Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercises knows a thing about great timing. With the current health crisis at hand, a lot of gyms are closed so people are in dire need of some physical outlet. Fitness Boxing 2 tries to fill the void and had me miss my gym, even more, when I was done…
Packs a mean punch
Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercises is aiming to be a real workout app on the Nintendo Switch instead of a game. The goal is to get you moving and working your body with different boxing-inspired routines. These routines are performed on the rhythm of the music, making it fun and enjoyable. The game is played with two joy-cons in your hands that check if you’re in line with the rhythm. An on-screen instructor shows you every move and two “lanes” on each side of the screen show the moves for each arm. With jabs, straights, hooks, and uppercuts you’ll have plenty of variations to look forward to. The game is packed with different combinations to make every exercise feel fresh so you’ll stay motivated. A score is kept based on your timing to add some sort of game element to the game. To be honest, the score is just a nice way of gamification applied to an exercise routine. Ultimately the goal is not to get high scores but to move.
Set your own goals
After some tutorials and a first easy routine to get the gang of the game, you’ll be asked for your fitness goals. Based on the intensity and the areas of your body you’d like to focus on, Fitness Boxing 2 presents you with a daily workout. The game included the ability to set a timer on your Nintendo Switch to remind you when it’s time to exercise which could help you get in a daily exercise routine. With all these features included, it’s clear Fitness Boxing 2 tries to be a more serious app instead of just another funny exercise game. The game’s focus lies entirely on getting some fitness in. If you’re looking for an exercise game with more game elements, Fitness Boxing 2 is not for you. Even without crazy game elements, Boxing Fitness 2 succeeded in giving me a fun time. I got my heart rate up and I even broke a sweat in the process.
Lazy tracking
The technology included in the joy-cons is perfectly capable of tracking your movements. Why Fitness Boxing 2 isn’t using this feature to the full extent is beyond me. The game only tracks when you throw your punch and checks if it’s in line with the rhythm. They fail to track if your movement is done right or if the right type of punch is thrown. The thing about boxing is that you’ll have a nice workout if you perform your moves the right way. Some feedback from the game could help those struggling to get the moves right. I could’ve just wiggle the joy-cons in line with the music from my couch and get awesome results despite burned almost no calories. Maybe not all the moves are as easy to track well but surely some more effort should’ve been put into it. If games like Just Dance can get it right, surely Fitness Boxing 2 could’ve done that too.
Updated version
For those alumni of the first game, Fitness Boxing 2 is basically the same game (even with the same lazy tracking). The game adds a few new instructors which feel pretty pointless, to be honest. All these do is shout exactly the same instructions in different accents. I doubt anyone will use more than one instructor beyond the initial time spent with the game. Performing daily routines grants you plenty of achievements. These could help you get motivated and also earn you tickets to unlock new outfits for your instructors. Very novelty and pretty pointless yet again in my opinion. Those who like to play dress-up might differ from my opinion but I would’ve liked some more development resources were put in other parts of the game. The music tracks and stages all updated. Beyond that, there isn’t all that much new in this version.
Full-body workout
The most important feature of the game is the fact it does get you moving. If you enjoy this type of exercise you’ll be happy to know that it does what it says on the tin. I’m a fairly fit person with an affinity for the gym and with mine closed right now, I thoroughly enjoyed this home alternative. I burned about 600 calories – at least according to the game – during a maxed out daily routine. By means of a test, I tried out the hardest difficulty for a time period of 45 minutes to feel what it would do to my body. I gave it my all and felt it surely did something for my physique. I asked for a full-body workout and to be honest, this wasn’t a full-body work-out. I felt besides my arms, my core was pretty much engaged throughout the routine but the rest of my body well underperformed for it to be categorized as a full-body workout. It sure was enough of an exercise to get moving but just don’t expect to get fully ripped with just this game.
Conclusion
Fitness Boxing 2 is not about gimmicks and is just trying to get you moving in a fun exciting way. For those getting into exercising and wanting to do this from the comfort of your home (or on the go if you go handheld mode), Fitness Boxing 2 could be an ideal first step for you. Just make sure you’re accountable for performing your moves right because Fitness Boxing 2 isn’t doing it for you.
