Nintendo held a Direct event on Wednesday 05/16/17 that was focused primarily on their upcoming casual fighter ARMS.
The Direct came in the form of a stylized video that was narrated by an in ring announcer. The announced gave us details about the game itself, the weapons (or ARMS as they are called in the game), the different multiplayer modes, and the fighters themselves.
ARMS
Arms is a casual fighting game where players will compete using fighters that hand elongated, springlike appendages. These appendages can be launched at opponents and moved in wide arcs using motion controls. This gives most fights a heavy ranged component to them as most players will be able to fight without the need to get up close and personal.
After selecting a fighter, as is usual in fighting games, players will have the option to customize their fighter by selecting the ARM attacked to both their right and left hands. Each of these weapons will have a weight and an attribute. The weapons range from the toaster, a weapon that shoots out a flaming punch, to the tribolt, a weapon that fires three smaller projectiles. The weights have an interesting strategic impact because weapons that are the same weight or heavier than the weapons they come in contact with will actually block them. This means that lighter and faster weapons will have a significant risk associated with them since they can be blocked so easily.
There are seven attributes that can be associated with the different weapons.
- Fire – Knocks opponents down
- Electricity – Reduces defense and creates openings for attacks
- Wind – Knocks enemies back
- Ice – Applies a slow effect that reduces movement speed
- Stun – Stops movement, makes opponents vulnerable
- Explosion – Big damage and knockback
- Blind – Throws a gross ink blot on your opponents screen so they can’t see
Multiplayer Modes
Fight – In this main multiplayer* mode, two fighters battle against each other one-on-one to claim victory. During the fight, bombs and other healing items drop in, adding some strategic options to the proceedings.
Team Fight – In this mode, two players are attached by strings and must team up to battle another team of two. Attacks can hit allies, so watch out for friendly punches!
V-Ball – Similar to volleyball, but much more awesome. V-Ball is a sport that involves knocking an explosive ball into the opponent’s court.
Hoops – Grab opponents and shoot them into the net (or even dunk them for extra satisfaction) in this hard-core game of ARMS-style basketball.
Skillshot – Break as many targets as possible using the versatile powers of ARMS.
1-on-100 – Defeat 100 enemies in a row, one at a time, in this progressive battle mode.
ARMS Test & Training – In Test mode, players can try out randomized ARMS combinations, while Training lets them practice a number of varied drills.
Characters
Nintendo revealed the ten main characters on the Arms roster. They are:
- Spring Man – “This passionate fighter’s bouncy hairstyle might look fake, but his passion for fighting is definitely real.”
- Ninjara – “Using his nimble movements and ancient ninjutsu, Ninjara can disappear and warp somewhere else even in mid-air or when guarding.”
- Master Mummy – “As the only character that can restore health while guarding, Master Mummy is a force to be reckoned with.”
- Min Min – “With her ramen noodle arms, Min Min’s spin kick and throws are deliciously powerful.”
- Kid Cobra – “A fan of selfie sticks and livestreaming, this hip fighter pounces on opponents with a charged-up dash.”
- Ribbon Girl – “Possessing next-level jumping skills, Ribbon Girl violates the laws of physics with her unbeatable power.”
- Helix – “Who is Helix? He’s an experiment gone wrong, that’s who. His springy body lets him move in unpredictable ways.”
- Mechanica – “This mechanical genius dons a homemade power suit that can hover above the competition.”
- Byte & Barq – “Two fighters in one! This robot fighter and his robot canine companion battle together to unleash devastating combo attacks.”
- Twintelle – “As an A-list actress, Twintelle uses her celebrity status to render her opponents utterly star struck as she walks the red carpet to victory.”
Ongoing Updates
Nintendo also announced that they would be releasing free updates for Arms in the form of maps, characters, and weapons. This will be familiar territory for anyone who regularly played Splatoon on the Wii U.
We won’t likely get too much more information about Arms between now and its launch on June 16th. I have my doubts as to whether or not Arms will be a massive success. But, it certainly looks entertaining. We’ll have to see what happens when the game comes out.