Fitness Boxing
Fitness Boxing is an exergaming video game developed by former Rocket Company members who are currently in Imagineer[1] and published by Nintendo exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.[2][3] The game was released on December 20, 2018 in Japan, December 21, 2018 in Europe and Australia and January 4, 2019 in North America.[2][4]
Fitness Boxing | |
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Developer(s) | Imagineer |
Publisher(s) | |
Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Exergaming, rhythm game, sports |
Fitness Boxing is the successor to the Shape Boxing series for the Wii.[5]
A sequel, Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm and Exercise, released for Nintendo Switch on December 4, 2020.[6]
Gameplay
The gameplay involves using the Joy-Con motion controllers to perform punches and dodging maneuvers. The workouts recommend a full body stretching exercise both at the start and end of the workouts. The difficulty and complexity of the workouts increase gradually over time. Free exercises are always available, regardless of if daily workout has been completed or not. The score for each exercise (excluding the stretches) is determined by how precise the player is in performing their punches and maneuvers.
Fitness Boxing comes with charts that determines estimated fitness age and calorie burn based on the height and weight of the player. The game will periodically request the player to update their height and weight. The routine, length and intensity of daily workouts can be adjusted by the player at any time.
The default coach is Lin, and there is a total of 5 other coaches (3 female and 2 male), each with customizable appearances.[7] New costumes can be unlocked by performing achievements. The coaches demonstrate every maneuver involved in each exercise, making them a visual guide for maintaining rhythm. They also provide the players tips both during and outside of the exercises.
Playlist
Fitness Boxing contains a playlist of instrumental versions of popular pop songs that is played with each workout exercise.[8]
The songs featured in the original Fitness Boxing are;
- "She Looks So Perfect" by 5 Seconds of Summer
- "Cartoon Heroes" by Aqua
- "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne
- "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles
- "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen
- "Baby" by Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris
- "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson
- "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga
- "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga
- "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc.
- "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO
- "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera
- "Sugar" by Maroon 5
- "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor
- "I'm In the Mood for Dancing" by The Nolans
- "Live While We're Young" by One Direction
- "Good Time" by Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen
- "Timber" by Pitbull ft. Kesha
- "20th Century Boy" by T. Rex
- "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon
The songs featured in Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise are;
- "Break Free" by Ariana Grande ft. Zedd
- "Castle On The Hill" by Ed Sheeran
- "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction
- "Beauty and a Beat" by Justin Bieber ft. Nicki Minaj
- "Something Just Like This" by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay
- "Bang Bang" by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
- "Birdsong" (original composition)
- "Animals" by Martin Garrix
- "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf
- "So What" by P!nk
- "Sandstorm" by Darude
- "Venus" by Bananarama
- "Don't You Worry Child" by Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin
- "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper
- "Alone" by Marshmello
- "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi
- "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire
- "Can’t Hold Us" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
- "I’m an Albatraoz" by AronChupa
- "Hot n Cold" by Katy Perry
- "Y.M.C.A." by Village People
- "Aim High" (original composition)
- "South Nocturne" (original composition)
Development
Fitness Boxing was first announced by Imagineer on June 14, 2018.[9]
In late-September 2018, Imagineer revealed the release date of Fitness Boxing for Japan[4] and in early-October 2018, Nintendo revealed the release date of Fitness Boxing for North America and Europe as well as screenshots of game play.[2]
In late-October 2018, Imagineer revealed the track listing for Fitness Boxing and uploaded the first game play video of Fitness Boxing to their YouTube Channel.[8]
Release and promotion
On November 29, 2018, a Fitness Boxing demo was released on the European Nintendo eShop for the Switch[10] and a demo was released on the North American eShop on December 13, 2018.[11]
Fitness Boxing was released both digitally and physically on December 20, 2018 in Japan, December 21, 2018 in Europe and Australia and January 4, 2019 in North America.[2][4]
