Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Arms Brings Motion-Controlled Boxing To Nintendo Switch This Spring
It's not quite Punch-Out!!, but one of the first-announced games for the Nintendo Switch certainly channels its spirit, albeit with a long-range twist.
Arms is a fighting game played on a small three-dimensional field. Holding the Switch Joycon controllers in a thumbs-up position, players make punching motions with their hands to throw punches at each other from a distance. Each character's arms stretch to hit opponents from afar, similar to Dhalsim in Street Fighter. You can thrust the controller forward to do a straight, or twist it sideways to do a hook, which will catch opponents on the move more easily.
The game looks to offer much more mobility than Nintendo's last boxing title (the subgame in Wii Sports), however. Players can move by titling the Joycons, dash around the map and guard at will, and press the Joycon's shoulder buttons to jump.
Arms also looks to feature several character with different movesets. Along with Spring Man and Ribbon Girl, the game's first trailer showed off a few other characters, including a woman in a yellow mech suit. Each character also looks to have a special attack, which look to vary between characters. Spring Man's for example, launched a volley of blows in short succession.
You'll be able to play the game solo against computer opponents, split-screen using two sets of Joycons, and using two Switch consoles locally. Arms is set to release this Spring.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
