Thoughts and speculations about Ring Fit Adventure

It seems like Nintendo is still into making innovative exercise games for their consoles. And after watching the new trailer I'm actually intrigued. It actually looks like it could be a good game. And it also seems like they took the best parts of Wii Fit, and utilized the unique functionsnality from the joy cons to make an appieling Wii Fit successor.

So what are your thoughts after watching the trailer? Do think this will be a hit? Are you interested in playing another exercise game from Nintendo, with their motion controls? Do you think there will be additional accessories released further down the road?

that no one should be left alone with that male presenter. dude has an intensity that feels like i'm staring at the sun (and probably going blind). i'm sure he's a pleasant fella, and it's probably a combination of what's likely overdubbed audio and over-emoting/selling, but HOLY MOLEY his gaze at 4:20ish.

jokes aside- this actually looks kinda neat. i've never owned a gimmicky nintendo exercise thing, so i'm half intrigued (i'd like to see some real world use before i form an opinion).

I'm all for game developers creating new exercise and movement based games. I don't dock my Switch, which seems to be the way to play this, but good on 'em. Hope it leads to more of this kind of game again.

As an unfit layabout this is intriguing.

Also it seems like the ring thing actually talks to the JoyCon? I didn't know they had that functionality (meaning, that the JoyCon can take *in* a signal on the physical pins) so that's neat.

@mellotronrules: Glad I'm not the only one getting Axe Murderer vibes off him.

I don't think this thing'll take off like Wii Fit did--the Wii was extra popular with non-gaming folk, whereas I think the Switch has been really successful with returning gamers. I hate the word gamers.

Best case scenario, this thing gets a handful more games to support it, they prove fun and good enough to replay for exercise (instead of just novelty), and a niche market is fulfilled. Highly doubt that lightning will be bottled twice here, even if this game becomes a weird sleeper hit.

No other topics on this game on GB, but I'm just gonna throw in my two cents.

I'm 30 years old, lean (read: BMI is lower than anyone thinks is healthy) and in pretty good shape. For exercise I've done regular running and weight lifting in previous years but have fallen off because of life changes.

Played the beginning world for 30-ish minutes yesterday and it kinda kicked my ass. I'm looking forward to seeing what else this game has in store; I suspect the story won't hold up, but the gameplay is surprisingly fun.

oof hearing all this is tempting...is there an official recommendation for required floor space? i hope we get a QL of this- it’s been too long since i’ve had some kinect-esque silliness in my life.

@mellotronrules: From the early exercises I've seen, you kinda just need enough space to sit down on the floor and extend out, and then enough space standing to not whack anything.

Just wanted to chime in and say I'm enjoying the game as well. The ring-con is actually pretty cool, and works well. The game even lets you use the ring with the Switch off, and gives you experience for your reps the next time you play. It's been surprising how well the motion detection works between the leg-mounted joy-con and the ring-mounted one. Cool stuff so far and I'm looking forward to playing more.

@jjweatherman: What do you mean by enough room to extend out? Like sitting on your butt with your legs straight out or laying down? Also when you say enough space to not whack anything, do you mean arms extended out to your sides?

How's the size of the thigh strap? Is it extendable enough to fit a 6'1" 350lb dude?

Edit: I guess you need to jog in place to move through the world? I think my old ass house would collapse if I spent any amount of time jogging in place. Well I guess I'm still stuck doing the interminable gym exercising to lose weight instead of something fun.

@haneybd87: Nah, I think you'd be good! The leg strap should be plenty large, The band is long, as well as very elasticy. And yes, one of the first workouts is sitting on your butt, legs outstretched, and supporting your weight with your arms behind you; that one just involves bringing your legs in and stretching them back out again. Can't speak to all the different workouts yet, but if you have some space to lay all of the way down on the floor, you should be okay I'd think. In terms of arm movements, you're always holding onto the ringcon assuming you're doing standing movements (aforementioned leg/ab exercise has you put the ring down), so while you do rotate side to side a bit, you're never fully extending both arms in opposite directions--if you can reach both arms out in front of your chest and move them together side to side, you should be good.

