Nintendo got it right with its hybrid console Switch. But a console is only as good as its software and Arms proves to be fun.

When I first saw Arms and the players standing in front of the screen flailing with their arms, I had an eery sense of deja-vu. Motion-controls! It didn’t work with Playstation Move and Nintendo’s Wii. Why should it be different this time? For one the so-called Joycons are way more precise than the aforementioned controllers. And Arms isn’t about who hits who quicker. That may be part of certain moments, but Arms has more in common with a shooter game than with a boxing game.

The game first asked me to choose from a selection of extendable fists. They can be flung at the opponent. I chose two different ones, in the beginning, more by the looks. During the game, there are hardly any straight shots. Like in the hilarious action-movie Wanted with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy the fists are “shot” with a well-timed flick of the wrist. This title is another example, where the principle of the game is quickly understood, but it takes a fair bit of training to do better than average.

Not speed, but tactics pave the way in Arms

In Arms it is not about hitting faster, but with more precision.

But spending time with Arms, especially in company, is not a problem. You stand in front of the tv-set – well apart – and start to throw hooks and punches. After a combination of swinging fists I even started to sweat a little. I wouldn’t call it a party game, but thanks to its accessibility the brawler can, of course, be played at a party. The game is easy fun, accessible for everybody – thanks to the motion controls. It is a prime example what Nintendo had in mind with the Wii and its rotten successor Wii U but couldn’t pull off. With the Switch and its Joycons the tech meets the ambition and the success of the hybrid console is proof.