Let’s put it all on the table from the very beginning, Fitness Boxing is not going to be for everybody. However if you’re the kind of person who thinks that perhaps you could do with a little bit of extra activity then it might be a game worth checking out. Well, actually, it’s less a game and more a platform or program designed around getting you on your feet. Don’t go into this thinking your going to go toe to toe with Little Mac and instead think more of that Wii Balance board that is hiding somewhere in your house, unused and unloved.
Speaking of the Wii Balance Board, Fitness Boxing will look a little familiar. If you played Wii Fit then you will recognise the clean line and soft charming colours. Keeping things no nonsense you’ll be asked some invasive questions about your age, height and weight before being introduced to an array of digitally chiseled trainers. Picking a trainer doesn’t change anything except choosing which aggressively friendly underwear model will shout positive and a little unnatural affirmations at you.
Fitness Boxing isn’t trying to set the world a blaze, it knows what it is and isn’t trying to be anything beyond that. You’ll start with simple moves, to get you familiar with what you’ll be doing each time you step up to the plate. The Joy Cons allow for much better tracking for the punching motions then the old Wii Motion Plus controllers, still not perfect, but for the moves you’ll be working with it does more then enough.
The more you play the more you’ll unlock including new moves, outfits for your trainers and harder modes. There is enough to unlock that it can keep you busy for some time, especially if you’re not secretly Rocky Balboa and won’t be punching the air for hours on end. Unfortunately beyond unlocking more things to do there aren’t many incentives to keep going, as such it will fall to you to motivate yourself as your digital trainer will quickly run out of inspiring words and will repeat their key phrases, soon enough you’ll be dodging them much like your real personal trainer.
To help you keep rhythm as you’ll play Fitness Boxing offers up a playlist of recognisable, albeit a little undesirable, hits from around 2010. Hopefully you enjoy keyboard covers of pop hits though as, most likely due to lissencing issues, none of the songs are the original versions. You’ll also find that some of the songs aren’t a great match for the exercises so once you find ones that work with your rhythm and just keep using them.
Each workout will provide you with an array of lists and information that I’m not sure anyone would actually find interesting, unless you often look back on your workouts. The fitness age that is presented at the end of a workout however is enough to make me feel uncomfortable about myself to the point of picking up the Joy Cons the next day.
As I said before, Fitness Boxing is not for everyone. However the reality is if you are looking to exercise a little more and would rather do so from the comfort of your home then this would be the game for you. While it has a few short comings it is simple and easy to pick up and keeps you active as long as you want to.
About the Author
Cameron Honey-Swain
Cameron knows what he loves. Witches, animated ducks and a strong burly female protagonist. When he isn't effortlessly defending Dragon Age II he is bothering either his husband or one of his many fur children.
