Look, fitness is hard. Being consistent with fitness is even harder. One of the most effective ways I’ve found to stay consistent with exercise is with Nintendo’s Ring Fit Adventure. Whether you’re purchasing it now or just digging it out from under some pizza, Ring Fit is among the best fitness games that can be the start of a path towards getting in shape.
Ring Fit Adventure is one of the Nintendo Switch’s best selling games, coming in at #9 as the time of writing, and for good reason. Other fitness games are decent at giving a workout, but can end up feeling a bit monotonous & boring. Ring Fit is not only a good workout, but also a fun game with RPG elements. This combination makes exercise something you look forward to each day rather than dreading.
In the main story mode, you switch between two main “phases” in each level. There’s an exploration phase, where you run along a set track and perform exercises to interact with the environment. There are springs you activate by doing squats, a glider you operate using abdominal twists, and a zipline you operate using a pull of the titular ring.
Then comes the combat. The combat is turn-based, and operates like a simple RPG. You have attacks with a weakness system to keep in mind: arm exercises are effective against red enemies, legs against blue, abs against yellow, and yoga against green. It’s simple, but interesting enough to keep you engaged.
Outside of levels, you meet a cast of zany characters that are funny and even surprisingly sincere sometimes. Hell, you’ve got a whole-ass skill tree to work with! Who the hell thought of a fitness skill tree?
If you don’t like RPG elements, though, there’s plenty of other ways to use Ring Fit. You can use the game’s custom mode to set your own individual workouts. You can use the game’s same workout routines, but at your own pace without worrying about turn-based combat. This mode is perfect if you have certain workout routines in mind, and don’t want to worry about doing certain exercises for certain enemies.
In addition to those modes, you can play Ring Fit’s rhythm game. To the tune of the game’s soundtrack and other various Nintendo songs, like “Jump Up, Super Star!” from Super Mario Odyssey, you push and pull the Ring-Con, occasionally squatting and rotating the ring. The song selection is admittedly pretty barebones, but serves as a decent workout soundtrack. Ultimately, though, this mode is just a lesser version of Beat Saber. It can be fun for quick cardio, but not much more.
Ring Fit Adventure is an incredibly satisfying package that serves as a great way to dip your toes into fitness, whether it’s your first time taking it seriously or getting back into it.
Ring Fit Adventure is probably for you if:
- You want a gamified motivation to start working out.
- You like turn-based combat and want a unique take on it.
- You already exercise regularly, but want a new twist to add to your regimen. It can be a fun complement to cardio like biking or running, without needing a gym membership.
It may not be for you if:
- You have no interest in exercise. I guess you could sit and try to trick the game that you’re actually doing the workout to attack? But that sounds like it would suck.
- You hate turn-based combat no matter what. Here, they act more as exercise reps, but the combat might still seem tedious.
You can purchase Ring Fit Adventure for the Nintendo Switch here. Keep in mind that the game isn’t available digitally, so you’ll need to find a physical copy. You might also want to consider grabbing an exercise mat as well. This isn’t necessary, but can make some exercises like planks and mountain climbers more comfortable, while also making your workouts a bit less noisy to any downstairs neighbors you may have.
