ARMS is getting a new update this week, and although the official stance is that it will introduce balancing changes, dataminers have uncovered evidence that something more substantial could be coming to the game soon.
Digging through the game's code, a list of character names has been found. Some of these are nicknames for existing fighters - we're guessing they were internal names for characters before their final monikers were decided upon - but not all of them match up:
- Belt (Max Brass)
- Chain
- Coil
- DNA (Helix)
- Hair (Twintelle)
- Mee (Min Min)
- Mummy (Mummy)
- Ninja (Ninjara)
- Plant
- Police (Byte and Bark)
- Ribbon (Ribbon Girl)
- Robo
- Scroll
- Snake (Kid Cobra)
- Spring (Spring Man)
- Sumo
- Surprise
- Sweet
- Twintale
- Worker (Mechanica)
- BossHead (Hedlok)
- RNA (Dummies)
Could some of these names refer to characters that were removed before the game was finished, or are they all-new fighters which will be added via DLC? Let us know your thoughts by posting a comment.
[source reddit.com]
Comments 65
Twintale?
Bootylicious has a sistah?!
When I saw the headline, I thought that it would maybe entail three characters at most, but nine, wow is this game going to have a long life. Also, I think that "surprise" might be Little Mac because it will be a massive surprise if he gets into the game, and I also really just want to see him in the game.
this looks very promising if its many aqnd aw lost first
@Bengyman well this game has come out early in the switchs lifespan.
Twintale may sound similar to Twintelle but maybe it could refer to a character with two tails that act as arms, like a monkey or something, and because of the spelling, he/she tells tales and has tails and... Maybe I'm reaching a bit, but it could work I guess...
They need to up the value of the game before it's worth the $80CAD they are asking here in the great white north
If there ever is that amount of characters and maybe some new modes or fleshed out single player mode I will pick it up.
As it is now, it was fun to try out but there wasn't enough for me.
What arms needs it's a daily quest's or a board like smash bros to give more reasons to visit the game
Love this game!
The game is worth every penny in my opinion. With more content on the way it's only going to get better. All it needs is more fighters but we know they're coming.
@Bengyman
Hell yeah. If little Mac ends up on the roster I'll be a happy man.
A plant character would certainly be interesting.
Audrey II for ARMS.
I'll be disappointed if the Sumo one doesn't do this with BOTH hands:
@Randomname19
LOL
Sumo for Arms, E.Honda ?
@Bengyman I doubt it's that; I'll bet it's a Jack-in-the-box with springy arms and a box-shaped body.
Have a feeling some of these just refer to existing characters and were early placeholders that were not removed. Happy to be proved wrong but not going to be too dissapointed if we get less than 9 further characters.
Love Arms. Think I'm topping out at around rank 9/10, which I'm fine with. Spend most of my time in the game on party mode and working through GP with Spring Man. Currently stuck on a level 7 Twintelle - soon hard! Would like to do level 4 with all characters default arms eventually.
ARMS is the Switch's best exclusive; I like it even better than Splatoon 2. It's one of the best and most unique fighting games I've ever played; there's nothing else like it. Totally worth buying a Switch just for ARMS.
Hope ARMS gets continual support the way the first Splatoon did. 20 fighters or more would be sweet.
I'm to old and to slow to play much Arms online but between playing with the family slowly making my way through the grandprix (Only on level 4 for most fighters) I already have more than 40 hours in, more than most AAA games, and it is a game that will keep filling gaps between other releases on my daily travel. I am happy with the price and hope the good sales will lead to a lot more content.
Plants and scrolls sound like good fun.
I hope more characters are coming.
How could these be content removed before launch if their names were only added in one of the patches? Why does this published article contain such contradictory speculation?
Also, RNA is a pretty good joke on the developers' part.
@alraunen agreed. Something to give me something to do. I've beat sp with every fighter at 5 or above, and online isn't my bag. I'm sure it will be fleshed out, but right now I haven't played for a while which is kinda making me feel like I've abandoned it.
