Arms is in These Lists
In addition to the similar games listed above, which have been linked to this game specifically in the database, you may find games with a similar theme to Arms in the following lists:
Although you can play many multiplayer Switch games on the same system. There are some that let you play with or against other players in the same room but on separate devices.
If you have more than one Switch device in your family these are a great way to play together. Or maybe you have relatives visiting for special occasions who can bring their Switch consoles with them. These games are a great way to play.
You each need a copy of the game on the system, and then use the console's local wireless feature to connect directly to the other devices. This means you don't need an internet connection and you don't need Nintendo Online.
The games in this section have been selected because they get players doing absurd activities and chuckling together. It’s tongue-in-cheek entertainment with challenges that don’t take themselves too seriously – not seriously at all, in fact. Video games have their roots in fun and play. This makes them an excellent way to forget the worries of the day and dive into some silly fun together.
Whether it's the crazy puzzles in
Baba is You or Twister-like contortions of
Fru or stomach churningly difficulty of walking in
Octodad Deadliest Catch, these are games that will make you shriek and laugh together. Then there are silly multiplayer games like
Super Pole Riders,
Heave Ho or
Wii Party where parents, carers and children take on bizarre or precarious challenges. The play often descends into giggling and laughter.
Games offer us challenges on many levels. When someone plays a game too much it’s easy to think they are taking an easy route to something entertaining, like junk food. But video games are generally hard work. It takes time to understand their systems, mechanics, objectives and worlds.
There are a small group of games that hone this challenge down to the mechanics of moving around the environment. Whereas many games simplify getting around, these games make the complexity and depth of their movement systems part of the joy of playing them.
Rather than relying on the stats of your character or player, you have to execute the moves yourself with timing proficiency and instinct. Rather than offering assistance, these games leave you to it. Whether you rise through the league tables, or just improve compared to your family, the satisfaction or getting to grips with something so monumentally challenging is really satisfying.
This might be understanding how the propulsion of your car lets you take to the air and hit a perfect shot in Rocket League. Or, perhaps, it’s using the limited running and jumping slightly better than other players to get a win in
Fall Guys. Maybe it’s learning the perfect combination of angles and trajectories in
Videoball. Or it could be learning the complex move lists in a game like Street Fighter.
These games all have in common, a complex control system that can be put to use in imaginative and creative ways to get the edge over your opponents.
The Switch took the motion control Wii Remotes of the Wii and Wii U and attached them to the screen. This offers a versatile way to play on the go or on the TV (with the controllers detached. However, it also means that there are fewer games designed solely around the Joy-Con motion control abilities.
This list highlights games that you need to play with those Joy-Con controllers detached from the Switch. They offer true motion controls rather than a bit of tilting. This is in addition to the
Gyro/Motion aiming we list in our accessibility section.
This may include games where you use the Joy-Con to aim at the screen, like the second playing in
Mario Odyssey. Or games where you use the Joy-Con as the main player and target with motion, like
Western 1849 Reloaded. Then there are games where you perform motions with the Joy-Con controllers to interact with the world or propel yourself forward, like
Snipperclips or
Go Vacation.
Growing up playing video games has taught us that controllers with two sticks are a good way to move around a game. One controls looking and the other controls movement. Or maybe you prefer a mouse and keyboard?
However, the prevalence of these somewhat awkward schemes (similar to the prevalent but inefficient QUERTY keyboard layout) means that motion controls are often overlooked. This was made worse when the Wii failed to offer many high-end games and made motion synonymous with kid’s games.
The reality of well-implemented motion controls for aiming can make a profound difference to how approachable and accessible the experience is -- especially if two sticks don’t work for you or are unfamiliar.
We’ve worked with
Jibb Smart on this list of games that offer motion controls that work as a viable (and often enhanced) replacement for stick control. He is pioneering well-executed motion controls and has created open-source tools JoyShockLibrary and JoyShockMapper to help explore the potential offered by the gyroscopes in these controllers. His website
GyroWiki teaches developers how to implement these features well. In this list, we highlight games that put motion controls to good use in a way that is effective and well-executed.
