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ARMS data-mined: 20 fighter codenames found! Also, Nintendo says an update is soon.

See, what I love about ARMS is I feel the initial roster basically leaves nothing "out"---they didn't go crazy with it, but there's enough wackiness from the norm in Master Mummy, Helix, and Barq and Byte that they basically can add anything they want without any real justification and it'll perfectly fit.

It's not like Street Fighter where you had a "normal" cast in II and it drew criticism when you got some crazy, semi-magical characters in III, from the get-go I can easily see "living dynamite mascot" being welcomed with open arms to the, well, cast of ARMS. My next idea for a character, "Twintale", kind of follows that line of thought---what if in the ARMS universe everyone is just "meh" to the supernatural and such since ARMS exist. I mean, like not once have they even pointed out that Biff is some weird creature.

Mechanically, I feel you're on a whole 'nother level from me---very neat ideas there with unique strategic elements, and a bit of a Bomberman risk-reward thing too!



I'm gonna guess---some computer virus with ARMS made up of 1s and 0s? Probably a Helix rival?

Thank you kindly! Your write ups have been a huge inspiration for me! Though I wouldn't say we're on different levels mechanics-wise; your ideas are fantastic!

I agree; Dynamight was intended to encapsulate the apparent indifference to the supernatural that the ARMS Universe seems to have. A theme that I've definitely noticed you play with in your characters, especially Cth'lutton, who doesn't even seem to be considered a minor threat, much less the eldritch abomination he is!

And yes, you're actually spot on! Though I plan for him to have a different rival. I just need to finish his mechanics and such...
 

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Here's "Twintale"---though I cheated a bit and thought what if this is a mistake and it's meant to be "Twintail"? He's just your average everyday Kamaitachi...

Greasel - "Weasel Knievel" (or "The Yokai Yanki", as he'd be known in Japan)

Greasel is a humanoid weasel, kind of Tex Avery-ish, with a thin lower body but broad chest and shoulders. Think like Talbain from Darkstalkers, but a weasel. We have a character that appeals to the inflation fetishists, so why not a furry too? He's got a delinquent slouch to him and dresses like one too, basically he has a jacket like Jotaro from JoJo and a similar hat that obscures his eyes (does he wear a mask? nobody knows!), though the top of his hat is ripped and a silver sickle-like Birdie-style mohawk pops through. He has white bandages wrapped around his waist, but outside of his open jacket he's naked. But he's covered in fur and isn't anatomically correct, so it's no big deal! Instead of arm ARMS, he has two ARMS-powered tails. He kind of sounds like an evil Elvis.

Figure skating flowers. Obese otherworld horrors. The living dead. What would once raise an eyebrow has since become part of the norm within the ARMS World, and the mysterious creatures that once were spoken of in hushed tones have since become contributing members of society. One such species is the Kamaitachi, humanoid weasels with twin tales. Once they were feared and hunted down by the elite ninja, but that was hundreds of years ago and such violence is all but forgotten---now they live and work alongside everyone else!

Greasel is a Kamaitachi who doesn't like to be lumped alongside everyone else. That's boring. He's a notorious biker, the leader of the "Evil Weasels", and he's a bad boy with a bad-streak as long as his ARMS-powered tails. He channels this meaness somewhat constructively by competing as an ARMS Fighter, and he's quite the controversial figure. He doesn't merely play a heel like Big Bengal does for the benefit of the fans, Greasel is a dyed-in-the-wool heel who is as every bit as sadistic and nasty as he is outside the ring as he is on the inside. He does whatever it takes to win and isn't necessarily above playing dirty, but for the most part he has a twisted sense of that fighting spirit. Women love that about him. When women publications rank the male ARMS fighters, he consistently ranks at the top in popularity. He's not exactly thrilled at that, though, because he doesn't have any goodwill towards his fans and finds them annoying. "Don't cheer for me, bastards!" he can often be heard shouting.

Nobody knows why Greasel is such a delinquent. He grew up in a happy home under loving parents, who happened to be high-ranking Shinobi, and as a child attended Ninja School where he excelled with high grades rivaling that of Ninjara. The two of them were in fact best friends in Ninja High School, but an unknown falling out between the two turned them into fierce rivals. It's not uncommon for their fights to spread outside of the ring, though the fans love when this happen as they really go all out then. While Ninjara continued his studies at Rasen University, Greasel took to the road and acquired a massive amount of traffic violations---violations which he continues to pay off to this day with his prize money, though he only racks up more and more.

