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ARMS Testpunch Impressions Thread

Lozjam

A Cool, Cool Mountain
Joined
May 24, 2015
So, in 4 hours from this post, the ARMS Testpunch will go live for the first time for an hour.
p2yo6zN_d.jpg


I am really excited to at least Try out ARMS and I advise all you ZDers try it out! It's free, after all.

But here is a place of which we can discuss our impressions after playing the demo. This demo will be the make it or break it on whether I get it, and I think it will be the same for many others as well.
 
So the Testpunch just wrapped...

I'll admit, i liked the look of ARMS but wasnt wholly sold it on from a gameplay perspective. I hate waggle, even competent motion controls can still annoy me...

The style of ARMS is great. It looks like Nintendo's version of Overwatch characters. The gameplay though.....

Well, its what i expected. The hardware of Switch motion control is much better than the wii, my punches felt instantly responsive and the character didnt do anything i didnt ask it to barring a couple of times where i wanted to grab but ended up double punching instead, i'm not sure if this was me in the heat of the moment or the controls. I'll need more time with it.


It did feel balanced. It felt fun, the characters are heavier than i imagined. Jumping around like you see on the videos is actually a lot of hard work considering everything is motion based (even walking around) but it wasnt overwhelming, a brief adjustment period to get the feel and i was on a roll.

I tried a few different arms and they do change up the fights, the characters are unique and you really have to adapt to who you're fighting.

The arenas arent as cumbersome either, i thought the Helix lab would be a pain but it wasnt hard to curve my punches around the obstacles.


I also got to play the volleyball mode. Its okay. I can see me playing it to unlock stuff but it isnt what i'd choose to play over the actual fighting.



My one gripe is this; teamless battles of 3-4 players can be terribly unfair.
I racked up a lot of points and when low point scorers were matched with me in 3-4 melees i found that the other 2-3 people turned on me to put me down so i wouldnt be a threat and boy is it hard to defend against 2-3 other players at the same time. I didnt like that but i guess if i got good enough i could probably get out alive... i did manage to take some down but i was too low on health by the end to come out on top.


I dont really think there'll be a way around this other than to be good at it. But it still doesnt feel nice to have others make you enemy number one.


Looking forward to playing more though.
 
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Ronin

There you are! You monsters!
Forum Volunteer
Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Location
Alrest
Question: Does this game let you use the Pro Controller also (aka no motion controls)?
 
Question: Does this game let you use the Pro Controller also (aka no motion controls)?

I didnt try during the Testpunch. I dont think it would have let me.


You CAN use the pro controller in the final game BUT you wont be able to curve your punches.


This may not sound like a big deal but it is, ive just played it and curving is what you'll do 85% of the time.

Example. I was playing as Min Min and i was using her dragon arm. At the end of a punch the dragon arm fires a beam. You can direct this beam as you would when you curve a punch. Characters are constantly bouncing about so i'd always miss the initial attack, but curving my punch to direct the beam meant i could score a hit.

You wont be able to do that with a pro controller and take it from me, if you cant do that you're gonna be at a serious disadvantage.
 

Lozjam

A Cool, Cool Mountain
Joined
May 24, 2015
Question: Does this game let you use the Pro Controller also (aka no motion controls)?
Yes
I didnt try during the Testpunch. I dont think it would have let me.


You CAN use the pro controller in the final game BUT you wont be able to curve your punches.


This may not sound like a big deal but it is, ive just played it and curving is what you'll do 85% of the time.

Example. I was playing as Min Min and i was using her dragon arm. At the end of a punch the dragon arm fires a beam. You can direct this beam as you would when you curve a punch. Characters are constantly bouncing about so i'd always miss the initial attack, but curving my punch to direct the beam meant i could score a hit.

You wont be able to do that with a pro controller and take it from me, if you cant do that you're gonna be at a serious disadvantage.
Thats incorrect:

You can use standard controls in the test punch, and you can curve your punches with standard controller. What you cannot do, is curve 2 punches at the same time, but it isn't a huge disadvantage.

Regarding my feelings about the game.

The game was very tight, and responsive and fun. I totally think it's going to be a great new Nintendo IP.... But I am not going to get ARMS. I'm on a tight budget, and with so many amazing games coming this year, I have to be real picky and choosy. I simply know I will have way more fun playing Splatoon 2, along with some other indies this summer. I may get it down the line however.
 
