For many Nintendo Switch owners this weekend, we spent a few hours testing out the upcoming Nintendo fighter that is ARMS. If you missed out, there will be another Global Test-Punch this coming weekend (June 2-4) of which I'll have the times posted at the bottom of this post. While this Test-Punch is certainly helping provide Nintendo important feedback and test their servers, it also presents us a small taste of this game to help answer the ever-present question that comes with any new IP: Is it any good? So here are a few early impressions on ARMS and what kind of punch it delivers (pun intended):
Style to Spare
The first and most notable impression is the striking and stylish design of this game. Every fighter and stage is given a wealth of distinct personality and clever attributes. Spectators at each stage will show their fandom by wearing outfits that match the competing fighters. And the music is oh so so catchy with its funky jazz and soulful chants. Just give a listen to that character select music below:
Matchmaking Made Fun
Surprisingly, Nintendo has made a very entertaining and functional online mode for this game. When waiting for matches in Party Mode, little circular heads of your fighter will float around in the lobby with other players. In this space, players can share emotes of joy or frustration, see player rankings as they get matched together, and even see details of live matches as the competing players health bars tick down in real time. Alternatively, players can also go into a warm-up mode where they practice using different gloves and hitting moving targets. Never has waiting been so delightful.
Compromises with Controls
During the Test-Punch, I made sure to test both motion-controls and traditional controls (the Pro Controller). Each come with compromises. With motion controls, throwing punches feels like a perfect fit as you subtly twist and turn each throw of the fist. But as the character is also controller with tilts, it feels very sluggish and imperfect.
On the other side using the Pro Controller, movement is very precise thanks to the analog stick. However, it's much more difficult to curve punches as you have to use your left stick, which is also your movement stick. Since you only use one stick to control the curve of your punches, you can't get as creative throwing your punches as you could with motion controls being able to independently curve two punches at the same time.
Quick and Dirty
In the Test-Punch, there were V-Ball and traditional fights, each coming in variations of 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2, 1 vs 1 vs 1, and 1 vs 1 vs 1 vs 1. There were some gameplay balance issues to be noted, such as in 1 vs 1 vs 1 matches, stages were often designed so that 2 of the 3 players are placed considerably closer to one another, giving that 3rd player a distinct advantage. One stage goes as far to give players the high ground, which any Star Wars fan knows is the ultimate advantage. Team fight matches also have the annoying tendency of teammates being tethered, so any throw made to one player affects the other, thus causing a spam of grabs from all players. Fortunately, matches look to be quick and simple affairs, even complete with a timer to ensure they won't drag on too long. This is good as there are a great many variety of modes and characters to be played, which is perfect for casual and party fun. I imagine Ranked Play is where it will be if players want more serious and in-depth gameplay.
---------
So at the end of the day and extendable fist, ARMS looks to be a fun time in short bursts with friends and family. Hopefully there will be enough single player content and depth to match, but from what I've seen so far, I am cautiously optimistic.
Have any other questions about ARMS? Ask in the comments and I'll do my best to answer. For those who tried the Test-Punch already, feel free to share your thoughts and impressions. And for those with access to the Nintendo Switch, here are the times for the remaining Test-Punch this coming weekend:
- Friday, June 2nd - 8:00pm (EST)
- Saturday, June 3rd - 8:00am, 2:00pm, and 8:00pm (EST)
- Sunday, June 4th - 8:00am and 2:00pm (EST)
No comments:
Post a Comment