Wow that's a lot of characters for free dlc. Plus since I thought each character has his or her own stage means the same for that. Should pick up the game when I got the chance
I have the limited edition Splatoon2 hardware bundle safely tucked away for my son for Christmas, but he seems really taken with ARMS too, maybe I should pick it up in the meantime...
Dhalsim for arms dammit!
I like the title telling us their might be more Arms charecters, then warns us with a spoiler alert in the tag line. The title's already nullified the spoiler alert before I read the article.
Chain - Convict in Prison
Coil - Tesla Coil Electric Thing
Plant - Basically Audrey II
Robo - A Robo
Scroll - Some Sort of Pirate
Sumo - A... Sumo Wrestler?
Surprise - Too Vague
Sweet - A Licorice Monster
Twintale - Something a Bit Like Ambipom (Twintail?)
Dropped ARMS pretty much the week after launch. It was just ... those 3 or 4 free for alls felt unfair as everyone teamed up against one, in ranked I lost pretty much every game and overall, I never felt that I got any better at the game. It's just not like Injustice or Killer Instinct where you learn a character or two and then train, train, train. I think it's also that I'm not a ranged fighter, I want to close in on my opponent and give them the old one-two. Not throw a punch from afar or let alone try my luck at a grab. I give ARMS that it certainly looks unique and the character designs are great but it simply isn't my cup of tea.
That said, I will certainly be looking forward to these characters and what else Nintendo has in store for ARMS.
The more the merrier, especially if this game wants to... become... Nintendo's top fighter...
[horrifying realization]
please Nintendo keep giving us Smash games please please please
20 characters total is a really nice number. I revisited this game last night for the first time since Splatoon 2 released and I'm still loving it quite a bit.
@AlexSora89 I don't think you have any reason for concern. Smash and ARMS have nothing in common other than the fact that they're technically and vaguely under the same genre umbrella. A side-scrolling, king of the hill-style beat-em-up and a motion controlled third-person boxing simulator aren't exactly in direct competition with each other and can coexist quite peacefully. And Nintendo isn't the kind of developer to only have one franchise per genre, either. I've lost count of how many of their properties have had 2D platformer adaptations. And besides, even if they were to choose between ARMS and Smash, Smash outsold ARMS by a massive quotient, and Nintendo is all about money first and foremost. That said, I'm absolutely ecstatic about the idea of Spring Man in future Smash games.
It should be add 1 fighter with name...
...
...
...
Telephoneman !
Ive lost interest in arms...havent played it in ages
Little Mac when?
@thesilverbrick
Except Mario Kart 8's F-Zero tracks, the Blue Falcon and the anti-gravity thing were the final nail in Captain Falcon's non-Smash coffin. So there's that - add that to Sakurai's vow to get a long break after Smash 4, and you get the whole picture. (That is, unless Sakurai actually trained a worthy successor, but I can easily see this not being the case.)
@AlexSora89 I wouldn't write off F-Zero forever just because of Mario Kart's F-Zero elements. Granted, it has been years since we've seen F-Zero, and Miyamoto has made comment that he feels like he is out of ideas for a new entry in the series, but series like Metroid, Star Fox, Punch Out and Kid Icarus have gone on hiatus for years before resurfacing.
Also, F-Zero is a much more niche series in terms of publicity and sales when compared to Smash, which is a perennial best seller. After every entry in the series, Sakurai claims he's done developing Smash games and then goes back on that threat and makes a new one. And besides, even if he backs out and refuses to helm a new one, Nintendo isn't going to let one of their top-selling properties disappear. That would be like abandoning Mario Kart because the team behind Mario Kart 8 didn't want to make a new one. They'd simply source it to a new team. There is a reasonable level of expectation that every Nintendo console will get a Smash game, and Nintendo won't trample on that expectation any more than they would deny us a Mario Kart for a generation.
