in 2021, and there’s been no talks of any sort of proper sequel. The most Nintendo would acknowledge Arms after 2017 was putting Min-Min in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, a move which angered millions of people who believe Smash’s roster should be populated entirely by characters from video games they played when they were 6.

For all its faults, Arms had a ton of potential and it’s a shame that potential has gone unfulfilled. There are some crazy good character designs here and some really whacky lore that I could easily envision a sequel expanding on. On the other hand though, Arms will be lost to time and I can’t really say it doesn’t deserve to be.

Man, I wanted to like ARMS so much more: it hs an incredible presentation, amaing soundtrack and fantastic character designs. I think Nintendo wanted to sell it as "Splatoon's Switch cousin IP", since it was a cool IP at launch and it add free bonus content released over the upcoming months.

It was a cool idea to begin a new series..... too bad Nintendo dropped the ball on it too quickly.

THe gameplay is interesting and considering I am a big fan of Punch Out Wii, I really liked it and each character had a cool enough gimmick to make them stand out, even though there is not the same amount of gameplay variety compared to other fighting games.

And tdespite the incredible roster, the game really misses a story mode that ties everyone together, or at least gives more depth to this charming world.
I think one of the reasons Splatoon got so successful is the fact that it combined a cool gmeplay and online matches with an interesting setting and a story full of secrets and enthrilling lore. Here we got the great gameplay and online.... but in terms of the story there is not a lot going on: each character got a comment and artwork after finishing the arcade mode, you got some story about Dr. Coyle, Max Brass and Hedlok, and some cool arts to collect.... but honestly I kinda wish for so much more. I kinda wish the planned manga of ARMS was able to be released, because with what we got I don't think I am able to completely immerse myself into this new cool IP.

I remember trying this game thanks to the nintendo switch online, who made the title free for like a week.... and I personally felt that 1 week was just enough to enjoy all of the content ARMS had to offer..... which is kind of a shame.
It's not a bad game, if you are a fan of Punch out (or Wii sports Boxing) giving it a shot will be worthy..... but man I wish there was more to it.... Hoping for an ARMS 2!

this easily could've been the next splatoon and become a big IP that gets lots of love, but they really shot themselves in the foot by marketing the joy-con mode so heavily while barely mentioning the fact that regular controllers work too. it had more than enough depth to pop off as a competitive fighting game while still being fun casually, but most people saw the joy-cons as the only way to play and it understandably turned them away. it's a shame since this game is so much fun with a wonderful art direction and has character designs full of charm, but they really fumbled and they're clearly hesitant to make a sequel. i'm still hopeful that it'll happen!! don't let this potential go to waste nintendo :(

ARMS was free to play as one of those NSO trial things for like a week or so, and I had my fill of it in that time. Beat the hardest difficulty of the arcade mode, fooled around online a bit, and that’s where my interest faltered and I felt like I had done everything the game had to offer, pretty much. It’s pretty fun, rather creative and in terms of presentation and personality, it has both down great! There’s just not much content to keep you engaged, so though I don’t regret playing it, the fact I had my fill during that trial period says it all.

Arms was my most anticipated game for the Switch back in the day, and I think that's pretty funny in retrospect because it's currently collecting dust in my game catalogue. I did really like the game, don't get me wrong, but it never had much staying power in my headspace, and that seems to be a pretty common sentiment.

Gameplay:
Arms is a unique 3D fighting game where you fight using really long springy, arms. The combat sees you and your opponent facing off at long distances, throwing punches back and forth and maneuvering around attacks. It's all a fun concept backed up by mechanics that lead to exciting battles.

Firstly, the control scheme is pretty good. Admittedly, I've never played much with the traditional controls, but the game allows you to take advantage of the Switch's motion controls and it is, in my opinion, the best way to play the game. It's like boxing in Wii Sports after drinking two cans of Gfuel. Secondly, the moveset is simple but expanded upon in interesting ways. Punching and grabbing are your only real offensive options, but there's a lot to them. Punches/grabs can be shot straight forward or in a curve, allowing for maneuverability around objects. There's also a plethora of different kinds of fists to choose from that will effect the range and damage of punches. It allows for experimentation, but more than likely a player will find what they like a stick to it. Thirdly, the variety in stage design gives the players some interesting things to work with. Whether it be something like jump pads or just weird layouts, the stages keep players on their toes by making them adjust their approaches to punching and dodging. Lastly, the characters. There's a decent variety of characters to choose from that have their own attributes you can take advantage of. They each start with their own unique set of fists too, though each character's arsenal can be expanded through a mini game.

While the mechanics are solid, there's unfortunately some issues that hold back Arms's staying power. Firstly, while I've never touched the online aspect of the game, I'd have to imagine that the lack of updates and new content being added had to really hurt the replayability in that regard. Secondly, I felt like the game had a low skill ceiling. Despite the attempt to add variety and experimentation through stage layouts, fist types, and character abilities, things get repetitive quick. There's just not enough keeping battles from playing out the same way every time. The game really could have used something extra in its combat, whether that be more moves, more environmental interactions, or maybe even the addition of items that could be picked up, I dunno. Thirdly, the arcade mode is disappointing. Arms gives hints of some really cool world-building through its characters and presentation, but the game's main singleplayer mode is just a standard series of matches with nothing interesting going on. I cannot imagine how much more I would love the game if it had something as simple as an ending for each character.

Sound and visuals:
Sound design is good. Music is probably also good. Admittedly, I don't remember too much in the audio department. But hey, it's solid and that's what matters.

Arm's art direction is probably the objectively best part. The visuals are wonderfully vibrant and stylized. Stage designs are well-done and memorable, and the character designs are even moreso. I've had a Kid Cobra icon on my Switch profile for years and I have no plans to change it anytime soon (even if I rarely even acknowledge the game that it is from). This game still brings happiness to my artist heart even all these years later.

Conclusion:
Is Arms a game worth picking up in 2023 when so many good Switch exclusive games have come out? No. Absolutely not. Go play Splatoon or something. However, I do think it's worth remembering because it did have some pretty cool things about it. It probably won't ever happen, but I hope Nintendo will give this game a second shot someday because the concept is awesome and has a lot of potential. It was just missing that bit of extra effort in its mechanics and content to really give it that "wow" factor.