In the end, perhaps Greasel is just a natural-born rebel? Maybe he wants to revive the monstrous image of the Kamaitachi, and dislikes his clan allying themselves with their former enemies. Whatever he's looking for, maybe he'll find it one day down that long, winding road called life.

Greasel slouches when he moves (usually holding his hands in his coat pocket) but is quite fast, able to weave in and out and being low to the ground can make him hard to hit. His ARMS Girth is on the lower end of the spectrum, and his Throw is weak. As you can imagine rather than using his arms he uses his twin tails as his ARMS, though they work more or less functionally the same as regular ARMS.

Greasel's first Ability is "After Image", a move he picked up in his ninja days---when Greasel dashes on the ground or in the air he leaves behind a trail of afterimages that can confuse the opponent. Though your ARMS will always target the real Greasel, it's a nice way to play mind games with your opponent as they may mess up their ARMS trajectory by accidentally curving towards one of the fakes. It's one of those Abilities that is less an Ability and more a way to mess with your opponent's head and think twice about what you're up to. The afterimages are a few frames slower than the real deal, so if your opponent's eyes pays too much attention to them they may miss the tell of the real Greasel launching an attack. Pretty sneaky!

His second Ability is "Revv Up". If you hold the dash button, Greasel will turn into a spinning ball---hmm, I've seen this somewhere before? If you let go of the dash button after charging, he'll shoot forward in the direction you're holding. This can't hurt the foe, but it's nice to quickly avoid them. He's vulnerable while charging, so use it when you have an opening, and either make a quick escape or charge in! You can jump out of the dash quite easily and then attack and, oh, did I mention he leaves After Images while dashing in this way too? There's another more advanced technique available here too, known as the "Rev Cancel". If you release dash and immediately press jump within a few seconds, Greasel will quickly exit in a jump---but he'll leave behind a fake Revv Up ball made of compressed air, which will shoot off. This ball of air doesn't actually do anything, but your opponent may not realize what has happened at first and temporarily be confused as they mistakenly target the ball. Yeah, Greasel doesn't cheat necessarily---he just loves to mess with the opponent!

Greasel's signature ARM is the Slickle, a very slick, uh, sickle. In the past Kamaitachi were known for wielding sickles in their twin tails, and now Greasel has brought that back into style---of course it's not a real sickle that can do any permanent harm, though it definitely hurts! Though it's not a particularly strong weapon, it's quite fast and slices in a wide arc---and, uniquely, its arc depends on which arm it's on. Right slices vertically, left slices horizontally. Your opponent needs to carefully think about this when fighting a Slickle, or else they may misread an attack! The Slickle also has a Wind Attribute, because, y'know, that's kind of a Kamaitachi's thing.

His second default ARM is the Coolclaw, an Ice-Attribute version of Big Bengal's Clawbreakers. They fire off slowly and slam to the ground for the initial hit, and then scrape back to the user (who can move around but can't use that ARM) dealing additional damage if they slash over the opponent. When keeping an eye on Greasel's afterimages and Revv Up, the opponent may find themselves distracted and forget all about that dangerous claw coming right at them from behind!

Finally there's the Orochi, an Electric-Attribute version of the Hydra that fires off three vertical shots---for Greasel, it's a good idea to choose either the vertical/horizontal sickle and your other ARM that compliments it. For example, the vertical Slickle can take care of air enemies while the Coolclaw pressures them on the ground, and the horizontal Slickle can deal with grounded foes while Orochi puts pressure if they try and jump over it.

His stage is "Highway A6A6" (which could be read as "A-mu A-mu" in Japanese I believe), and in this stage you fight atop a moving truck with a steel-caged arena built atop it! The cage limits your movement somewhat and it's one of the smaller stages, and a quick-moving guy like Greasel is dangerous in such confined quarters! As the truck drives through the night various vehicles can be seen driving by advertising various ARMS products, fighters, and such. The driver of the truck happens to be a member of Greasel's gang by the way, Tank. He's a biker tanuki and the gang's resident mechanical expert, and the only person Greasel considers a friend.
 
I must say: I hadn't expected a Kamaitachi when you said "two tailed character"! That said, Greasel is another nice design!

Afterimage and Revv Up are interesting mobility and mind game assets, I could see him being very popular if he were real. His abilities nicely compliment and contrast Ninjara's, hammering home the idea that the two once trained together and really aiding the rival feel. I also love his ARMS, especially the differing trajectories offered by the Slickle, which is absolutely brilliant!

Expect Binary soon. I had planned to do Stick first, but inspiration has struck. See if you can guess who her rival will be!
 
