Ring Fit Adventure (2019)

I came to Ring Fit Adventure looking for something structured and easy to get into, to get me back into an exercise habit after a year of little activity following a major injury. It's this aspect where the game succeeds most, particularly if you have absolutely no idea where to start with exercise. I have found over the years that there is a big "inertia" component to fitness where you just need something to get you into the rhythm of regularly doing it to build that habit and discipline. Over the last 4 weeks playing, I found that the game is a good way to push you into that positive direction.

As someone who has access to a gym and has done different types of fitness regimens in the past, preferring to direct myself, I had a fine time with this, but I didn't feel it was a good long-term fit. The storytelling, RPG-isms, and overall structure of its main Adventure mode got in my way more than they motivated me.

Side modes were better, but I didn't feel much value to using those versus various smartphone apps that offer a more tailored experience. The rhythm game mode was an exciting concept, but feels awkward in comparison to other motion-controlled rhythm games like Beat Saber. I wish there was a happy medium between the main mode and side modes, a more minimalistic but customizable RPG mode that intelligently adjusted itself based on your performance and an overall fitness plan.

I think the physical accessories used to play this game are pretty neat and usually work well. They're especially fun with the various minigames that add more of a fun element to different exercises. It is frustrating when they don't quite work though, with a few too many failures to track leg movements for my liking. Still, the build quality of the ring makes it feel good to use, and the game does a decent job of guiding you to do a wide variety of exercises correctly and providing little tips to improve their impact.

These complaints are only really a big deal if you have better options available, so I would not discourage people who need to fit in a simple at-home workout from buying this game. I am back in the gym, and can at least thank the game for helping get the ball rolling again in the comfort of my own living room.

It's the year 2020, and I can't go to the gym. As luck would have it, an exercise game was released for the Switch, but as luck wouldn't have it it was really hard to find. I eventually managed to get one in the summer though, and proceeded to play it almost every day since. So by the most important metric -- Did the game actually get me to exercise regularly? -- Ring Fit Adventure succeeds.

The game comes with a pilates ring that you connect the right controller to, and a leg strap that you slide the left controller into. The adventure mode then has you jogging in place through obstacle courses -- at times you'll need to do squats, run faster, and squeeze or stretch the ring to proceed. Whenever you run into enemies, you'll fight them with exercises. These are generally strength-based (with the ring), aerobic-focused (moving about quickly), or some kind of yoga stretch. The game works nicely as a sort of virtual trainer, ensuring that you're maintaining the right pose, holding a position long enough, and doing enough reps to ensure you're getting a full workout. You can focus on your arms, legs, or abs, or shoot for a well-rounded routine.

Since the game was made to be like an RPG, I found myself a lot more engaged with the exercises. Doing a bunch of squats isn't as fun as doing a bunch of squats to defeat a gym-themed Dragon Quest monster. I could look forward to leveling up and gaining new abilities, the more I played. And even simply jogging through a level, it's a nice distraction to collect coins and find branching paths to take. The game thus succeeds in making exercise less boring, and offers incentive to keep me going longer than I would otherwise. (I'll throw out that it's not hard to listen to a podcast or audiobook while playing this game... and that made me feel extra productive.)

There are a bunch of small tweaks that I think would improve the game. It is easy to get over-leveled in this one, so you have to really go out of your way to make enemies pose a threat. I also wish health-boosting exercises could be toggled to be attack exercises, because there technically isn't a reason to ever use them so long as you have the plentiful health items to use. (You can choose to just use the health-boosting exercises anyways, but the RPG illusion breaks when you start exercising for the sake of exercising!) An endless jogging mode would also be nice. And I'll throw out that the pulse reader and other data (calories burned, distance jogged) seem to be... unreliable, to put it extremely lightly. Most of the mini-games are also pretty lame.

But at the end of the day, all that really matters is that this game got me exercising on a regular basis for about six months now, which is a lot better than I've done with any other exercise regimen I've attempted over the last decade or so. I hope to keep sticking with this one, and thankfully there's a ton of content to work on (a pleasant surprise, tbh). Lots of titles (achievements), unlockable items and costumes, a skill tree to fill out, plenty of side missions, and even a full-blown new game plus. So I'll go ahead and recommend this one, even to those (like me) who weren't that impressed by past exercise games like Wii Fit.

Still not "done" with the story missions but I did want to give a rating and review in progress because this game single-handedly got me through COVID-19 quarantine with my sanity intact. Living with an at risk partner and being bombarded by chatty neighbors every time I set foot outdoors made getting my cardio in by conventional means impossible. I was about to crawl out of my skin before I remembered, oh yeah, I impulse purchased this game at launch and then kinda forgot about it because I already went to the gym regularly. This is a game that probably won't cut it for the fitness enthusiast, but for moderate to casual habits, I find it to be an excellent substitute.

There are a couple annoyances that keep the game from being perfect. I've run into Joycon detection issues on certain exercises. There's also a bit too much restriction in the exercises the game pushes you into using on Adventure mode. I can decide I want to focus on upper body and core one day only to find the next level forces me to do squats to progress. Exercises also become outdated quickly as exercises with lower damage are no longer worth using (although they eventually cycle back). These last two issues are solved by the availability of Custom mode but it's not as much fun.

But I think the positives vastly outweigh the issues. This is a thoughtfully designed game with accommodations made for differing energy levels, strengths, and even disabilities. And I was glad to see the game's approach to fitness reflected the best modern approaches to holistic health and offers a more comprehensive program than Wii Fit, which had a heavier emphasis on balance and weight loss. BMI, balance boards, and mild shaming are out; intuitive eating, attainable goals, and positive reinforcement are in. The RPG mechanics are genius and offer a distraction that helps me push harder and farther than I might have in a less gamified setting (much like DDR back in the day).

After being out of stock for months due to global COVID responses, I'm finally seeing supply start to trickle back in, so I thought I'd give it a deserved shout out. Grab yours before the second wave hits. =X

Ring Fit Adventure is

A. better than Wii Fit

B. fun and even kind of addictive

C. physically draining- like you'll be sweating in minutes.

D. All of the above

I truly love this game. I'm only giving it a four star ranking because I see the space for improvement. Give me a mode where battles aren't just physically straining, but also strategically complex. Let me play with my friends, not just battle for high scores. Give me a party mode so people can try the mini games out outside of my profile.

Some of the best things I can say about Ring Fit Adventure is about how it has changed me. I've only been playing for about two weeks, but I really feel more energetic. I'm not as sore when I wake up, and find myself capable of handling more. A friend told me I was looking thinner (which I will say I haven't been weighing myself recently, but I do look like I've lost a handful of lbs from eating healthy and exercising).

Ring Fit Adventure is a great gaming experience and an excellent exercise. I highly recommend you add it to your collection and routine.