Ring Fit Adventure is a more fun version of Wii Fit
Wii Fit never really appealed to me.
I purchased Nintendo’s first notable fitness effort like many Wii owners in the late 2000s, but didn’t stick with it because despite being a video game, I still felt like I was exercising. Ring Fit Adventure, on the other hand, is more game than bland exercise aid, though the overall experience is still exhausting — but that’s the point.
That said, similar to Wii Fit, Ring Fit Adventure still sits somewhere between a fitness workout and a video game.
The game’s somewhat wacky circular Ring-Con is the focal point of the experience. It features a sturdy resistance band with a Joy-Con slot that players bend in and out and move around to play different mini-games. The second half of Ring Fit Adventure is a leg strap you put around your left thigh that holds the other Joy-Con. This tracks how fast you’re running, as well as any leg exercises.
Both accessories are surprisingly well-built and easy to use. The strap is built from elastic and velcro, while the Ring-Con features foam grips on either side and feels nearly indestructible. These foam grips can also be removed to wash.
The game itself has players tackling various third-person, on-rails stages arranged in a classic Mario-like overworld, adding to the gamification of the overall ‘trick-you-into-exercising’ experience.
Jogging on the spot moves you forward. If you run, your on-screen character runs, just as you expect it would. Raising your knees higher while running also causes your in-game character to more easily bound up stairs or move through water.
Squeezing the Ring-Con shoots out an energy blast that attacks enemies and obstacles, while pulling it out creates a vacuum that sucks up coins and collectible items. Other actions include pointing down to jump in the air and levitate for a brief time, which I always found difficult to remember.
Finally, aiming the Ring-Con in the real-world moves your in-game character’s Ring-Con around.
Things change up a little bit when you start facing enemies, which appear as you’re navigating through stages. Different exercises like leg extensions, crunches and yoga poses lower enemy HP.
Each successful exercise deals out damage to your foe. In most cases, you’ll find yourself moving through at least three or four sets of activities before defeating an enemy.
You also earn XP as you move through stages and level-up, but increasing your level seems to have very little effect on how your character performs.
Beyond Ring Fit Adventure‘s somewhat silly main story involving a talking ring and a ripped dragon that loves pushups, there are also fun mini-games. One has you dodging bombs while walking on a tightrope, while another tasks players with a game of Whac-A-Mole by squeezing the Ring-Con in and out. They’re all fun, entertaining, and, most importantly, don’t feel like you’re actually working out.
There’s also a less compelling mode that allows you to string together various exercises into a routine if you’re looking for a more traditional workout experience.
Multi-tasking mode is a feature I didn’t spend much time with. It allows players to use the Ring-Con while still performing other tasks; for example, sitting on the couch and watching TV. All of this exercise also counts towards your experience in the game when you boot it back up.
On a side note, Ring Fit Adventure has also arrived at an ideal time for me. A few months ago, I cut my middle finger, severing an artery, tendon and a nerve. I spent several weeks in various casts and braces, and because of this, my right arm, as well as my middle finger, are very weak. Needless to say, it wasn’t a great time for me.
Over the last few days, I’ve played Ring Fit Adventure in an effort to regain some level of strength in my right hand and arm. While it’s still too early to experience a substantial change, it already feels like I’m already regaining my strength a bit.
Ring Fit Adventure itself is a relatively basic gaming experience, but it does a decent job of convincing you that you aren’t actually working out, which is the entire point of an exercise-focused game.
It also feels like a more interesting, less bland take on Wii Fit. The game has managed to keep me compelled for several days now, which is an achievement in itself, given how reluctant I am to exercise consistently.
Now excuse me while I go run on the spot while flexing a circular controller in front of my TV again.
Ring Fit Adventure is set to release on October 18th for the Switch and Switch Lite.
The Best Wii U Games for Fitness
With its emphasis on the new Gamepad controller, the Wii U has put less emphasis than its predecessors on motion controls. Still, neither Nintendo nor vendors like Majesco or Ubisoft are abandoning the Wii U as a platform for fitness gaming. We identify and review the best of the best Wii U fitness games here.