@thesilverbrick "And besides, even if he backs out and refuses to helm a new one, Nintendo isn't going to let one of their top-selling properties disappear. That would be like them abandoning Mario Kart because the team behind Mario Kart 8 didn't want to make a new one. They'd simply source it to a new team."
Agreed. Also, I believe Metroid Prime 4 is a good example of that: Retro Studios didn't want to do that, but the fans have been clamoring for so long Nintendo just had to have someone else develop it.
@AlexSora89 The Formula for smash hasn't changed. Really, they don't need Sakurai at this point, as much as I like him. Just being realistic.
@denis09 Each character you listed already has a code name in the game. Giving them 2 would be redundant.
@clvr Exactly. And that's a great example. The Metroid Prime formula is so established at this point that they don't need Retro Studios to make it work. Smash is even more straightforward, plus it sells better than any Metroid title.
Twintale: Tails from Sonic confirmed
@thesilverbrick that's true, but I wouldn't say Retro Studios are not needed: I mean, the core meachanics are likely to remain intact, but the nuances are probably gonna be noticeable. To get it straight: compare MP and MP3, and you'll notice there's a shift in focus towards action, notwithstanding the fact they were made by the same team. Add to that a different team and I believe chances are we'll see something different. Not radically, just different.
Yep, keep adding to the game because many people moved on already.
@clvr You're right. I didn't mean that Retro Studios aren't "needed," per se. What I was referring to is the fact that the series mechanics have been established, and we already know what works and doesn't work in a successful 3-D Metroid game. One thing that Retro Studios has in spades that is going to be hard to replicate is their artistic attention to detail. I played through the original Metroid Prime again last week and realized that even though on a technical level the game looks dated (hard to believe it's already 15 years old), I have yet to see anything surpass it in terms of obsessive artistic expression. Every single room is brimming with personality and looks completely unique. Here's hoping that the new team can capture that magic, or maybe that Retro itself might get involved in some of the art direction. It's entirely possible, seeing as they set aside staff and time to develop a course for Mario Kart 7.
@OneArmedGiant I think Little Mac could work well here in the same sort of way Link worked in Soul Calibre, but not as OP. As much as I'd want this new IP to stand on it's own, this addition would also bring back a TON of attention to the game, months after its release.
@thesilverbrick I'm a giant Metroid 2-D fan, but never played the Prime games. When you play 1&2, do you play or prefer the Gamecube versions or the motion control ones from the Wii Trilogy version? Was think of buying a Wii at a Goodwill for cheap and ebaying the Prime Trilogy (if there was a virtual for Switch, I'd be trying these now...).
@thesilverbrick yep, that's more or less what I was referring to.
The mechanics are there: it's just a matter of how they use them, just like you can arrange the same composition in so many different ways.
It's just Retro have, as you said, such an incredible attention to detail that it's hard to think someone might replicate it, and the same applies for Smash.
Obviously, on a mechanics level, Smash would be easier to adapt to (as it's an arcadey single-screen experience, compared to a full-fledged 3D epic), but what would be missed is Sakurai manic perfectionism, that's also what makes him say every single time that the latest one will be his last Smash.
Edit: did Retro Studios really design a course for MK7?
@Dang69 I'm a sucker for pointer-controlled FPS's, as I think it's the best control option by a long mile (mouse + keyboard has digital movement, and don't even get me started on dual analog...), so I'd recommend the Wii version.
Also, if you happen to have a Wii U, you can download the trilogy for 20 euros.
@thesilverbrick
Which course?
@Dang69 I've played and loved both versions, but ultimately I think I prefer the Wii motion controls. They somehow feel more intuitive, plus it makes the trilogy feel cohesive when you play them all with the same controls. Honestly, the games are phenomenal either way, though.
@clvr @Fbigabig The DK Jungle course in Mario Kart 7. Nintendo had Retro handle that course, and it came out pretty great, if you ask me. I wonder if it was because they wanted Retro's art direction, seeing as the course was heavily based on Donkey Kong Country Returns, which Retro developed.