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Location
Australia
Question: Does this game let you use the Pro Controller also (aka no motion controls)?
Yes but you can't curve your punches unless you use motion controls.
(I have heard some say it's you only can't curve 2 punches at the same time, so that might be it instead. I could not play the 1st hour of this but I'll play the 2nd one tonight and test this).
 
Well the second testpunch still has ten minutes but i'm out.

Last night was fun, but i think people got the info they needed last night to know what to abuse the second time round....

Mechanica and Mummy guy and some of their weapons will just tear you down and a lot of people are using them.

I said last night that the characters felt heavier than i expected (ive been playing as Min Min and Ribbon Girl for reference) and that weight doesnt make Arms feel like it looks. It can be hard to get around and if you're caught in a flurry you just have to wait for the end and then try to get away (especially when there are more than two of you).

Bouncing and dashing and punching all at the same time can be tricky, especially in the heat of the moment when youre trying to stop the constant advances of Mummy guy who doesnt flinch when you hit him, meaning he can tank and let loose with powerful stuff and build up his special very quickly.

I didnt have as much fun this time. Like most online games i can see certain set ups being abused and dominated by serious players when others just want to have fun.

The motion controls are still okay but i'd prefer a controller. I'd feel as if i'd have more control that way. But if i cant curve punches as and when or both at the same time etc then there'll be no point.

You're left open a lot too, a mistake or a miss-register by the motion controls can seriously screw you up.

I mentioned the controls last night sometimes did something else than what i intended but didnt know if it was me or them. I wanna say its more them than me, since i was mindful of it and still had issues.

Last night was fun. Today was fun. But im worried about the abuse certain set ups will have. I also dont know what the point of it is. You gain points when you win but what are they for?

They dont mean anything as far as i can tell just for online. People come and go all the time. So a player with 50points may look intimidating but they may have just been playing for hours. Whereas a 0 point player may be a ninja and just joined. So it isnt a measure of skill.... maybe in game currency...

But as it stands. If i bought this game, seeing after only 2 hours of play people know exactly how to abuse things and the fickle motion controls will mean that i'll not have much reason to play online and i certainly wouldnt pay to do so. The motion controls are responsive but the game moves at a slower pace than how it looks, but some movements werent what i wanted and some fights were lost because of it. I also had an issue or two with blocking in that it sometimes just didnt happen.

Its fun. If we could make friend lobbies then maybe we could cut out the serious abusive players which would be nice. But meh.

Certainly more jaded this time round because it was harder to have fun. Heated matches when it comes down to the wire really arent for motion controls. Youll want to move in more natural ways than the game allows, leaning your hands to the side to strafe doesnt feel very nice, especially when you have to straighten up to throw a punch.

Some things are so hard to dodge as well and blocking isnt too helpful since a lot of health still seems to come off you.

Meh, i wanna know how robust the single player is at this point. As fun as the game is, i dont think i want to pay full price and a subscription.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Location
Australia
In ARMS 3-4 player matches, how do you switch your focus to look at another player to attack them.


This I need to know as it's annoying when I am not looking at the player attacking me so I cant attack them back.
 
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Location
Australia
@Spirit

I read what you said. A good set of comments. Thank you for sharing them. Here is my comments on the game after playing the demo. I will just list my thoughts as points.

1. 3-4 player matches at the monent are near impossible to play as the game does not tell you how to switch your focus to another opponent in the match. Nintendo seriously need to tell us how to do this.

2. As you have correctly noted thousands of character/arms combinations though that is true is only an illusion of game diversity. There will be a go to set of combinations that you will be forced to use if you are to win online. Like any metagame you either choose what is OP this patch or what specifically counters that this patch (if there is a counter at all)

3. There will need to be constant balance patches to keep the metagame from becoming stale.

4. There will have to be a fan site that works out what the balance patch changes are. Nintendo will not break it all down for us. Nintendo did not for Smash Bros 4 do the Smashforums people took the time to work it all out.

5. The ranked and unranked modes will have to be about matches only. Sport in this game could be alright but it needs to be totally kept out of competitive play.