Much of Jibb’s work focuses on the potential of gyro aiming. “It replaces the mouse with gyro controls. And since mouse control is a core pillar of PC gaming, it bridges a significant gap between PC and console players.” But motion controls is a very broad category. It’s worth breaking it down into more specific types of control that can help players in different ways:
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Motion Aiming: Can use small movements of the gamepad to fine-tune aiming or as the main aiming mechanism. This is sometimes known as Gyro-Aiming. Games like The Last of Us Part II and Rogue Company provide this ability to replace one of the sticks or mouse with gyro controls. This usually requires the ability to calibrate these controls to taste. Search database for Motion Aiming games.
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Motion Pointing: Can use the direction of the gamepad to move a cursor-target around the screen like a mouse. Games like Ghost Squad, World of Goo and Boom Blox use this to offer a light-gun experience. Search database for Motion Pointing games.
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Motion Tilting: Can use movements of the gamepad to replace steering or left/right movement with sticks. Games like Forza, Mario Kart and Wipeout offer this to enable you to steer left or right by tilting the controller. Search database for Motion Tilting games.
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Motion Gesture: Can motion with the controller to direct an in-game action. This can be a nuanced one-to-one motion for analogue sword (Zelda Skyward Sword) or bat movement (Wii Sports Resort). It can also be a simple shake to trigger a one-off action, like in Super Mario Galaxy. Search database for Motion Gesture games.
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Flick Stick: Enables you control the direction you are facing in a game by pressing the controller stick in that direction, rather than a left or right relative motion. Once you are facing a direction, rotating the stick moves the camera by the same degree. The result is a quicker and simpler way to control your orientation in a game world.
There are lots of games that help you exercise and stay fit. We've pulled together a list of the best of these; games that don't just incentivise activity with on-screen rewards but that integrated the workout into the gameplay. We all know about
Wii Sports but there are so many other ways that video games can help you stay healthy and active while you can't get out as much.
In this series, we are learning how different aspects of video games work by playing games that offer an easy introduction to this one concept. This is designed for people new to gaming, and aims to identify games with the least barriers. In this entry we are looking at
Fighting games.
Fighting video games involve close combat between characters. Usually, in some arena, the player uses attacks, and combinations of moves to overpower and outwit his opponent. Different playable characters and computer-controlled enemies have different abilities that offer a tactical challenge.
These games are often harder to learn and play, requiring fast reactions and memorisation of combinations of buttons. These pure fighting games sit alongside brawling and beat-em-up games where fights are simpler and against large numbers of enemies.
These games are
Action focused, but mainly in respect of the fighting. This is sometimes expanded by games that combine the fighting with
Adventure,
Role-Playing,
Narrative and other elements.
Other games include Fighting, but remove the player from direct control, focusing instead on the
Strategy or
Simulation of combat. This can be taken further away from the heat of battle in
Turn-Based games.
Sometimes you just want to play the hero. These games are violent and include shooting but, as with B-movies and 1980s TV series, it’s as much about the quips, characters and fantasy settings as it is about killing. The drama may be peppered with cinematic gunfire but, like those TV series, the real draw is spending time with the heroes every week.
Raucous, unbounded, exuberant, all-age competitive fun is something video games are known for. Find the right games for your family and you can create important and healthy ways to let off steam, excel and persevere as you sit next to each other on the sofa. These games can play a big part in raising children to be magnanimous in victory and generous in defeat. Kids love competing online, but the games here focus on battling in the same room. Played with multiple controllers and a shared screen, they offer challenges that require real skill and give everyone a chance to rise to the top of the family pile.
These games go above and beyond just adding a few difficulty settings. They consider a wide range of ability and accessibilities by offering customisable difficulty settings as well as special low pressure or assist modes that aid progress.
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