With the new decade, a new batch of fighting games will come. I have already discussed why Killer Instinct was the best overall fighting game of the decade in my opinion, but now I want to discuss arena fighting games. Arena fighting games are a mixed bag for the most part, since while some can be amazing, most arena fighters tend to be licensed games that do not take full advantage of what can be done. Arena fighting games tend not to be well liked by the mainstream FGC in terms serious competition. Rather, they are viewed more as a fun distraction for taking a break from actual fighting games. There are exceptions to this rule. such as Power Stone and its sequel and the Virtua On games, but in this past decade the arena fighter that deserves acclaim as the greatest, would be Arms from Nintendo.
Arms is an arena fighter that stands out from the crowd in that its not trying to be a quick arena fighting game, but rather a unique fighting game that happens to fall into the arena fighter sub category. It has distinct and unique original characters who definitely come across as the cast of a fighting game, and has a nice comic book aesthetic to it. Characters like Min Min, Ninjara and Twintelle stood out right away for their unique designs and abilities, and the music was catchy and a perfect fit. Nintendo was trying to be different once again, and ended up stumbling upon a recipe for success that it seems others have been unable to replicate. It also helps that the game also happens to be a legitimately competitive game, a fact that caught many off guard initially.
While Arms was initially written off by many as a gimmick fighting game using motion controls, it soon turned out to have much more depth than that. The game also has a very traditional control method and a skilled player can easily use it to best someone playing with motion controls. It surprised many when it proved to actually have a lot of depth to it, and the customization of add-ons for the characters also added an element of anything can happen. The stages also designed extremely well and could be taken advantage of in matches, especially online matches were you had to time yourself a bit differently.
People began to see Arms for the fact that it had legitimate competitive value and was a vote option for Evo one year and was featured in Evo Japan in 2018. Nintendo also been promoted the game heavily as a competitive title by sponsoring tournaments of their own for the game. Arms sold over 2 million copies and was a successful new IP for Nintendo. It is the best arena fighting game this decade and the reason is that it tried to be its own thing. If you have not played it yet, I encourage you to do so, as you will see how amazing the game really is.