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New ARMS Update Adds Replays, Badges, And A Secret Boss
The newest ARMS update is live and, while it does not have any new playable characters like the last update, it does add a boss fight that hearkens back to the days of discovering Akuma in Street Fighter.
The version 3.2 update video from the Nintendo World Championships last week teased a metallic Springman-like character, but didn't give many more details beyond that. Fan speculation ranged from the character being a Springman skin to a new mode which makes all the characters into robot versions of themselves, but the truth seems to be somewhere in the middle.
No official notes have been released on how to access the character now known as Springtron, but players were quick to figure it out after the patch went live early this morning. To fight Springtron, players must go through the game's Grand Prix mode without losing, though there is disagreement on whether you can lose a round and still gain access to the robot nemesis. Right before you fight the game's final boss, Max Brass, Springtron will challenge the player to a new fight. The new and difficult penultimate boss can disable your fighter's arms temporarily with a huge shockwave, making you helpless if you get caught in it.
At the moment, there is no way to play as Springtron and he has no unique stage or music, indicating that he is likely not intended to be playable.
The update also includes Badges, essentially an achievement system that marks milestones like winning Grand Prix for the first time. Additionally, savable replays have been added to the game, but the replays are tied to the game's current balance. That means, much like Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, updating the game makes the replay unusable.
Finally, the update has a number of technical fighting patch notes, including speed buffs for most of the characters. The full patch notes can be found here.
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