The Grand Prix is also disappointing in the fact that this would be the main area to flesh out the playable fighters and give them some semblance of context, personality, or motivation for being in this established fighting tournament. Unfortunately, ARMS never takes the concept very far at all, at most offering off-hand and superficial tidbits of information as to who these characters are, why they have these extendable arms, or even why the bosses appear when they do. It’s frustrating because the potential for this world and its characters is so great, but there is nothing done to build off of it. Even more frustrating is the fact that Nintendo has had this information already thought of, and have been releasing it through social media, instead of having it in the game for the players to discover and unravel for themselves. This could have added more of a reason to go back and play the Grand Prix mode, to uncover more aspects of this new world and its character, but ends up leaving little reason to replay it at all. Besides the fact that the Grand Prix mode is by far the most reliable way to earn a large chunk of the in-game currency, which allows you to unlock different arms for your fighters; meaning in order to have a chance at getting your preferred arms for your fighter of choice, you’ll likely end up replaying the Grand Prix more than you’d care to.
Another problem I experienced during my time with ARMS, which most likely won’t affect every player, was that while what content that is in the game at the time of its launch is very solid, the overall package does feel a bit light on content for a full-priced game. With ten fighters, a single-player mode that gets repetitive very quickly, and only a handful of online modes that make up the bulk of your time spent in ARMS, I can’t help but feel there is a lack of variety in the things players can do, at least for now. Nintendo has said that they will roll out additional free updates to the game over time in a fashion similar to Splatoon, but I can’t help but feel that ARMS is lacking in some areas and aspects that kept players coming back to Splatoon over the course of its life. Whether this holds true for the majority of players who give ARMS a chance at launch remains to be seen, but it’s important to keep in mind all the same.
Fortunately, that’s where ARMS’ major faults come to an end. Aside from Grand Prix, ARMS offers more modes that allow for different situations of play. Versus mode allows one to four players to compete in a variety of different modes like one-on-one fights, team matches, and all of the more party-oriented games like hoops, skillshot, and a 1-on-100 mode that pits the player against an onslaught of fighters in a sort of endurance test. Every mode allows for customizable rules, making it able to turn items off, extend the time limit, and even the HP and special meter. Party Match is an online mode that lets you play with alone or with a friend online against random players in a variety of different matches. Party Match, as the name implies, is mainly for fun; but Ranked Match is where competition thrives. To access Ranked Match, you are required to beat Grand Prix mode on level four at least once. Ranked Match pits fighters one-on-one against each other with no items, in order to increase your rank through wins, or decrease it through losses. Next, comes Friends mode which allows one to two local players to create a lobby with those on your friends list. The amount of customization in Friends mode is very appreciated, allowing players to set up matches exactly how they’d like them. It’s very important to mention that online play with ARMS feels seamless, and I experienced little to absolutely no lag or latency when playing Party Match or Ranked.
Some of the smaller additions to the game include a fairly in-depth training mode that allows you to tackle certain areas of fighting that you’d like to improve in like blocking, rush attacks, or curving punches. However, some of the training categories feel fairly hands-off and would benefit from a bit more explanation or small tips to help players improve. Local play is included for up to eight additional players who also have Switch consoles. There is also a mode that allows for players to unlock additional arms through a small mini-game that’s very similar to skillshot. Players must pay 30, 100, or 200 of the in-game currency, which can be acquired through the Grand Prix or through online play, and as tasked with aiming there punches at targets and floating arms in order to unlock them. It’s a nice addition that makes the process of buying arms fun rather than just a boring menu, although it does leave whatever arms you acquire solely up to chance as there is no way to pick specific arms to buy.
The controls in ARMS are another interesting point to bring up. Like all fighting games, there is the standard controller set up using either the Switch Pro Controller or Joy-Con. Standard actions are mapped to a button, while curving punches requires moving the joystick in the desired direction. Alongside the more traditional control option is the Thumbs-Up motion control scheme, which requires holding two Joy-Con in each hand with the trigger buttons facing your body. You tilt the Joy-Con side to side to move in either direction and you can control your punches by jabbing the controller forward and tilting while the punch is extended. The motion controls in ARMS work surprisingly well, and after testing out the standard Pro Controller setup, I decided I preferred the motion controls, as I felt it allowed more control over my movement while punching; however, I did find there is a pretty sharp learning curve to get past with either control scheme, especially when switching between the two.
The graphics and soundtrack of ARMS are another high point of praise for the game. The art style and direction is cartoony yet realistic and lends a fantastical element to the surrounding arenas and the fighters who inhabit them. The soundtrack is very percussion heavy and upbeat, with plenty of vocals to add a nice flair to many of the games songs. The soundtrack also makes great use of horns and electric guitar riffs, and when all these elements are combined, it almost gives off a sort of Latin or tribal feel to many of the tracks. Many of the songs present sound like music you’d hear while attending a sports festival like the Olympics, which lends itself even further to the setting of ARMS. Overall, the entire soundtrack is incredibly catchy and you’d be hard-pressed not to have ARMS’ main theme stuck in your head for hours after playing.
The Verdict
ARMS is a game that no doubt excels in its main draw and concept, but falls just a bit short of what its full potential could be. While its customization, fighting, and artistic style lend itself to an energetic and exciting new franchise, there are some small missteps along the way that keep it just barely behind the competition of amazing games that have come out this year. That being said, the foundation that ARMS seems to be building is strong, and offers moments of both intense and casual fun with either friends or challengers online. However, if you plan on staying away from multiplayer, you’ll end up wishing for more than what’s there for you, as it’s what players will be coming back to over the course of its life. With additional content rolling out over its lifespan, ARMS’ faults may end up ironed out, making for a game that eventually grasps its full potential over time; but, as of right now its title belt is excruciatingly close, but just barely out of reach.
ARMS review copy provided by Nintendo for the purposes of this review.
