Arms: Hook-like Arms

Yes, for this game, it's definitely worth buying a Nintendo Switch, as it's currently the only fighting game where motion controller input is perfectly implemented.

Yes, for this game, it's definitely worth buying a Nintendo Switch, as it's currently the only fighting game where motion controller input is perfectly implemented.

Yes, this game is worth buying if you want to intensely burn calories at home.

Yes, this is an unusual, non-standard project with no analogues, making it very difficult to compare with other games.

Like Splatoon in its time, the game is disarming with its visual style, enchanting with its musical accompaniment, and perplexing with its amount of content.

When we talk about “content,” we don't mean the quality of game mechanics or the variety of modes, but the number of available heroes, a campaign presenting them, and customization options to surprise opponents online. Well, there's none of the latter here — no campaign, no customization, and we only have 10 heroes. But otherwise, there's nothing to fault the game for. 

Arms is an excellent workout. Your arms ache after playing, and your heart pounds from an excess of adrenaline. To play, you can use the familiar buttons and sticks on the controller, but by a strange coincidence, it's best to pick up the Joy-Cons and prepare for a “real” fight. Motion controller input is so comfortable, intuitive, and responsive that playing with “buttons” ceases to be enjoyable afterward. When you throw your arm forward, twist the glove in flight, and aim it directly at your opponent's face — that's real delight! Punch combos, grabs, dodges, jumps — all are executed simply. You control the process 100%.

Arms is a very unusual fighting game. Heroes with long, stretching arms (hair, manipulators, pseudopods) clash in arenas. What happens resembles a combination of boxing and a shooter. By throwing your arm forward, you “shoot” a glove at your opponent, and while the projectile is in flight, you can control its trajectory by tilting your wrist. 

Before entering the ring, each fighter chooses one weapon out of three options for each hand. Simple boxing gloves are not valued here. Heroes hit each other with hammers, boomerangs, umbrellas, and rockets. What's interesting is that heavy weapons knock light ones out of the air. So, if you see a mace hurtling towards your face, it's better to jump aside than try to knock it down with a party popper.

In addition to flight trajectory, impact area, and weight, projectiles have other properties. If they are charged (usually by blocking for a second, but some heroes can charge weapons while moving), they have an additional effect: they ignite, freeze, stun, or launch the opponent into the air. And then, when energy accumulates, you can use a super move and unleash a barrage of blows. 

Initially, each hero has access to three types of “gloves.” They are unique and do not repeat. As we play, we earn coins, buy a ticket to the local shooting range with them, where we unlock other heroes' weapons. Thus, your favorite's arsenal slowly but surely increases from 3 to 30 different types.

The astute reader has probably already understood through complex mathematical calculations that the game features 10 heroes. They differ from each other not only in appearance but also in agility, health, and active skills. One girl, for example, can perform double jumps, a sultry beauty charges weapons in the air, a ninja teleports, a mummy heals in block, and a strange gelatinous creature doesn't jump at all but stretches and contracts. And there's also a Robocop with a robot dog. 

In addition, each hero has their own arena. And for this, the game's creators deserve special mention. In this fighting game, some levels rebuild before your eyes, others have dangerous zones, still others have obstacles that hinder direct contact (columns or cars), and others have elevation changes. The dynamic is also fueled by bombs falling from above and zones that restore health or energy. Theoretically, the game can be infinitely expanded by adding new arenas, heroes, and weapons. As for depth, Arms already has so much at launch that it's hard to tear yourself away from the game. 

To begin with, there's a traditional “Grand Prix” championship with a boss at the end. The easiest way to earn coins... If you don't try to tackle high difficulty levels.

The game is easy to learn, allowing you to choose the most comfortable opponents (there are 7 difficulty levels in total), but as soon as you go up even one level, the computer starts mercilessly spreading you thinly across the arena's texture. New facets open up in what seems like a simple mechanic, you get used to new speeds, learn to block and charge gloves in time, cope with a new stage, move to the next difficulty level — and realize that you are still nobody. 

The “Grand Prix,” pleasantly, can be played by two people on one screen. In this case, partners are tied with a ribbon so as not to stray too far from each other and attack a pair of AI-controlled opponents.

In addition, the game features a scattering of diverse modes, which are pleasantly well-made and interesting to spend time on. “Fight against a Hundred” — battles with a bunch of jumping bots and a final boss with a bunch of tentacle-gloves. “Bullseye!” — this is a shooting range, but not a simple one. Here you not only have to hit targets faster than the opponent opposite you, but also attack them, preventing them from completing the task. The one who scores more points within the allotted time wins.

“Basketball” is the highlight of the game. In this quasi-sports entertainment, there is no ball, and you have to throw your opponent into the hoop. To do this, you need to grab them, after which your hero will automatically throw the body into the basket, and whether it goes in or not — there's a chance it will miss. “Volleyball” is at about the same level of excitement, as the falling ball can not only be hit in different directions but also spun to accelerate its fall. At first, it seems that there is more chaos in this mini-game than in others, but once you get used to the rules, you start winning. Against the computer, at least.

Training, battles against each other, or in pairs against AI were also not left out. You can even play with four people on one screen!

There's also online multiplayer here. Many, including us, criticize Nintendo for its outdated network infrastructure, but in some games, the company amazes with its original multiplayer implementation and the quality of its network code. Arms is no exception. Finding and connecting to lobbies looks extremely stylish. While waiting, you can practice your aim on moving targets. There are ranked “Pro” matches and fun “Amateur” brawls, where up to 4 people can clash in one arena, with each person being for themselves.

The game's visual style is quite unusual. It's hard to call it beautiful, but it doesn't cause rejection either. The artists managed to do the main thing — create a unique visual style that immediately sets Arms apart. On the console, the game runs at 1080p resolution at 60 fps, and level loading is very fast. An excellent result for such a relatively weak system. 

The music is great. There's no voice acting, except for gasps and sighs.

As for controls, Nintendo remained true to itself. If you want to play together, you don't need to buy additional controllers. Each player takes a Joy-Con, and that's quite enough.

Diagnosis

And once again, we can talk about “Nintendo's special path.” The company presented a very unusual fighting game, based on Joy-Con motion controllers. Despite the alternative control using sticks and buttons, there's absolutely no desire to switch to them due to the precise and quick understanding of commands. Plus, calories are burned, which is also nice. 

The authors surprised not only with a unique combination of shooter and boxing. There are many different modes, online multiplayer is superbly implemented; diverse heroes, arenas, and weapons generate a huge number of game situations, so the game doesn't get boring, despite its relatively simple mechanics. 

What raises doubts, however, is the high cost of the game. We only have 10 heroes, no ability to customize their appearance, and no semblance of a campaign or even an introductory video that would present this strange universe. But the game takes up very little space on the memory card — just over 2 GB.

Pro:

• Easy to learn, yet deep game mechanics
• Perfect control using motion controllers
• Great variety of truly different modes
• Superbly implemented online and offline multiplayer
• Interesting heroes — with their own arena and weapon set
• 30 types of unique weapons
• Catchy music
• Pleasant visual style, excellent optimization

Contra:

• High cost
• Steeply rising AI difficulty curve
• No campaign and no ability to customize hero appearance