The first Splatoon that released on the Nintendo Wii U sold well despite being on a console that had a small install base compared to the dominance of Xbox and PlayStation. Preview events and footage made people wary and skeptical about Nintendo’s newest IP but once the game was officially released, it was hailed for its unique and fun multiplayer gameplay. Splatoon became a phenomenon for those who purchased a Wii U but didn’t help sell more consoles.
One of the main complaints in the beginning of Splatoon’s launch was the lack of content. Nintendo addressed these concerns by offering a plethora of post launch support with free maps, weapons, and balance updates. They added meaningful ranked battles and other game modes that made Splatoon stay relevant in the minds of the video game industry. Splatoon 2 became highly successful on its new home, the Nintendo Switch, having sold better than the first game  and was the number one selling game of July 2017. The original Splatoon sold over 4 million copies, and Splatoon 2 will definitely outsell its predecessor.
Then ARMS happened, a brand-new fighting/boxing game IP from Nintendo that has sold over a million copies since launch. However, unlike Splatoon, ARMS stands to lose everything and squander its potential with early adopters because the support behind that game is almost non-existent.
ARMS became a hit during a time when Switch owners were eager and starving for games on the new console. Nintendo needs to be commended for its strategic lineup of a small number of high-quality games; although this was initially scoffed at upon its announcement. The PS4 and Xbox One launched with several games but the quality of those games was an issue. Despite the lack of killer launch titles, the consoles sold relatively well on third party offerings.
The Switch however, takes that narrative and flips it on its head. They launched with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a game that is being touted as Game of the Year and even Game of the Decade among several gaming industry and podcasting circles. Almost every month since the release of the Switch there has been an amazing game for people to buy and play. The Wii U sold poorly, but the quality of its games was never in question; except for Star Fox Zero. ARMS is among some of the best new IPs, like Splatoon, to debut on a brand new system with amazing gameplay but is lacking in substantial and meaningful content.
ARMS offers great stages, characters, an arcade mode, multiple ways for multiplayer support, ranked, and friendly battles. Nintendo said that it will continue to support ARMS with new stages and characters. According to hackers who were able to datamine the game, there is evidence that 9 new ARMS fighters will be added to the game. More fighters are a great stepping stone but new fighters in Super Smash Bros. typically have more impact than a new fighter in ARMS. In ARMS, there are few differences between each fighter and each one has access to every ARM; making them all feel too similar. The basics of fighting a different opponent doesn’t differ dramatically when compared to the variety offered with the large roster of Super Smash Bros. characters.
New fighters are great but what ARMS really needs are new game modes that will get people to play it consistently, like that of Splatoon’s player base. New stages are always good also, it offers variety of scenery and the stages have enough impact to make players adapt their strategies when fighting on them. Spring Man is horrible at air-to-air combat, but his stage is filled with spring boards which allows less mobile characters to take on more agile opponents. Helix’s stage contains several tubes which block attacks and learning to curve around them or use them as a shield is important.
ARMS needs more support or its player base will die off. Splatoon’s design makes it fun to play several matches in a row, while ARMS needs more variety in its game modes to keep players engaged. Unlocking new ARMS gets tiring and isn’t fun when you have to constantly grind the same game modes. Player matches are fun but being forced into game types you hate becomes tedious, and free-for-all is unbalanced.
However, there is hope on the horizon in the form of ‘Events.’ ARMS now mentions in the menu whether or not you would want to participate in future ‘Events.’ This feature was added to the game with the Max Brass update. Events could be the saving grace that will help ARMS stay relevant and develop a strong, healthy player-base; but Splatoon 2 is already dominating Nintendo’s multiplayer crowd. It is similar to Titanfall 2’s situation when it became overshadowed by its bigger sibling Battlefield 1. Splatoon 2 is constantly adding brand new weapons and stages on a consistent pace, thus keeping the game fresh and exciting.
ARMS needs to start pushing more consistent updates and Nintendo needs to show players what is coming down the pipe to drum up excitement. The game has the potential to become as great as the Super Smash Bros. series and it would be a shame to see this great new IP wither away.
Let us know us if you’re currently happy with the state of ARMS! Do you agree it needs more post-launch support? What could Nintendo or the developers do to get you back into ARMS? Leave a comment and let us know!
