As accessible as it is charming.
I am one of those people that likes the idea of fighting games more than the actual act of playing them. I love me some Mortal Kombat and can get down with the occasional King of Fighters or Marvel vs Capcom game. That said, I have never been very good at consistently inputting combo commands in the heat of battle because of a slight finger slip or whatever. And that sucks. I always get bummed out when I know what I am supposed to do and can see it in my brain but I fumble the execution of the inputs. For that reason, I have always loved fighting games that simplify character inputs so that you can get straight to the mind games. For me, ARMS is right up there with games like Super Smash Bros, Divekick, and PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale as a fighting game where the inputs are never an issue so you can focus on strategy.
ARMS is a game that is pretty much played with four buttons. One for your right arm punch, one for your left arm punch, a jump button and an evade button. There is an additional button to activate your special while clicking the left stick allows you to guard. And that is it. There are no quarter circles or dial-a-combos here. Just punch while trying to avoid getting punched yourself. Added depth and variety in combat comes from selecting what gloves to outfit your character with and their special abilities. There are 30 different "Arms" (they are actually hands) to select. Each one punches differently, from electric boxing gloves that can stun opponents to ice dragons that can slow players down. There are ten characters to play as and each comes with their own unique ability such as Ribbon Girl being able to jump multiple times in mid air or Master Mummy healing when he blocks. All of this adds nuance and variety to a game where there are only two attack buttons.
In terms of single player content, the game does come up rather light. There is an arcade mode that provides the briefest of brief insight into these characters. Each of the ten characters has a unique design and they all ooze charm and personality which makes it that much more disappointing that the story is as barebones as it is. The arcade mode takes you through multiple fights with a mini game thrown in every couple of rounds. You can play any of these mini games on their own against the AI if you want to and while they are fun as one off rounds they lack the depth to really be something you would find yourself wanting to play over and over again. There is also a shooting gallery mini game that has you punching targets to collect new arms. It is a neat concept and fun enough to play but you need in game currency to play this mini game and the currency is given at a fairly slow pace. And that is it in terms of single player content. Arcade mode can be played with two players locally through split screen coop while the mini games and standard vs fights can all be played with up to four players in local coop.
Online multiplayer comes in two varieties: Ranked Matches and Party Mode. Ranked plays as you would expect and is simple 1v1 fights. Party Mode is where the game really shines and where I personally have been having the most fun with the game. This mode puts you into a lobby and has you cycling through game modes with other people in your party. Game modes include standard 1v1 fights, team fights, royal rumbles, co-op boss battles, and mini games. You will be playing basketball one minute while the next you are working cooperatively with two other players, battling a six armed monster. You can have a really close 1v1 fight against a player and end up really upset at a close loss only to immediately be thrown into a team match where you now have to work together with this person that just beat your ass. There is lots of variety and I have found myself losing a ton of time in this mode as I tell myself "just one more match." It is pretty much the fighting game equivalent to the multiplayer in Criterion's Need for Speed: Most Wanted.
The presentation in this game is fantastic. The stages and music are dripping with the same amount of personality as the characters. The announcer shouting "ARMS" at the start of a match as well as the impact and sound effects that accompany the knock out hit at the end of the fight are all extremely well done and add the extra oomph to make the game feel that much better. That said, the disappointing lack of a more detailed story mode and general lack of single player content make it hard to recommend to anyone looking for a single player game. ARMS is at its best when you are playing against other human beings, whether locally or online.