Lastly! There is a low noise mode for the jogging portions of the levels. I haven't enabled this and tried it yet, but the idea is that if you're in an upstairs apartment for example and can't be thudding the floor constantly, it switches it to squats instead, which obviously would make much less noise.

It seems like Nintendo has put a lot of thought into making this usable for as many people as possible. And hey, it's pretty fun. I'd say give it a go if you're still interested.

@jjweatherman: Unfortunately I don’t have the space to lay all the way down on the floor and still be in sight of the TV. How crucial is that part of the game? Can you work around it?

@haneybd87: That's something that needs tested. You could get away with audio cues and how the joycon vibrates, but I don't know how sensitive the sensors are so that the joycons require uninterrupted vision of the Switch to work properly. So far, having space to lay in front of the TV, every exercise has worked oddly flawlessly except for low floor techniques like planking or mountain climbers.

This is a crazy game. I never heard about it till recently, but now it's contending for top spots in my GOTY list. Heck right now it's sitting at #2 right behind REmake 2. It's just a super fun little workout machine that really lets you put as much work into it as you'll let it. To give you an idea: I regularly do the P90 (note P90 not P90X) programs just to have some little workout to do after work, but this is completely replacing it with all the squats, planking, bow arching, and everything else you run into. I need my head band every time from all the sweat!

I mean, there’s some bodyweight work in there that’s helpful and low-risk for injury, so that’s good.

Generally, I’m skeptical of Nintendo’s fitness offerings as a fad that will make no real changes in someone’s health. But if it gets people moving more than otherwise, that’s good.

If it’s a gateway to cardio, strength training, proper hydration and eating as it gets folks thinking about their health and being a little more engaged, all the better.

So, I’m a little skeptical, but there’s clearly some good stuff in there, so why not?

@nutter: I don't think Nintendo's fitness things can't improve someone's health, I think they just fail at being more interesting than a standard workout routine. If you played Wii Fit for thirty minutes a day, every day, I have no doubt you would get some good exercise in; that said, because Wii Fit was never more enjoyable than just going to the gym or going for a walk, myself (and many others) just stopped playing it for the same reasons I bought it--lack of motivation.

I'm on the sixth day of Ring Fit Adventure, and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. Instead of just being a virtual trainer with a bulky peripheral, it's actually a game--not an incredibly deep or interesting one, but still a game. It does a great job of not making you feel like you're just in a VR fitness class, and feeds you new elements and exercises at a steady clip, so you feel like you're playing a real game that just happens to feature exercise as a mechanic. I bought RFA with some reservations, but I'm wholeheartedly enjoying it, and I've been sore every morning after playing, which is a good sign. My only worry is that my motivation will run out once I've played through the story, but hopefully Nintendo has a way to deal with that.

@acharlie1377: Yeah, my workout gamification is just running faster, longer, lifting more weight, doing more reps, reducing rest on lighter weights, etc.

I’m already into fitness, so this game is of no interest to me. But if someone, through this product or another, can game-ify fitness in such a way that it becomes a long term habit, that’s fantastic!

@nutter: I think your situation is a good encapsulation of Ring Fit Adventure's value. If you have a regular workout routine (like you have), the game doesn't have anything to offer. For people who struggle to keep to a routine, though (like me), it's a perfect motivational tool that adapts to your fitness level quite easily. I'd recommend it to every person who wants to work out but can't find the motivation, and steer away anybody who already works out regularly.

@acharlie1377: Yeah, I sincerely hope that if people are interested in fitness, but don’t feel comfortable getting into it in traditional ways, that this is their gateway and they stick with it.

I’m NOT in ideal shape, but I’m happy with the fat I’ve burned and the muscle I’ve gained. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. Fitness should be about just being a little healthier, stronger, faster, whatever your goal is, each time. It’s not a competition, it’s just a physical form of self improvement. It’s not about being perfect. I have a family that I eat dinner with. Some dinners are DISASTERS for fitness. But that’s okay. Do what you can, when you can, and try to trend better with time.

So if people see some results, feel less aches and pains, and want to workout more, eat better, feel better, and keep doing so, that’s awesome and I absolutely applaud that. I’m all for self improvement, mentally, emotionally, physically, whatever. It’s all great stuff.