Introducing Cat.SCRATCH, the Feverish Feline!


Cat.SCRATCH is a computer virus that has somehow manifested in real life; she resembles an anthropomorphic cat. Her body is glitchy and distorted, making her unnaturally tall and thin. Parts of her body have noticeable, intentional issues like pixelated textures, low poly counts, even some areas of visible wireframe. Her head is that of a cartoonish black cat with a perpetual snarl; parts of it are covered in patches of buggy pixels similar to the infamous Pac-Man Kill Screen. Her ARMS are comprised of an infinite series of 1s and 0s. The binary code translates to MEOW over and over. She has a tail that is rendered as a sprite using billboarding; meaning it seems to face the camera at all times. Personality wise, she acts like a mixture between an actual housecat and a stereotypical cartoon villain, laughing maniacally and hamming it up with style. Cat.SCRATCH's logo is a stylized skull and crossbones, with the skull having cat ears and the crossbones being fish skeletons.

Even in the world of ARMS, there exist hackers who want nothing more than to cause chaos. One such hacker, whose name has forever eluded authorities, managed not only to crack the proprietary OS of the famous security robot Barq, but also to create a virus designed to sabotage him. After a momentary lapse in his defenses, Barq found himself infected with this specialized virus. Byte, in a panic, immediately took his partner to Mechanica, who quickly managed to remove the virus. She quarantined the virus on her computer to study later, only for it to escape, eventually ending up in one of the supercomputers used at ARMS Labs. Once there, a mysteriously undocumented series of events led to the virus escaping into reality. Now, the being known as Cat.SCRATCH has been cautiously accepted into the ARMS League. Though she is rather popular amongst the fans, Byte and Barq hate her with a passion.


Cat.SCRATCH's first ability, void Pounce() takes advantage of her cat theming. By holding Dash in midair, Cat.SCRATCH can perform a vicious dive kick that automatically homes in on the nearest target; however, it has a maximum range, meaning she won't always hit her mark. Valid targets for this move include fighters, stage elements, Hedlok Shuffle capsules, and even ARMS in flight. Upon hitting a target, Cat.SCRATCH performs a different action depending on what it was. Hitting another fighter knocks them down and deals damage equal to her left ARM's charged punch, but with no elemental effect. Hitting a stage element or Hedlok capsule causes Cat.SCRATCH to latch on to the item and begin pounding it rapidly with her fists. This usually destroys the item, but she can be interrupted. Additionally, this can be cancelled with a jump. Finally, hitting an ARM in flight causes Cat.SCRATCH to grab onto and ride the ARM to its destination. This allows her to get away from opponents by riding their fists, but note two things: she cannot ride Grabs, and Explosive ARMS will still detonate at the end of their path. Cat.SCRATCH cannot ride her own ARMS, but can ride the ARMS of allied fighters.

Cat.SCRATCH's second ability, Application Crash, takes advantage of her nature as a computer virus. Whenever Cat.SCRATCH successfully knocks a punch or grab out of the air, she heals 15 HP by stealing the energy required to throw that punch. Application Crash allows her to stay alive longer than one might think, and facing her requires one to take care about throwing too many predictable punches.


Signature ARMS:

Catclaw: The Catclaw resembles, well, a cat's claws. This Stun attribute ARM is unique in that, when thrown, it performs multiple slashes before retracting. When uncharged, it swipes three times, while a charged Catclaw slashes 5 times. To counterbalance this, the Catclaw's individual slashes are slightly weaker than a typical punch, and can be avoided individually. Since this slashes rapidly, it can help Cat.SCRATCH trigger Application Crash more often.

Joybuzz: A unique Electric element ARM with a twist. When thrown, it stays close in the same vein as the Clapback. Uncharged, it simply acts as a shield, with the added advantage of causing ARMS that hit it to retract slightly slower than usual. However, a Charged Joybuzz will instead capture the incoming ARM and hold it. When this happens, electricity visibly courses down the victim's arms. This acts as a timer; if the opponent fails to land a punch on the Joybuzz's user before this electricity reaches them, they take a nasty amount of damage and the typical electric stun. The Joybuzz's shock hits faster in close quarters, pairing well with Void Pounce() and its ability to bring Cat.SCRATCH closer to her foes.

Tweeter: A Bird-type ARM bearing the Blind attribute, filling the victim's screen with blue stars should it hit. The Tweeter's Blind attribute can cause foes to throw wild punches that Cat.SCRATCH can more easily knock down for healing.


