Fisticuffs! Many games have been exploring the slow, deliberate style of combat, like Devolver’s Absolver. And it looks like Nintendo is jumping in as well. Utilising the Nintendo Switch’s controllers (the Joy-Con) which have motion controls, prepare to use your arms a lot in the aptly named ARMS.
It’s a fighting game with a fantasy twist- all the characters’ arm looked to be coming out of spring toy and you can land long-range punches before engaging closer with combos. Blocks, jabs and hooks are all done by doing the motions yourselves with the pair of Joy-Cons halves on each arm.
It also has 2-player split-screen and you can connect to another Switch for local multiplayer.
Check out the trailer below:
https://youtu.be/k7s3UB_8dFM
The idea seems neat on paper and if the execution is well done as its polish looks, it could have some legs with a competitive community. But it all hinges on how well the motion detection on the Joy-Cons will work. The new controller is touted to have better rumble feedback and motion detection, but we are still unsure if it’s good enough to be used as a main control scheme.
We will see if ARMS is the pugilistic fighting game that will make gamers build their arm strength to be good at it or just another silly gimmick that will be fun to play at parties. ARMS is set to release in Spring 2017 (around April-May), missing out slightly from the Switch’s launch window on March 3.