6. I hate the volleyball. It just does not work in this game. But still some people might like it so don't remove it.

7. Adding on other sports would be fun. Sports that work better with stretchy arms, like tennis as one example.

8. The characters that do not flinch like Mummy need a serious draw back to balance this out.

9. The game really needs to be casual-ified more. A good example of this is the blue shell in Mario Kart. That shell exists so the winner does not stay out in front alone and is always in the action around the other drivers. It also means skill and luck determine who wins. This is good as it makes even losing feel fun. ARMS needs something similar. There needs a way to make the game slightly more casual (motion controls are not good enough yet for pro play). So the most skilled does not always win and so the loser has just as much fun as the winner.

10. Friend lobbies will probably come in the final game which is good because if the online metagame is being abused at a certain time, you can avoid it all and just play with your friends.

11. The art style is great. Feels just as polished as Mario Kart 8.

12. The motion controls feel pretty good. They are fun to use. I would say not accurate enough for pro competition play but for casual fun, they are great. We all just need a little practice with them.

13. Getting a little ingame currency for loosing as we are now is a great thing. It keeps people playing the game. Without this, any loss streak will make the player question why they are playing the game at all as there is no recognition for their time spent in the game.

14. The opening you suffer from missing attacks needs to shrink a little. As does the time you are down from being attacked. The whole idea here is to be constantly attacking the opponent. Not just a stand off waiting for the opponent to attack so you can dodge it and abuse the huge dodged attack window we currently have. This game is about stretchy arms. But we should be encouraged to get as close to the opponents as we can. It's more fun that way. Currently this is not as encouraged by the game as it should be.

15. There needs to be a mechanism in place to prevent constant teaming up on one player in 3-4 player matches. When you have 2-3 players with non English names and 1 player with an English name, you know who will be ganged up on. Almost every single 3-4 player match was like that for me. I won some of them. But 2 or 3 on 1 matches get annoying after a while. This needs to be dealt with. It is not then have an online mode that is only 1v1 so you can avoid this issue if you want to.

If I think of anymore I will let you all know.
 
Last edited:

Lozjam

A Cool, Cool Mountain
Joined
May 24, 2015
In ARMS 3-4 player matches, how do you switch your focus to look at another player to attack them.


This I need to know as it's annoying when I am not looking at the player attacking me so I cant attack them back.
You just need to press any of the face buttons or the D-Buttons on the joycon
 
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Location
Australia
You just need to press any of the face buttons or the D-Buttons on the joycon
Nintendo should have told us this. The fact that you are kindly answering this for me is a failure by Nintendo for not explaining the game controls properly.

Still thanks and I will try it out in a future demo hour.
 
@Spirit

I read what you said. A good set of comments. Thank you for sharing them. Here is my comments on the game after playing the demo. I will just list my thoughts as points.

1. 3-4 player matches at the monent are near impossible to play as the game does not tell you how to switch your focus to another opponent in the match. Nintendo seriously need to tell us how to do this.

2. As you have correctly noted thousands of character/arms combinations though that is true is only an illusion of game diversity. There will be a go to set of combinations that you will be forced to use if you are to win online. Like any metagame you either choose what is OP this patch or what specifically counters that this patch (if there is a counter at all)

3. There will need to be constant balance patches to keep the metagame from becoming stale.

4. There will have to be a fan site that works out what the balance patch changes are. Nintendo will not break it all down for us. Nintendo did not for Smash Bros 4 do the Smashforums people took the time to work it all out.

5. The ranked and unranked modes will have to be about matches only. Sport in this game could be alright but it needs to be totally kept out of competitive play.

6. I hate the volleyball. It just does not work in this game. But still some people might like it so don't remove it.

7. Adding on other sports would be fun. Sports that work better with stretchy arms, like tennis as one example.

8. The characters that do not flinch like Mummy need a serious draw back to balance this out.

9. The game really needs to be casual-ified more. A good example of this is the blue shell in Mario Kart. That shell exists so the winner does not stay out in front alone and is always in the action around the other drivers. It also means skill and luck determine who wins. This is good as it makes even losing feel fun. ARMS needs something similar. There needs a way to make the game slightly more casual (motion controls are not good enough yet for pro play). So the most skilled does not always win and so the loser has just as much fun as the winner.

