Arms Reviews

Arms is ranked in the 75th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Unscored
Jun 7, 2017

Don't let the saccharine looks fool you: Arms is deep, challenging, and an essential purchase for the Nintendo Switch.

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8 / 10
Jun 7, 2017

Arms does a lot of new things, but fails to offer a wide variety of options or characters. That will be improved over the time with free DLCs but as it is, Arms is just a nice new beginning with a lot of room for improval.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2017

The fighting game that everyone can play, ARMS is Nintendo multiplayer gaming at its best.

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Jun 7, 2017

ARMS is a great addition to the Switch's growing library of unique titles. Featuring a fresh new world full of color and character, the content might be light, but if you get hooked you'll find lots to enjoy here.

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5 / 10
Jun 7, 2017

Stretching your limbs across the battlefield to stop an impending throw is good fun, but there's absolute anarchy when you throw in an extra body. The mediocre mini-games, and antiquated single-player further block the punch of Arms.

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6 / 10.0
Jun 9, 2017

Arms is a really weird game. At its core it's a simple, accessible fighting game with a really strong gameplay loop and room for player growth competitively, but a pair of fundamentally flawed control schemes, a lack of decent modes and a glacially slow random unlock system for items that fundamentally change how characters can function make it a really tough package to recommend.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2017

Nintendo's new all-ages fighter won't sell millions of Switches, but it does provide another novel experience for the system's early adopters

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Jun 7, 2017

Nintendo's newest property, ARMS, is a surprisingly deep fighting game that adds something new to a cluttered genre, but it's one that leaves growing room for early adopters.

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70 / 100
Jun 7, 2017

ARMS is a shallow yet approachable experience that could have used just a bit more depth, detail, and personality.

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Jun 16, 2017

Lack of story and some dodgy characters don't spoil this physical Switch game's immensely playable core

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Jun 16, 2017

How long the appeal lasts might depend on how successfully Nintendo expands the rather slight fighter roster, but right now Arms is a very welcome addition to the Switch lineup.

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Jun 7, 2017

Motion controls are a bit lacking, but ARMS is still immensely fun even with standard button controls. I'll definitely be mastering my technique in online matches long after I've beaten Grand Prix with every character. It may not be for everyone, but this is absolutely the Splatoon of fighters. I can't wait to fight you all online.

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M3
Top Critic
7 / 10
Jun 7, 2017

The mechanics in Arms isn't perfect, as the motion controller can be tricky to get used to. Aside for that, this is a surprisingly deep fighting game that reminds us of Punch-Out. Fun, colorful and with a great online-mode.

Review in Swedish | Read full review

Ken McKown
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Jun 22, 2017

ARMS is a truly unique experience that digs into my nostalgia with games like Punch Out! I just hope the free DLC will make it feel more fleshed out. Quality cannot be argued here, but content definitely feels far too light at launch.

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Dave Aubrey
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jun 15, 2017

ARMS isn't the best fighting game, but it's a damn good one, and one of the most instantly enjoyable and accessible I've ever played. Probably not EVO material, but will be hours of fun with friends.

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85 / 100
Jun 7, 2017

While the motion controls work well, I unequivocally prefer using the pro controller. I felt much more competitive using it and was able to dash and punch not only faster but more accurately

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GameMAG
ACE
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jun 8, 2017

ARMS is a unique 3D fighting game, which offers many innovative solutions and interesting mechanics. Simple input system, depth of gameplay and seven difficulty options allow you to have fun even if you are not a seasoned fan of the genre. The game feels great in portable and TV modes, tightening in the depths of the arcade fun. For the full set of happiness the game lacks an interesting story mode and more characters. But it should be fixed in future free updates.

Review in Russian | Read full review

Jun 6, 2017

Nintendo has produced a game which is occasionally elating, often frustrating, but which definitely feels like nothing we've tried before. Assuming you're willing to overlook its flaws, ARMS could be a welcome addition to your growing collection of Switch games.

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9 / 10
Jun 6, 2017

From the successful mixing and blending of several styles comes ARMS, a creative and original action game that turns out to be one of the most welcome titles so far to land upon the Nintendo Switch. Ditching the most orthodox labels assigned to most games, ARMS proposes a never-ending flurry of action and content across several different modes, with a wide variation in the control systems and in the use of multiplayer to deliver what is one of the essential games on the library of Nintendo's newest system.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

82 / 100
Jun 7, 2017

Entertaining combat game with very good movement control and creative game mechanics, that only stumbles over its insufficient extent.

Review in German | Read full review