Ah, the punch. It’s a basic move in most one-on-one fighting games. But in ARMS, there’s a lot more to punching than just pressing a button. You can choose to throw a left punch, a right punch, or a curve punch by simply moving your Joy-Con controllers. Punches are effective against grabs, so if your opponent is trying to get a hold of you, you may want to throw a punch!
How to do it: Grab onto your Joy-Con controllers with a thumbs-up grip. Move your left Joy-Con forward for a left punch, your right Joy-Con for a right punch, and throw curve punches by turning your arm.
Battlers in the ARMS arena have to keep on their toes. No one wins a match by standing still, right? If you want to try to avoid taking a punch to the face, you’ll have to stay on the move. You can try to use the arena environments to your advantage, like jumping off springboards to attack from different angles. You’ll also want to try to anticipate your opponent’s next move, in order to execute a good counter-move.
How to do it: Tilt your Joy-Con controllers to move from side to side. Move quickly by pressing L to dash and R to jump.
It’s hard to punch someone if they refuse to stay in one place. So, how are you supposed to get them to stand still? You can try to solve that pesky problem by grabbing your opponent, pulling them to you, and unleashing an attack. Grabs can be very effective against blocks, so if your opponent is trying to protect themselves, try to grab them for an attack.
How to do it: Move both arms forward to grab your opponent. Draw your foe towards you and attack them!
When you’re not on the offense, you’re on the defense! You can try to avoid incoming punches by guarding yourself. And while you’re protecting yourself, you’ll have a chance to charge your own punches so that they have extra power.
How to do it: Hold your controllers with your thumbs pointing at each other to block your opponent's attacks and charge your punches.
You can perform a rush attack on your opponent, as long as the rush gauge is full. A rush attack may take the other fighter by surprise—plus, you can try to unleash a flurry of punches on them!
How to do it: Press either ZL or ZR when the rush gauge is full. Hit multiple times by shaking the Joy-Con controllers.
In addition to the Thumbs-up Grip, where you hold the Joy-Cons in both hands, you can also try other play styles. Find the one that works for you! You can learn more about the game at the official site.
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+ with Cartoon Violence