It seems like you can’t go anywhere these days without bumping into someone that’s in the thick of their own fitness frenzy. Luckily, staying healthy and keeping fit has never been easier than it is today, largely thanks to a suite of gadgets capable of counting your steps, tracking your calories and more. However, if you’re someone who’s struggled with a Fitbit before or is a little intimidated by the gym, Nintendo is giving gamers a fitness option via Ring Fit Adventure.
“What is Ring Fit Adventure?” we hear you ask. Well, it’s essentially designed to be Nintendo’s newest answer to Wii Fit, this time using the Switch’s inherent uniqueness and flexibility to inspire a whole generation of players get into exercise by gamifying the act of getting fit. It does this in plenty of interesting and cool ways; chief amongst them is that inherent charm firsts-party Nintendo games are known for. Let’s take an in-depth look at what you’ll be doing.
Accessories designed specifically around the Switch’s controls
Those who pick up Ring Fit Adventure won’t only get access to the game itself, but two new fitness-centric accessories, too. The first of these is the Ring-Con, which works much in the same way as your average Pilates ring. The Ring-Con accessory acts as your primary way of inputting action into Ring Fit Adventure, used for 90% of the mini-games and objectives you’ll perform. Simply attach one of your Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con to the Ring-Con and off you go. It’s engineered in a sturdy and safe plastic designed to be squeezed and stretched, ready for you to put it through the fitness paces.
The second accessory included with Ring Fit Adventure is a lot simpler, working as a simple leg strap that is able to track your shin and thigh movements once your other Joy-Con is inserted. This is what will allow the game to track how much steps you take during runs and whether or not you’re stretching far enough. What’s more, the strap itself is easily adjusted to fit any circumference, making it easy for people of any shape or size to get in on the fitness fun.
RPG mechanics meets real-life exercise
One of the core ways Ring Fit Adventure gamifies exercise and fitness is the inclusion of an RPG-style reward system. This all takes place in what’s known as Adventure Mode, where players can create themselves (or totally different character) in-game and level-up by engaging in over 40 real-world exercises. You’ll earn experience points and ingredients used for crafting restorative health smoothies by defeating enemies, performing attacks and just generally making your way through the 100 levels featured in Ring Fit Adventure’s 20 unique worlds.
Battles in Ring Fit Adventure are also inspired by RPGs, somewhat resembling those you’d find in classic turn-based games like Final Fantasy, Pokémon and others. It works by having you perform certain exercise manoeuvres to block, dodge and attack any of the fools standing in your way, with some real-life actions simply being more effective at different enemy types. You’ll be so absorbed in the action you won’t be conscious that you’re also getting fit – that’s the beauty of Ring Fit Adventure’s RPG mechanics and colourful art style.
Shorter mini-games perfect to fit into a schedule
If finding the time to exercise is something you frequently struggle with, you can rest easy knowing that Ring Fit Adventure features an entirely separate mode outside of the campaign perfectly suited to this. Mini-games can be played whenever is most convenient for you and still let you earn that highly coveted XP. Custom workouts, meanwhile, frees you up to just perform the exercises that makes sense for your tight schedule or restricted room layout.
There’s even an option to have Ring Fit Adventure to only offer you up quitter fitness tasks – perfect for not disturbing neighbours for anyone living in an above floor flat. Here you won’t be asked to run, jump or boost that pulse rate quite as hard, but you’ll still be able to go through the motions safely and comfortably. Better yet, the Ring-Con accessory can be taken with you and used anywhere, still counting your reps as long as the corresponding Joy-Con stays attached.
Is Ring Fit Adventure the next great fitness craze?
While we highly doubt that Ring Fit Adventure will find as much global success as Wii Fit did (there’s not as many Switch’s out there as there were Wiis) there’s every chance that it will inspire a lot of people. It’s clear that efforts have been taken by Nintendo to make Ring Fit Adventure as immersive and fun as possible, almost in the hopes of having players think of exercising as an afterthought. It won’t be for everyone, but we’ll say that Ring Fit Adventure could be a fun path to health for many.
The best price for Ring Fit Adventure on Nintendo Switch
