Ring Fit Adventure took the world by storm in 2020, to the point that they weren’t even available for a time. With this hype always come games that want to mimic this. Publisher Bandai Namco stepped up to the task. They have brought a series that was available in the Wii days to the Nintendo Switch, called Family Trainer. Let’s see what it has in store for us.

Exercising but differently

Family Trainer was already released for Switch in December of 2020 and was released as Family Trainer for Switch. The game will be packed with 2 leg straps for those not in possession of one. If you already have a leg strap from Ring Fit Adventure then there is no need to buy a new one because the game works just fine since they’re almost identical.

Unlike Ring Fit, however, Family Trainer doesn’t make use of the Ring-Con accessory but ops to use the other Joy-Con as controller. This makes the game a bit less intensive in terms of workout for the upper body but has its benefits as well.

To go further into this, Ring Fit adventure and Family Trainer are quite different games. Ring fit is an RPG game with real Fitness exercises targeting specific muscle groups. Family Trainer is more like a Wii style motion control mini-game compilation. The game definitely is an exercise due to its motion controls but is more aimed at moving than exercise. I personally think that if you are looking for an exercise game, there are better options on the Switch, like Ring Fit, Fitness Boxing or heck even the free Jump Rope Challenge game.

Mini-games & controls

There are 15 different mini-games. The controls within the game consist mostly of running, jumping and swinging which is resembled in a similar selection of mini-games. For instance; log jump, hurdle run, and running are almost all the same mini-games with some minor adjustments. Some mini-games I couldn’t really care about will others were definitely a good bit of fun. In the end, the mini-games are ok for a quick bit of fun but that is it.

The controls are generally pretty good and are self-explanatory which makes for easy gameplay. I however had a couple of small issues when needing to run and jump in the same mini-game. I occasionally jumped accidentally because I lifted my leg up too high. The amount you need to lift your leg to jump is pretty small, which is a little annoying. Other than this the controls work fine. When jumping over logs sometimes you clip a bit through the logs themselves but this is a minor complaint.

2 player competition or Co-op

The game can also be played by 2 players, hence the 2 leg straps included. You can either play to compete or cooperate with a friend or family member. Besides the mini-games, you can also set up your own training routine.  The game does best as a quick mini-game collection that is focused on motion controls. There are not that many games on Switch that fit in this category so it could be appealing for parents and their kids to do some exercises.

Graphics and performance

The graphics could honestly pass for Wii graphics just not as rough around the edges. The world is empty filled with low poly environmental elements. This however is better for the kids so it’s easier to understand and less distracting. Besides this, the game runs without significant slowdown and does what it sets out to do.

Pricing

The pricing is on the high side, around €55-60, especially for a non-first-party game. I understand that the physical version comes with extra accessories which cost extra money to make and adds value. The digital version without the leg straps will set you back €50. This doesn’t make sense in terms of pricing since it seems that the straps added to the high pricing, which is not the case. Lowering the price a little bit is probably done to make the game a bit more appealing for owners of Ring Fit Adventure.

Conclusion

Family Trainer is an ok motion control game that is focused on mini-games. There are not that many games on Switch like this so it could be appealing for parents and their kids to do some exercises. Family Trainer is not very deep and doesn’t have a lot of content. The mini-games that however are there are ok for to keep you entertained for a quick bit of fun. If you’re looking for the next Ring Fit (aka an exercising game) it’s better to skip this one, especially when considering its price point and the great alternatives available.

6/10

-tested on Nintendo Switch