When comparing ARMS vs The Escapists 2, the Slant community recommends The Escapists 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best games for the Nintendo Switch?” The Escapists 2 is ranked 31st while ARMS is ranked 104th. The most important reason people chose The Escapists 2 is:
There is no right or wrong way to do anything, and it's entirely a risk vs reward scenario for anything you want to try. You are only limited by your creativity in escaping, as each prison has almost endless possibilities and encourages the player to make the best use of their inventory and be creative in handling every situation. Bed sheets can be used to cover cell windows from the prying eyes of guards, desks can be moved to reach out of reach vents, crafted tools can be used for various purposes such as breaking through walls or doors, and shovels can be used to dig holes. You can try to sneak around guards, or opt to hide in vents until they're out of sight. If you're feeling especially brave, you can even attempt to fight the guards and take their keys allowing easier access around the prison.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro A very unique take on the boxing genre
The arms stretch for long-range jabs and punches, meaning you can smack your opponent from across the arena. This adds a whole new depth to boxing and means you will be timing your dodges and ducks much differently than normal fighting games. Your arms also serve as weapons, and can be detached from your body and swapped around for different arms with various effects. You can charge them up for a variety of different attacks to stun, freeze, shoot, shock, push, and blast your opponent. If you're looking for a fighting game with a very unique premise, this will definitely fit the bill.
Pro Interchangeable arms for more strategic play
Each fighter has interchangeable arms that act as weapons and provide a variety of different effects, such as freezing your opponent, stunning, or knocking them over, when charged up. Besides offering a plethora of different effects, arm weapons also allow you to play on the strengths or weaknesses of your fighter. If your fighter is on the slow side, for example, you can use an arm that freezes opponents to help close the gap better. If your fighter moves quick but hits weak, you could use a stun arm to get some extra hits in.
While you can only use 2 arms at any time, you are allowed to choose 3 arms to take with you into the fight. Between rounds, you can swap arms from among your pool giving you an opportunity to switch up your strategy and counter your opponent. This offers some exciting potential for counterplay and it's really nice to be able to change your weapons after every round and try something new.
Pro Everyone can find a fighter they will enjoy
No matter what kind of fighting style you're looking for, the game has enough variety where everyone can find a fighter that they enjoy playing. Each of the 15 fighters has their own set of moves, custom interchangeable arms that act as weapons, and their own stat pool which consists of things like speed, jump height, and size. Based on these stats, the fighters will range from being able to zip quickly around the arena but not hitting with much force, to being slow moving brutes who hit very hard. Some special moves include hovering in midair, slowing down time, warping away from attacks, and healing. With each fighter having his or her own arsenal of moves, there's plenty to experiment and play around with, and a little bit of something for every play style.
Pro Clever multiplayer game modes spice up the action
Arms offers a few clever game modes to add to the brawl action that go above and beyond the typical fights and help to add some spice to the game. Modes are quick to play and easy to learn, so they are very accessible for players. In Skill Shot, you'll try to punch down popup targets as your opponent attempts to do the same. V-Ball is similar to volleyball, except the ball will explode if it hits the ground. Hoops involves you grabbing and dunking your opponent. Other modes include team fights and a multiplayer co-op brawl against a boss.
Pro Great lobby system in Party Match
In Party Match, the game puts you into a lobby with 20 other players, and then randomly shuffles everyone into groups for randomized game modes such a V-ball and Hoops. Even the way it's set up is visually interesting, with different player avatars being shuffled and mixed into various circles. You can actually see the system working with your own two eyes, such as players health bars dropping and the timer around the circle counting down, which is a great touch to let you know how far along in progress other matches are.
In the event there is ever an odd number of players, the lobby will adjust by placing all the players in free-for-alls against monstrous AI bosses until they can be placed in regular matches. Additionally, while you're waiting for to be placed into a match, you can warm up and test out your moves in a practice arena.
Pro Encourages experimentation and creativity
There is no right or wrong way to do anything, and it's entirely a risk vs reward scenario for anything you want to try. You are only limited by your creativity in escaping, as each prison has almost endless possibilities and encourages the player to make the best use of their inventory and be creative in handling every situation.
