There’s no denying that Switch 2 has been an absolute sales sensation. At the same time, though, it’s been sorely lacking must-have early titles for those who would get limited mileage out ofMario Kart World.
Of course, a “must-have” game is a highly debatable concept. For some,the rather excellent Donkey Kong Bananzawas another example (who else has achieved 100%?). For others, 3D platformers aren’t really of interest, and the premium price of the console isn’t warranted by the current line-up (a lot of which consists of third-party titles that are also available elsewhere).
What’s needed, I feel, is a title from a completely different genre. Notan enhanced original Switch game, but something entirely new and suitably silly, though with a competitive edge.
Granted, there might not be manyARMSenthusiasts clamoring for a sequel, butthe original served as a perfect pick-up early in the Switch’s life (arriving about three months after the system itself), and it would hit just that spot for me now.
I always felt that ARMS was just the sort of thing that slots nicely into a console’s post-launch period. It’s a game that you show to those curious about what a system can do, an accessible yet deceptively deep experience with a uniqueness that demands attention.
It has that tech demo appeal, but also offers something more robust. Face Raiders, this is not.
Presentation-wise, ARMS is rather like Punch-Out!! in its 3D incarnation: It’s an over-the-shoulder boxing game, but one with a huge variety of different characters to use and gloves to equip.
The primary gimmick of ARMS is that each combatant has long and stretchy arms, allowing them to strike foes at great distances.Each arm is controlled separately, and can perform either a quick, weaker punch or a stronger blow that must be charged up first.
It looks marvelously strange in action, and if using motion controls, it’s difficult to resist throwing those punches out repeatedly and haphazardly with nary a thought to defense. You should always keep one in reserve for blocking, though, because,unsurprisingly, your opponent will be quite keen on punchingyouin your face in return.
I Embraced It With Open ARMS, And I’d Do So Again
Other than a Rush special attack and a quick sort of dash/hop, that’s about it for ARMS’ controls, but there’s considerable depth in choosing the ARMS and character that suits you. There are strikes of differing speeds and ‘priorities’, those with elemental effects to hamper the opponent in different ways, and those that fly in different kinds of arcs.
you may even swap one in mid-match to attempt to counter-pick your opponent.
My overall point is, I went into ARMS thinking it would be gimmicky, Wii Sports boxing-y, and deeply unserious. Itisall of these things, of course, as you’d expect from a game populated by characters called things like Spring Man, Master Mummy, and Ribbon Girl.
This isn’t to disrespect Master Mummy, of course, whose enormous tankiness and highly defensive playstyle I instantly gravitated to. I had an awful lot of fun with him in ranked mode, and progressed relatively far, crafting a loadout of shock ARMS that fitted perfectly with the character’s defensive leanings and making the best use I could of his attributes.
ARMS is deeply unserious, but it’s not just that.Advanced players could perfect the unique aerial movement of the game to do some incredible things, as I found when I took some humbling beatings as I advanced up the ladder.
The time-limited events that were held while Nintendo still remembered that ARMS existed were fun too, pitting one specific character against another and offering profile icon-style badges for supporting them.
ARMS, I feel, had the blueprint for success, but it just wasn’t quite done yet.Its support ended rather abruptly, as, it seemed, did everybody else on the planet’s enthusiasm to play it online.This only really left the obligatory fighting game arcade mode.
It was all a bit unceremonious, to say the least, and because of that, I very much doubt that a full-blown sequel is at the top of Nintendo’s priority list. If it’s on any list, it’s probably one that’s screwed up and thrown in a trash bin somewhere at HQ.
Still, I have half a kernel of hope that Switch 2 could see ARMS 2. The idea had a bucketload of potential, and it was such a great fit for Nintendo’s inclusive, accessible, deceptively deep ethos.You wouldn’t think thata property like SplatoonorPokemon (most recently seen bringing its own Z-A Switch 2 bundle to our attention) could have such a competitive core until you dove into it, and that would apply here too.
The hardware could allow for a bigger and more ambitious sequel, and that would be very important if a hypothetical follow-up were to get any traction. I can dream.
