Arms - Switch

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Viewed: 3D Third-person, over the shoulder Genre:
Beat 'Em Up
Media: Cartridge Arcade origin:No
Developer: Nintendo Soft. Co.: Nintendo
Publishers: Nintendo (GB)
Released: 16 Jun 2017 (GB)
Ratings: PEGI 12+
Connectivity: Internet

Summary

When it comes to games Nintendo might be best known for making the most of its deep (and impressive) bench of AAA franchises, but 2015's Splatoon showed that it still knows how to innovate and make a splash when it wants to make something new. Having tackled the shoot-'em-up genre, the company is taking that same approach of adding its own magic to a tried and true formula to the beat-'em-up, and arms is the result.

In a nutshell, it's an arena fighter but each and every character has super long springs for arms. Imagine, if you like, a Street Fighter game where every character is some sort of wild variation of Dhalsim.

Although you can opt for a traditional controls set-up, the real fun of Arms is in using Joy-Cons to trade blows and move your character around. Movements work much as you'd expect, but you're able to throw out some curveballs and change it up with twists of the wrist as you throw punches or power up specials.

You're ushered in gently with a simple moveset, but there's a surprising depth underneath. Part of that comes from the fighters, each of whom has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Master Mummy, for example, is powerful but slow and has the ability to heal while blocking. You can also customise your fighter with custom loadouts such as a boomerang or a trident.

The whole thing comes wrapped up in a bright, fun design that's a little reminiscent of early 00s Sega and fits the Switch down to the ground.

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