Arms Reviews

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

Arms does for fighting games what Mario Kart did for driving games, and the results are absolutely splendid.

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IGN
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2017

Arms' clever take on boxing provides a simple premise with a startling amount of depth for those who would seek to master the stretching appendages. Its rapidly evolving lobby system had me sticking around for “just one more match.” There may not be a lot worth unlocking right now, but planned free updates may just give Arms some additional legs.

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Jun 7, 2017
Arms - Easy Allies Review video thumbnail
Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jun 7, 2017

One of the most enjoyable and original fighting games of recent years, that fully justifies its use of motion controls – and it's only set to get better in the future.

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Jun 7, 2017

An accessible and captivatingly strange new breed of versus fighting game, Arms is another Nintendo knockout for Switch.

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8.3 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2017

Whether you're embroiled in an intense fight or participating in one of the oddball minigames, you probably have a smile on your face

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8 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2017

With a stylish, memorable cast of characters, inventive gameplay mechanics and smart use of the Switch hardware, Arms already feels like Nintendo's next great new franchise.

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7 / 10
Jun 7, 2017

Arms' unique take on fighting can be hard to adjust to, but once you do, it's a surprisingly deep fighter that has you thinking on your feet.

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Jun 20, 2017

Nintendo's newest IP delivers on tone and fleeting fun, but struggles to sink its hooks in.

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Unscored
Jun 20, 2017

Arms is a one-trick pony. That one trick is polished and addictive, with deep minutia worth mastering.

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Jun 7, 2017

Arms has a lot to love, and unfortunately, a lot to forget too. After a year of planned updates, I imagine the Arms we see a year from now will be a drastically different game. A more fuller one, at that. In the meantime though, while it has potential with its layers of depth, the core game simply doesn't have enough variety among its many arms and fighters to keep the experience feeling fresh for long.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2017

There's a lot of personality on the surface in Arms (mainly I love that title theme song), and I hope Nintendo continues to build on it as planned. It works as a fighter, I just wish there was more to do in this debut entry -- both pragmatically in terms of modes and on an emotional level, as I haven't really connected with its universe yet despite its raw style.

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Jun 30, 2017

ARMS is without doubt a mixed bag, but its laundry list of upside and paid-off risk-taking do render it worthwhile if you crave creative and purely fun local multiplayer on Switch. You'll want to convince your friends to go motion or button-only across the board of course, and while ARMS' online modes seem stable, somehow I suspect the Ranked Match will seed more frustration than enjoyment for most players. That is, if the formidable challenge of Grand Prix at higher difficulty is any indication.

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8 / 10
Jun 7, 2017

Bringing motion controls back with a bang, ARMS can feel surprisingly retro, yet it also fits in perfectly with Nintendo's modern twist on gaming and the Switch. ARMS exhibits Nintendo's flair for game design to its fullest, confidently taking a well-known genre and injecting it with colour and character to craft something that's inimitably their own.

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86 / 100
Jun 7, 2017

Feels like an evolution of Punch Put series, focused on multiplayer tournaments. Fun to play and hard to master, the downside is its lack of content: characters, game modes and levels.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2017

Nintendo gets in the fighting genre on Switch thanks to ARMS, a new IP which brings fresh air to this genre and mixes classic gameplay mechanics with the features of Nintendo's new console.

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Erik Kain
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2017

ARMS is a unique, fresh take on the fighting genre that's simple to learn but tough to master. It's not going to be for everyone, but it's fun to see Nintendo try something so new.

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8 / 10
Jun 7, 2017

Arms sessions are quick, fun, and satisfying. With easy-to-pick-up mechanics, solid stage design, and quirky characters, Arms genuinely feels like a fun and different addition to the fighting game genre. More than that, it feels like just the kind of game that makes the Nintendo Switch itself feel fun and different.

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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.

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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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