On January 15, 2019, Nintendo held a promotional event for Fitness Boxing at Nintendo New York, which included a group of women led by Instagram fitness influencer Niki Klasnic playing the game.[12][13]
Reception
Fitness Boxing received "mixed or average" reviews from critics according to Metacritic with a current Metascore of 66/100.[14]
Nintendo Life gave Fitness Boxing a 8/10; calling it "no substitute for hard hours at the gym", but still recommended the game as a workout regimen for being energetic, entertaining, and cheaper than a gym membership.[15] Nintendo World Report gave Fitness Boxing a 7.5/10; praising it for having multiple exercises for various skill levels, but criticized the limited number of musical tracks.[16] Nintendo Wire gave Fitness Boxing a 7.0/10, praising it for having a "decent selection of punches to throw" and for allowing the user to track their progress day-to-day, but criticized the game for its "lack of variety" and for having "repetitive music and trainer dialog".[17]
DualShockers gave Fitness Boxing a 6.5/10, saying that the game "just suffers from feeling inaccurate, even more so when punches and dodges aren’t correctly registered by the Joy-Cons", but praised the game for being "perfect for those who want to lead a healthy and active lifestyle".[18] Destructoid gave Fitness Boxing a 7/10, saying that "There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun."[19]
Reno Gazette-Journal gave Fitness Boxing a 6/10, saying that "Fitness Boxing works great as a fitness app but not so much as a game."[20]
Sales
From January 7, 2019 to January 13, Fitness Boxing placed 20th on Japanese sales charts, selling 3,024 physical copies during that period.[21]
In February 2019, Fitness Boxing started experiencing shortages in Japan.[22]
In September 2020, Imagineer announced that the game had sold over 1 million copies worldwide.[23]
References
- 「Fit Boxing」プレイヤー必見! “中の人”に聞く,開発秘話と正しい運動法。プロによるレクチャー動画もあり (in Japanese), 4Gamer.net, March 16, 2019
- Craddock, Ryan (October 9, 2018). "Nintendo Shares First Details, Release Date And Screenshots Of Fitness Boxing, A Switch Exclusive". Nintendo Life. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- "Nintendo Announce Fitness Boxing For Nintendo Switch". Nintendo Insider. July 31, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- "New Switch Exercise Game Fitness Boxing Launches In Japan On December 20". Siliconera. September 25, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- "Nintendo Switch用「Fit Boxing」、プレイムービーと声優陣のサンプルボイスを公開". GAME Watch (in Japanese). 2018-10-30. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
- "Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise". Nintendo. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- "Get a cardio workout at home or on the go with Fitness Boxing for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site". Nintendo.com. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- Craddock, Ryan (2018-10-30). "Track Listing And First Gameplay Video Revealed For Switch Exclusive Fitness Boxing". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
- "Nintendo Switch ソフト「Fit Boxing」発売決定のお知らせ~日本国内はイマジニア、海外は任天堂が発売元~". imagineer.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- Craddock, Ryan (2018-11-29). "Nintendo-Published Fitness Boxing Gets Free Demo On Switch eShop, Full Pricing Revealed". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
- "Fitness Boxing Demo Arrives On The North American Nintendo Switch eShop". Siliconera. 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
- "Photos of the Fitness Boxing Event at Nintendo NY Store Are Available on Business Wire's Website and the Associated Press Photo Network". www.businesswire.com. 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
- Doolan, Liam (2019-01-16). "Nintendo's Private Store Event Turned Out To A Promotion For Fitness Boxing". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
- "Fitness Boxing". Metacritic. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
- Lane, Gavin (2019-01-01). "Review: Fitness Boxing - Rhythm Trappings Help This Limber Wii Fit Successor Land Its Punches". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- Koopman, Daan. "Fitness Boxing Review - Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- Ganos, Jason (2019-01-11). "Review: Fitness Boxing". Nintendo Wire. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
- Bayliss, Ben (2019-01-28). "Fitness Boxing Review — I Woke Up Stiff and Aching". DualShockers. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
- Andriessen, CJ (2019-02-16). "Review: Fitness Boxing". Destructoid. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
- Hidalgo, Jason. "Punch out: Fitness Boxing review for Switch | Technobubble". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
- Romano, Sal (2019-01-16). "Media Create Sales: 1/7/19 – 1/13/19". Gematsu. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
- Carter, Chris (2019-02-11). "Fitness Boxing on Switch is experiencing shortages over in Japan". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 2019-02-26. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
- "Nintendo Switch software "Fit Boxing" and "Fitness Boxing" (overseas version) Announcement of worldwide cumulative shipment of 1 million units". Imagineer. Retrieved 8 September 2020.