Stage: Virtual Reality

It seems that whatever brought Cat.SCRATCH into reality works in reverse as well; this venue takes place within one of ARMS Labs' supercomputers! This slightly cramped arena features a massive motherboard floor and a massive glass screen through which fans watch the fight. Generally, this Arena is rather plain barring the occasional firewall appearing across the motherboard. These firewalls block both ARMS and fighters, deflecting punches and burning unfortunate fighters. Cat.SCRATCH's Void Pounce() is harmlessly deflected by these firewalls, not punishing her for the use of her signature ability.
 

Tailzo

Member
It's nice to see the game is being updated for free. I like to play it in friendly matches online, but it is still a bit dull in single player.
 

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Hmm, it's almost like they're not even sure themselves when they'll get it up---oh well, I can wait!

By the way loved your Cat.SCRATCH idea, probably a lot of hacking puns I didn't catch though lol.

It is rather odd that there doesn't seem to be a hard date as of yet...

Thanks! And yes, she's got a few rather nerdy jokes, heh. Mainly the name of her main ability, which is written as the name of a function. But, that's just my inner programming enthusiast peeking through. The only other real joke is how Application Crash works; it references the tendency of some viruses to crash legitimate programs and "steal" the memory that program was using.

Also, here's another update that people have been clamoring for: customizable controls!
 

J@hranimo

Banned
It is rather odd that there doesn't seem to be a hard date as of yet...

Thanks! And yes, she's got a few rather nerdy jokes, heh. Mainly the name of her main ability, which is written as the name of a function. But, that's just my inner programming enthusiast peeking through. The only other real joke is how Application Crash works; it references the tendency of some viruses to crash legitimate programs and "steal" the memory that program was using.

Also, here's another update that people have been clamoring for: customizable controls!

I just saw this grace my timeline a few minutes ago.

That's amazing. I've been impressed with how much the team has improved the game since launch. I think it's about time to make that purchase...
 
I just saw this grace my timeline a few minutes ago.

That's amazing. I've been impressed with how much the team has improved the game since launch. I think it's about time to make that purchase...

I hope you make the jump; ARMS is such a great game, and being able to change the block button fixes the only complaint I had!
 
Oh shit, customizable controls!? Complete game changer. I was worried Lola might be tough with how much she shields, but this alleviates that.
 

Neiteio

Member
I hope you make the jump; ARMS is such a great game, and being able to change the block button fixes the only complaint I had!

Oh shit, customizable controls!? Complete game changer. I was worried Lola might be tough with how much she shields, but this alleviates that.
Exactly. If this truly allows us to reassign guarding to a button, the controls will be pretty much perfect.
 

VariantX

Member
It is rather odd that there doesn't seem to be a hard date as of yet...

Thanks! And yes, she's got a few rather nerdy jokes, heh. Mainly the name of her main ability, which is written as the name of a function. But, that's just my inner programming enthusiast peeking through. The only other real joke is how Application Crash works; it references the tendency of some viruses to crash legitimate programs and "steal" the memory that program was using.

Also, here's another update that people have been clamoring for: customizable controls!

Customizable controls??

Ladies and gentlemen, I think its time for me to take up arms again.
 

J@hranimo

Banned
I hope you make the jump; ARMS is such a great game, and being able to change the block button fixes the only complaint I had!

Yeah I enjoyed what I played from the first couple of testpunches, but the uncertainty of its legs plus my playtime with it was always a question since launch. I've been following all the updates and character balancing and have been impressed with how quickly the game has been polished.

I'll grab it along with Dragonball Xenoverse 2 later this month. Exciting!

Also Lola Pop looks fun. Wanna try her out as well.
 
Part of me wonders: what if the control options were added on the playtesters' request? After all, Lola is very guard-Heavy and block is probably the most awkward default control...
 

J@hranimo

Banned
Wouldn't be surprised honestly. She does block and move about right?

Posted this in the other thread, might as well post here:

ezgif-4-88e1bac01c.gif
 
Wouldn't be surprised honestly. She does block and move about right?

Posted this in the other thread, might as well post here:

Yes, that's the gist of her grounded ability. She can also block in midair, I believe, though I can't recall if that maneuver is done with the block button or by holding an air dash...
 
Apologies for the minor necromancy, but we've got a Nintendo Direct this Wednesday and I'd be shocked if we don't get Lola's release date!

Who knows, perhaps we'll even get a tease for the next fighter?
Probably not, but one can certainly hope~
 
Apologies for the minor necromancy, but we've got a Nintendo Direct this Wednesday and I'd be shocked if we don't get Lola's release date!

