Like the Nintendo’s other new hit franchise, Splatoon, family-friendly fighting game ARMS has the potential to become a bright and colorful mainstay on your family console. ARMS for the Nintendo Switch isn’t just visually striking, it will also get your kids punching and active when they strike at their opponents with the Joy-Con controllers.
Family-Friendly Fighting Frenzy
When the summer heat hits, in some places (like my home state of Texas) it’s too hot during the day to run around the neighborhood. Don’t stress over that screen time guilt when the kids are stuck inside yet: Thanks to ARMS, kids can play a video game and get a little bit of exercise on a hot day without the need to cool down.
ARMS makes great use of the Joy-Con controllers, now available in an incredibly bright neon yellow, with the motion controls giving kids the feeling that they’re actually throwing punches. In ARMS, fighters’ fists extend across the creatively designed arena to hit and grapple their opponent. When a player punches the air holding the Joy-Con, the fighter in the game follows suit, which is more fun than you might expect.
In Grand Prix mode, stages are also mixed up with mini-games so that the typical fighting game tedium of stage after stage never sets in. In addition to punching the other guy, players also take a swing at bombs, volleyballs, targets, and more.
The action can get so fast and furious that players might find themselves throwing punches wildly for an extended period of time. My eight-year-old marveled at the amount of “exercise” she was getting while also having fun trash-talking her AI opponent.
And Fun for Gamer Grownups
Like most motion controls, punching with Joy-Con might not be as responsive as an adult or serious fighting game fans might like. Moving forward by tipping the Joy-Con in particular can be frustrating, especially if you’re too far away from your opponent to land any hits.
If you or your kids just can’t get the hang of it, you can play with the Joy-Con attached, or my preferred way of playing, with the Pro Controller. While you might not have that same feeling of being in the ring yourself, it can alleviate the frustration of not being able to move around the arena as freely as you’d like.
Not only are the arenas incredibly designed, so are the fighters, each imbued with a personality as colorful as their costume. Winning matches also earns points to spend on more arms fighters can equip, and there are multiple game modes, potentially giving this game a long life in your Switch library.
ARMS hits store shelves on June 16, 2017 at a suggested retail price of $59.99.
GeekMom received a promotional copy for review purposes.
All Images © Nintendo