@clvr My ex-girlfriend had the WiiU...so I never bought one. We broke up and I bought a Switch, lol (horribly, but conveniently happened around launch). I'd get a WiiU now, but I feel like most the games are gonna get ported, and I should buy a cheapo Wii, instead.
@thesilverbrick It's almost a tradition! Rare handled the DK model in Mario Kart 64.
@Kienda
There's Japanese cat monsters with two tails
@clvr I wholeheartedly agree. I would much rather see Retro handle the Metroid Prime series forever. But if someone told me I could love a DKC game not developed by Rare I wouldn't have believed it, yet Retro did their own take on the series which captured all the things I loved about DKC and then some. There's a lot riding on Prime 4, especially after Metroid's long hiatus, and I trust Nintendo can source it correctly and put the game under the right direction.
@Dang69 The Trilogy version is the definitive version to play the Prime games. Being able to aim freely while moving around is a HUGE boon compared to... speedrunning tricks that were patched out in the Trilogy version.
@Bengyman
Whoah, good call! That would be awesome.
LOL Love the RNA/DNA code names.
So, are these coming before or after the inevitable lootboxes?
@denis09 yeah- i have to agree. Some of these placeholder names could be just duplicates. I'd love to be proven wrong though as ARMS is definitely my most played game right now.
@thesilverbrick thanks, I didn't know they contributed to the game.
On the topic of MP4, I didn't mean that in a negative way: of course the "Retro touch" won't be there, but I'm sure it'll be the masterpiece we expect and the series deserves.
No matter who's designing it, it's bound to feel different, just not necessarily in a negative way; the DKC example you brought speaks for itself.
@Dang69 oh I see, sorry about that...my ex also has one lol
A cheap Wii might be a good option, it's just that (at least to my knowledge, so keep your salt at hand) the Wii trilogy is pretty hard to find in some regions.
Though I guess a quick search will do the job
We will/should have the Roger from Tekken (kangaroo) and Dhalsim from Capcom.
Just suggesting.
@EVIL-C
Well, sure, they don't. But they also need to realise that much.
@thesilverbrick
Thing is, while Mario Kart is a spinoff of a platformer franchise, F-Zero is born as a racer. And ironically, while I'd be happy for F-Zero fans getting an actual new entry in the dedicated franchise, I'm worried for ARMS becoming the dedicated fighting franchise to make up for Sakurai's undoubtedly deserved, well-earned, but also very worrying long break. I really hope the Switch will get its own Smash as well, especially with the rumor that Pokémon might go the Breath Of The Wild and Odyssey route and be an actual open-world title.
This would single-handedly pull Nintendo out of the Wii U quicksand and such a successful, resulting console would totally deserve a Smash entry.
@AlexSora89 You say "the dedicated fighting franchise" as if Nintendo only does one series per genre. ARMS replacing Smash Bros. is as plausible as Kirby Air Ride replacing Mario Kart or Donkey Kong Country replacing the Mario Bros. series.
Don't get me wrong; I don't think we'll see a brand new, original Smash anytime soon (perhaps not even this generation). They'll likely port and enhance Smash 4 for a new, larger audience on Switch, saving Sakurai from development hell for several years. And I'm totally ok with that. The mechanics of Smash are so well established and Smash 4 is such a complete and perfect game. Starting from scratch at this point wouldn't add much to the game and would be a total waste of resources, especially since most of the potential audience on Switch will be new to the game, anyway.
But back to the main topic, you really have nothing to worry about. ARMS, while a moderate sales success, isn't selling anywhere near as well as Smash. It's not even remotely close. And the two games have absolutely nothing in common from a gameplay perspective, plus they're developed by entirely different teams. One is clearly not a replacement for the other.
@thesilverbrick
I would love nothing more than a Sm4sh port, especially if it includes both previous versions' stages.
That said, I surely hope so! But I'm nervous at the same time. I hope we'll get a Nintendo Direct sometime this september.
Tap here to load 65 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...