My most played Nintendo Wii U title is Wii Fit U. It was my regular interactive yoga routine that legitimately helped me stay in shape. I found the feedback provided incredibly useful and motivated me to stick with it. I used it to get in 30 minutes of stretching activity per day after some pushups and crunches. It wasn’t the most rigorous exercise but I was content with it.
Other exercise games found on the Xbox One may have been superior experiences but I stuck with Wii Fit U until I finally got my hands on Ring Fit Adventure in December of 2019. After getting over the loss of Wii Fit trainer for their less vocal cousin, Tipp, I was sold on the entire setup.
I found the Joy-cons (installed on the Ring-con and leg strap) provided accurate tracking of movement which resulted in less frustration and reinforced good form during many of the exercises. I did not miss having to restart entire exercises just to recalibrate the Balance Board. The Ring-con wasn’t perfect but easy mid-exercise recalibrations were possible simply be pointing downwards. I didn’t have issues with exercises tracking me properly but the flying disc smashing mini-game would lose tracking after several swings of the Ring-con. That imprecision didn’t bother me until one of the Adventure mode’s side quests asked me to perfect it. That was an exercise in frustration and a test of my mental strength.
I think spent nearly an hour doing torso twists.
The Adventure mode is fun. I’m at World 10 at the time of writing with just over 30 days worth of sessions. Ring Fit Adventure doesn’t reward daily streaks but both the fiancée and I have committed ourselves do playing Ring Fit Adventure at least 5 days a week. We primarily play Adventure mode. Marrying turn-based RPG mechanics with Pilate exercises worked brilliantly. We strive to burn off at least 100 calories (in-game) per day. The calorie count is an estimate but it usually averages out to about 20 – 30 minutes sessions. I don’t think either of us pay any attention to the dialog but we sure love getting the numbers to go up, acquiring skills, and making progress through these worlds. I don’t know how many Worlds there are but I would gladly pay money to acquire more.
I never heard of a Pilates ring before Ring Fit Adventure. I didn’t come in doubting its ability to deliver a genuine workout for me but I still came away surprised how effective it is. We’re both building muscles with creative exercises involving the Ring-con and occasionally just with the leg strapped Joy-con.
We both started the difficulty levels around the low to mid-20s and gradually inched our way up to the max of 30. Every tick in difficulty resulted in more reps. I appreciated the game’s regular prodding to increase or tune difficulty. Some exercises were still kicking our asses but we were able to tackle level 30 exercises without feeling like we’re brushing with death.
I found the aesthetics fun, quirky, and surprisingly beautiful at times. The visuals gave off The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild vibes as well. The nonsensical upbeat battle music is something that I will forever remember too.
We’re keeping up with Ring Fit Adventure. I don’t see myself or my fiancée putting it down any time soon. Many games will come and go but Ring Fit Adventure may end up being the most played Switch game ever. It’s what happens when you successfully marry fun and fitness.
Verdict:
I loved it
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