What would happen if you stuck some boxing gloves on the end of some really long springs and used those as a character’s arms in a video game brawler?
That, in a nutshell, is the zany idea behind Arms for the Nintendo Switch. JC Rodrigo, manager of product marketing at Nintendo Treehouse, said in an interview that Arms is a game of skill that will take many hours to master. The title debuts on June 16, and I was able to play it and film some people playing at a preview session.
Arms is a rare original Nintendo game that isn’t based on a previous franchise like Zelda or Mario. And it’s the kind of title that could convince people to buy a Switch because it exploits the unique Joy-Con motion controllers can enable a new kind of game that we haven’t seen before.
With Arms, you pick a character and go into an arena against a human opponent. When the match starts, you throw a physical punch while holding the Joy-Con controller. The system detects your motion, and your character throws a punch with a springy extendable arm at your opponent. You keep doing that until a knock out.
This video shows a little 2-versus-2 action. Rodrigo narrates on strategy, such as the wisdom of taking out one player first by ganging up on him or her.
Here’s a look at a live game of Hoops.
And here’s a look at a live game of Skill Shot.