Ring Fit Adventure

Ring Fit Adventure
Who says exercising can't be any fun?
Protagonist(s): Ring Fit Trainee Genre(s): Exercise Game Action role-playing Platform(s): Nintendo Switch Release Date: October 18, 2019 Developer(s): Nintendo EPD Publisher(s): Nintendo Country: Japan Series: Wii Fit Predecessor: Wii Fit U

Ring Fit Adventure is an exercise action role-playing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fourth game in the Wii Fit series, and was released on October 18, 2019. Included with the game are two peripherals: the Ring-Con and Leg Strap. It was never released digitally because of these accessories being included.

Why It's Ring Fit

1. Similarly to Wii Fit, this game is mostly controlled by exercise movements via the Ring-Con and Leg Strap peripherals. They are used for both traversing through the levels and fighting enemies in turn-based combat.
2. Unlike the Wii Fit games, there is a story in this game, which makes the game much longer: the player (a Ring Fit Trainee) has unleashed Dragaux upon the world, so Ring requires their help to defeat him before his influence spreads throughout the world.
3. Amazing graphics with a nice animesque art style for the human characters, and many kinds of worlds to explore, ranging from grasslands, mountains, deserts, etc.
4. This game is a good way to get your exercise, just like Wii Fit before it and WarioWare: Move It! five years after it.
5. The combat system is unique for turn-based combat systems: each Fit Skill you use not only helps certain parts of your body get in shape, but also affects enemies depending on their color:
   • Red Skills: Arm skills that affect Red or Garnet enemies, and strengthen your arm muscles.
   • Blue Skills: Leg skills that affect Blue or Cobalt enemies, and strengthen your leg muscles.
   • Yellow Skills: Abdominal skills that affect Yellow or Ochre enemies, and strengthen your abdonimal muscles. Ab Guard also counts as a Yellow skill.
   • Green Skills: Yoga skills that affect Green or Malachite enemies, and strengthens various muscles.
   • Skills with hearts target various muscles and are used to heal your character.
     • After using Fit Skills enough times, there is a chance that you will do a Rush Attack, which is a flurry of attacks dealt to your opponent, or that you will take another turn.
6. You can make and drink Smoothies, Sodas, Teas, and many other drinks (provided you have the proper ingredients to make them) to gain bonuses in battles, such as replenishing your hearts, strengthening Fit Skills of a certain color and/or changing them into the color of the drink, making a Rush guaranteed after you use a Fit Skill, etc.
7. The soundtrack, composed by Shinji Ushiroda, Maasa Miyoshi, Shiho Fujii, and Asuka Hayazaki, is very energetic to fit in with the fitness and exercise motif of the game, especially the main theme and battle track.
8. The cast of characters are not only likable, but are also often based on different types of fitness, including Ring itself, the Four Sages (Allegra, Armando, Abdonis, and Guru Andma), Dragaux (the main antagonist), Honey and Hubby (the shopkeepers who sell clothing and smoothie ingredients), etc.
9. Once you reach Level 40, you unlock the Skill Tree, where you can spend the Skill Points you earn after increasing in Skill Levels. Some of the things you can unlock include Fit Skills, Extra Hearts, Fit Skill Slots, and many other bonuses.
   • The Skill Tree also expands twice: once at Level 65, and again at Level 130, thus allowing for even more fit skill choices.
10. Along with the Skill Tree, Ring gains their five powers throughout the first portion of the game, consisting of Color Coding (which strengthens your Fit Skill attacks if the enemy is the same color as the skill), Smoothiecraft (which lets the player make Smoothies and other drinks), River Rowing (which makes oars for the player to use on bodies of water as they do an Abdominal Press & Twist), Jump Booster (which give the player a double jump to reach higher areas and avoid some enemies), and finally Wing Power (which allows the player to fly over chasms while they repeatedly press the Ring-Con into their abs).
11. There are many clothing options to purchase, and many of them grant a bonus if purchased in a full set, such as increasing jogging power, making certain attack colors stronger, and lots more.
12. The IR Motion Camera can be used to check your pulse after each level you complete, which is a rather creative way to use it.

Bad Qualities

1. If you don't play the game daily (which is likely how most people play), it needlessly repeats information and tutorials you already know, such as the victory pose speech.
2. Flying is awkward, since you have to tilt your body while pushing the Ring-Con into your abs repeatedly to turn left or right. The same applies to the Paragliding minigame, since you have to pull on the Ring-Con while holding it oved your head while tilting left and right.

Reception

Ring Fit Adventure received generally favorable reviews from critics and users (scoring 83/100 and 8.5/10, respectively, on Metacritic)

Tips

• Remember to stay hydrated while playing the game.
• Don't overexert yourself by playing for more than at least an hour.

Trivia

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for the game increased, causing its price to rise from its usual $80 retail price to as high as $300.

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