Nintendo launched a revolution in video gaming in 2008 when it released Wii Fit, and EA Sports followed suit in 2009 with EA Sports Active. Soon, everyone out there was developing a fitness game for the Wii. Some were good, some not-so-good, and some were horrible.
When the Wii U launched in November 2012, Nintendo clearly wanted to focus more on the Gamepad controller than the motion controls that made the Wii so immensely popular. They’re paying the price for that, as sales of the Wii U have been far below projections.
But in late 2013, there are a number of motion control titles that look promising. Could they spawn a resurgence of interest in the Wii U as a fitness gaming system? I’ll review new games as they come out on the blog, and as I find ones that are great for exercise and fitness, I’ll post them here to this best-of-the-best list.
1. Wii Fit U
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Wii Fit and its sequel Wii Fit Plus were runaway successes in the late 2000s, selling 22.
67 million and 20.86 million copies respectively; when added together, making it one of the most successful console games in history.
I’m happy to say that with Wii Fit U, Nintendo has continued to evolve the game in terrific ways. They’ve kept the core Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobic, and Balance Game categories from Wii Fit, and added a new category called Dance. Some of the activities are the same, but they’ve also improved some and added new ones, many of which make innvoative and creative use of the Wii U’s GamePad. As with other Nintendo games, the activities are quick to learn, but still challenging with great replay value (great for working out), and are extremely cute, clever, creative, and in a lot of cases hilarious.
In addition, the addition of a new $20 piece of hardware called the Fit Meter (think FitBit or Nike+ Fuelband), your everyday movements will be tracked and recorded, so you can get a comprehensive view of your daily activity (and “make up” if you fall short of your goals by playing Wii Fit activities).
From now until January 2014, anyone with a Wii U and a Balance Board can download the 31 day trial version on Nintendo’s eShop, and if you buy a Fit Meter and connect it to that game, that unlocks the full version which is yours to keep. If you don’t have a Balance Board, chances are you can get one cheap on eBay. Bottom line–if you liked Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus and have been on the fence about whether to upgreade to a Wii U, Wii Fit U is good enough to push you over the edge.
2. Just Dance 2019
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Just Dance revolutionized dance motion video gaming, and it just keeps getting better. Just Dance 2019 adds a great set of new songs with something for everyone, and has capabilities vastly improved over last year’s version.
“Just Sweat” mode can now be turned on throughout the game, allowing you to play continuously for 10, 20, or 40 minutes, all while showing the kCals you burn.
It’s not the most technically complex choreography, but that just makes it more fun at parties–and for working out.
3. Wii Street U, Powered by Google
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Wii Street U (which I first read as “Wall Street U, thinking it was a stock app”) is an application on the Wii U that let you use your GamePad to “virtually” walk around the world using Google Maps Street View. It was an interesting diversion when it was just on the GamePad, but now that they’ve added Balance Board support, it’s a bona-fide exercise game that’s a heck of a lot more interesting than walking on a treadmill while watching the latest rerun of Gomer Pyle.
Granted, the technology isn’t completely there yet; because Google’s camera don’t capture contiguous street views, it can be a bit choppy. Still, this is one of those ideas that’s way before its time.
It’s a brilliant concept, and it’s a thrill to be able to walk down a real street of Seattle one day, New York another day, and Japan the next day.
4. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
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Ubisoft took the first plunge into developing a fitness game for the Wii U with Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013. Despite some annoyances, it’s an excellent fitness title that includes Just Dance-like dancing, a yoga exercise portion, and aerobics classes.
It makes pretty good use of the Gamepad controller to assist in setting up profiles and showing status throughout the exercises.
I would have liked to see more innovative, immersive features rather than yet another regurgitation of the original My Fitness Coach, but overall this isn’t a bad game to have in your collection for the basics.
5. Zumba Fitness World Party
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Wii Sports was the granddaddy of motion gaming, of course. Granted, it didn’t give you the most intense workout, but it was the first game to ever get you off the couch and moving instead of sitting and exercising your thumbs.