Bed sheets can be used to cover cell windows from the prying eyes of guards, desks can be moved to reach out of reach vents, crafted tools can be used for various purposes such as breaking through walls or doors, and shovels can be used to dig holes. You can try to sneak around guards, or opt to hide in vents until they're out of sight. If you're feeling especially brave, you can even attempt to fight the guards and take their keys allowing easier access around the prison.
Pro Good balance of game systems make for a rewarding simulation
Taking action in the game uses up your stamina, so you'll still have to make time for things like eating and sleeping if you want to have energy for things like digging through walls, fighting other inmates, or cutting through vents and gates.
Items such as shovels and cutters have limited durability, so they can't be used endlessly. Raw materials can be found around the prison to craft items, or you can buy items from fences using money earned by running fetch quests for other inmates. No matter how you acquire them, crafting materials and finished goods are limited so you'll have to use your items wisely.
Time is an important factor that has to be managed too, with certain activities having to be done at certain times. This limits the amount of time you have to roam the prison, since you have to show up for meal times and roll calls. Free time can be used to craft, roam the prison to determine the guard patterns, or finally put your ultimate escape plan into action.
Juggling each and every one of the various aspects of the game results in a very deep and rewarding simulation experience.
Pro Solid progression of difficulty
The difficulty increases as you progress, with each prison becoming just a little more intricate and more challenging to escape from than the previous. The prisons themselves get more complex with more obstacles to overcome such as tougher guards which results in more ways things can go wrong. The progress feels good and natural, as you're always building on what you learned in previous prisons to escape from the newest one.
Pro Great pixel art style for retro fans
If you enjoy a more retro style, then this game is pure eye candy. Simple but charming, the pixel art is colorful, with the sprites having a nice variety in animations when they're shoveling, searching, running around, fighting, or partaking in any kind of activity that would require movement. The tile sets for the game world are nicely detailed, colored and shaded. You won't get tired of looking at the same tiles over and over due to the sheer amount and variety of the art assets created for the game.
Pro Lots of replayability
No two games will play out alike. Each prison is an open sandbox, so it's definitely not a linear experience with a defined escape blueprint. Prisons can be replayed over and over to beat your previous time, measured in how many in-game days it took you to escape, which leaves plenty of room for trying new things on each successive playthrough.
Pro Co-Op multiplayer mode adds a new depth to gameplay
Working together creates a whole new experience with loads of possibilities. In co-op mode, you play with up to 3 teammates either online or locally as you work towards escaping the prison together. This adds a whole new dynamic to gameplay as working together creates experiences that just aren't possible when playing solo. Someone could distract the guards, while another searches rooms for crafting materials. One player could run around collecting items, while another scopes out the guard's patrol patterns. Some can complete quests to collect money while others are working on digging tunnels.
Pro A couple of alternative prisons add a change of scenery
Tired of bricks, cold floors, and cement cells? For those who want a change of scenery, there is a prison set in the wild west, and even a futuristic space prison. This adds a little bit of variety to the look of the game while keeping the same gameplay mechanics. It's a nice touch and gives your eyes a break from staring at the same tilesets over and over.
Cons
Con Solo play can feel stale and grindy
Things can start to feel stale after a while in the single player grand prix mode. Doing the same few fights over and over against AI opponents loses it's appeal quickly.
Con Matchmaking is entirely random
There is no official ladder, so all matchmaking is completely random.
Con Motion controls can be imperfect at times
If you opt to use the motion controls, there may be a little imprecision in your punches due to the way the punches curve and how you flick your wrists. The analog sticks will almost always be a bit more precise and responsive (although arguably not as fun to some players).
Con Target locking tends to be buggy
Sometimes the game will switch your locked on target without input, and it can get frustrating to have the target of your carefully charged up attack change suddenly.
Con Getting caught by guards can be overly punishing
It's frustrating when you spend several hours grinding quests for other inmates, collecting items, crafting, and carefully planning your escape, only to get caught by guards and lose all your items or killed. This effectively means you have to start over, wasting hours of your own time and days of in-game time.
Con Can feel grindy at times
Running around doing fetch quests for other inmates, or searching for crafting materials for hours on end can get stale after a while.
Con Tutorial doesn't cover much
The tutorial will only walk you through the barest of basics, resulting in the player having to learn the game's various mechanics on their own.