10. Friend lobbies will probably come in the final game which is good because if the online metagame is being abused at a certain time, you can avoid it all and just play with your friends.

11. The art style is great. Feels just as polished as Mario Kart 8.

12. The motion controls feel pretty good. They are fun to use. I would say not accurate enough for pro competition play but for casual fun, they are great. We all just need a little practice with them.

13. Getting a little ingame currency for loosing as we are now is a great thing. It keeps people playing the game. Without this, any loss streak will make the player question why they are playing the game at all as there is no recognition for their time spent in the game.

14. The opening you suffer from missing attacks needs to shrink a little. As does the time you are down from being attacked. The whole idea here is to be constantly attacking the opponent. Not just a stand off waiting for the opponent to attack so you can dodge it and abuse the huge dodged attack window we currently have. This game is about stretchy arms. But we should be encouraged to get as close to the opponents as we can. It's more fun that way. Currently this is not as encouraged by the game as it should be.

15. There needs to be a mechanism in place to prevent constant teaming up on one player in 3-4 player matches. When you have 2-3 players with non English names and 1 player with an English name, you know who will be ganged up on. Almost every single 3-4 player match was like that for me. I won some of them. But 2 or 3 on 1 matches get annoying after a while. This needs to be dealt with. It is not then have an online mode that is only 1v1 so you can avoid this issue if you want to.

If I think of anymore I will let you all know.

Im glad i'm not the only one that thought this. I'm very worried about the metagame now to the point where i may not pick it up.
 

Azure Sage

March onward forever...
Staff member
ZD Legend
Comm. Coordinator
I actually managed to play it today. I played for the whole hour between 2-3 PM EST. It was pretty fun, I guess, but not something I could see myself playing a lot. I started out with Ribbon Girl, and wasn't doing very well. I tried Spring Man next and he was ok I guess. I ended up playing as Machinica the most, which surprised me because I don't usually go for mech or bulky characters. She turned out to be the best fit for me, though. I won about half the matches I played. Not gonna lie, I'm not very good at it lol. It's difficult for me to aim the punches, they usually curve when I don't want them to and vice versa. Also it's hard to move with the motion controls and I have no idea how to turn around when a fighter is behind me in matches with more than 2 fighters. I would probably like button controls better.

All in all, I think it's a well-designed game and it's pretty fun, but online competition games just really are not for me. I'm not gonna get the full game. I'm glad I at least got to test it out, though.
 

Turo602

Vocare Ad Pugnam
Joined
Jul 31, 2010
Location
Gotham City
I'm sold. The game works surprisingly well. The motion controls are very tight and responsive and the way you hold the joy cons is interesting but still comfortable.

I've played it twice so far and haven't really encountered anything that was bad like cheap and exploitive players. I've actually done pretty well so far. I think I've only lost like one match.

I was a very big fan of Wii Sports Boxing and this feels like a bigger, better, and more unique version of it. I love that you can play online with a game like this. The idea of going up against another person with motion controls is very interesting. Though I find it funny to think that there are other people out there wagging their arms and looking stupid in their house too.

The art style has also grown on me. It almost looks like they went with designs straight out of Archie Comics but with the bright colors of Splatoon.

Overall, it seems like a fun game to play with friends and family and the online mode definitely makes the game a whole lot more worthwhile. There's a lot of potential here, so hopefully Arms takes off like Splatoon did and becomes a successful franchise.
 

Krazy4Krash

Moderator
Staff member
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Joined
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Location
'straya
I'm not completely sold on ARMS yet. I will probably observe how people enjoy the full game for themselves once it launches, and see what I'm missing out on.

I played this game back in January at a private Switch event, and the Testpunch has been a good reminder how I feel. The gameplay tends to be exciting most of the time, which is good. The game looks nice, and the music is incredibly catchy. The modes were all good fun, except it was easy to gang up on one player in three player free-for-alls.

The motion controls were alright. I used traditional controls for most of my game time since I felt more consistent with them. I'm sure I can get more used to the Thumbs-Up grip, but I wanted to spend my time wisely in the demo.

I thought I would like playing as Ninjara the most because of his speed. However, once trying everyone out, I'm most fond of Ribbon Girl (particularly with the Red and Green outfit). She feels incredibly mobile with her multi-jumps combined with the universal dashing mechanic.
 

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