Arms is getting another new character before the end of the year
UPDATE: Dr. Coyle has joined the fight!
UPDATE, DECEMBER 22ND: Arms' latest update, better known as Version 5.0, is out now on Switch, bringing with it brand-new fighter Dr. Coyle.
"She's the director of ARMS Laboratories, and a certified genius", says Nintendo of its newest combatant, "Fascinated with ARMS since she was a young girl, Dr. Coyle decided early on to devote her entire life to ARMS research.
"Her plans for this research are not necessarily nefarious... She simply wants to be the most powerful ARMS fighter of all time...even if that means subjecting herself to her own experiments. But all her pain and hard work will be worth it if she wins the ARMS Grand Prix!"
Dr. Coyle's main gimmick is that, after jumping, she's able to stay aloft in mid-air for as long as desired. Additionally, she can turn invisible by holding down the shield button (useful for launching surprise attacks from the rear), and can summon a third arm into play once fully charged. Watch her in action in the full-reveal trailer above.
Version 5.0 also adds three new Arms - the Lokjaw, Parabola, and Brrchuk - as well as new badges, and a new Dr. Coyle-themed stage. There're also a range of tweaks to Grand Prix mode, and various adjustments to existing Arms and fighters. You can read the full Version 5.0 patch notes over on Nintendo's website.
UPDATE, DECEMBER 21ST: Nintendo has said Arms version 5.0 - the update in question - will begin rolling out tomorrow, 22nd December.
ORIGINAL STORY, DECEMBER 18TH: Nintendo has teased yet another new character for its sublime fighter Arms, due to arrive as part of Update 5 "within this year".
This will be the third fighter to join the Arms League in a little over a month - following on from Springtron and Misango - and is the sixth Arms newcomer since launch in June.
Nintendo isn't being quite as coy about its latest challenger as it has in past. Instead of the usual slow tease of mysterious screenshots and fuzzy video, it's gone all-in with a swish new trailer that offers a surprisingly detailed look at the new character. About the only things we don't get are a glimpse of their face and a name.
Whoever this formidable fighter may be, she definitely seems to sit at the more villainous end of the roster, with a theme tune that's heavy on the metal, and a strong line in maniacal cackling. And then there's the intermittent third arm, the permanent hovering, and the new conveyor belt stage, replete with descending sludge vats; all a bit sinister, if you ask me.
Unsuprisingly, the Arms community is currently in full-on speculation mode. Many are predicting that the new character could be the mysterious Dr. C (possibly short for "Coil"), first teased in one of Nintendo Japan's many Arms' lore tweets. She's supposedly the inventor of the multi-fisted Headlok mask that can be fought or worn in various modes.
Nintendo has been on a roll with its new Arms content of late, adding the likes of a badge-themed achievements system, and a regular Party Crash event which introduces Splatfest-style face-offs and quick-fire, game-changing rule twists. It's helped to make an already great fighting experience even better, and Update 5 should make for a wonderful Christmas treat.