Who knows, perhaps we'll even get a tease for the next fighter?
Probably not, but one can certainly hope~

I wouldn't be surprised on both counts. Gotta be 99.9% for the release date of the next update and if they're smart a teaser at least for the next character, keeping momentum is key for a game like this.
 

RRockman

Banned
Apologies for the minor necromancy, but we've got a Nintendo Direct this Wednesday and I'd be shocked if we don't get Lola's release date!

Who knows, perhaps we'll even get a tease for the next fighter?
Probably not, but one can certainly hope~

It would be even better if she was dropped the day of but I don't want to get too excited.
 

mas8705

Member
Apologies for the minor necromancy, but we've got a Nintendo Direct this Wednesday and I'd be shocked if we don't get Lola's release date!

Who knows, perhaps we'll even get a tease for the next fighter?
Probably not, but one can certainly hope~

In fairness, I would imagine that it would be a fair assumption to make. The better question though is what is the more likely time the next character could be teased? During the Nintendo Direct? Or perhaps at the Tokyo Game Show?

Either way we look at it, it could be entirely possible that the direct might just cover Lola's release and that's it, but it would be nice to get a small teaser from Biff either on possible upcoming fighters, modes and ARMS if at all possible since I doubt we are going to get another Direct anytime soon (or if I had to guess, the next one might be more focused on FE: Warriors or Mario Odyssey. I would guess the "Next year's lineup" would take place a year after the Switch was first originally showcased).
 

weekev

Banned
Apologies for the minor necromancy, but we've got a Nintendo Direct this Wednesday and I'd be shocked if we don't get Lola's release date!

Who knows, perhaps we'll even get a tease for the next fighter?
Probably not, but one can certainly hope~
Yeah I reckon her character and level will be ready right after the show.
 

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Apologies for the minor necromancy, but we've got a Nintendo Direct this Wednesday and I'd be shocked if we don't get Lola's release date!

Who knows, perhaps we'll even get a tease for the next fighter?
Probably not, but one can certainly hope~

If not in the Direct, I could see Biff teasing the next fighter to begin on Twitter in the next month...

I wonder if they'll do any special holiday events for Halloween and Christmas? Would love some alternate outfits.
 

Doorman

Member
I wouldn't expect any info on the next fighter after Lola Pop to show up in this direct outside of perhaps the most minor of teases, but more likely a small spotlight on Lola, the button configs, and any other events or modes that are coming with the update, available shortly after the direct. It seems like the sort of thing that would be a good lead-in before they start getting into other announcements.

I still have a sneaking suspicion that there's going to be at least one more thing added in Version 3, but I'm not sure what.
 

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Note that the poster in the corner has 8 visible bracket slots, and assuming the cut off side is the same that's 16 entrants in a tournament---which lines up with the number of total characters some people believe we're getting as the original Reddit post mentions that four were altered or removed.

How deep does the conspiracy go?
 
Note that the poster in the corner has 8 visible bracket slots, and assuming the cut off side is the same that's 16 entrants in a tournament---which lines up with the number of total characters some people believe we're getting as the original Reddit post mentions that four were altered or removed.

How deep does the conspiracy go?

That's a very interesting observation! Though I earnestly hope for 20 characters, 16 is still a nice roster size for the first entry in a fighting game series!
 
I'm hoping for a fairly significant update to be detailed in the Direct.

Eager to hop back in for a multiplayer fix now that I'm taking a break from Splatoon and not interested in Destiny 2 yet.

Edit: app support would be nice. I like to be reminded of my 8-45 record on the go.
 
Any Lola Pop impressions?

•Bounce (hold Air Dash) is super fun and pretty safe too; works nicely against Stretched Helix.

•Mobile Block is interesting; haven't used it a ton, but I'm adjusting to my new control layout.

•Funchuks are weird, seem kinda slow for their weight class. Wide range is nice though.

•Biffler is pretty useful; works just as well as the Hydra.

•Clapback is hilarious. Fought a Helix who had no idea it reflected and watched him kill himself with Tribolt after Tribolt. That said, its secondary punch is also pretty solid if you can't reflect anything.

•Her grab has cartoony sound effects when the opponent is tossed away!

•Her voice clips are sweet; Alts and animations are good too!

•Via Dolce is a fun stage; seems bigger than most others barring Snake Park?
 

Stopdoor

Member
It seems to save your custom control config for Player 1 but not Players 2 to 4, which sucks. Would have to remap "Guard" manually for every player, meh.
 
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