As long time Wii Fit users, we’ve been waiting for Nintendo to create a Switch Fit for us. Well they finally have, and it’s called Ring Fit Adventure.
Ring Fit Adventure combines the style of RPG (Role Playing Games) with cardio, yoga moves, and toning exercises. And, after playing it for the past few weeks, we are hooked on it.
Advancing From Wii Fit to Ring Fit
The stories about seniors who got moving and even rehabbed with Wii Sports and Wii Fit inspired us. We loved Wii Fit and hoped for an upgrade of the Wii Fit series that would pack more activity into the mini games.
Ring Fit Adventure delivers the experience we hoped for, and so much more (zip lining, anyone?). The Ring Fit Adventure soundtrack is an integral accompaniment, and beautiful artistry creates magnificent, immersive environments as backdrops for our exercise fun.
In Ring Fit Adventure, Nintendo swaps out the Wii Fit’s Balance Board for a Ring-Con and a Leg Strap. Wii Motes have been exchanged for game controllers called Joy-Cons. The Ring-Con and Leg Strap each hold one of the Joy-Cons, which accurately sync our movements with our on-screen characters’ movements.
What do I need to play Ring Fit Adventure?
To play Ring Fit, you need the Nintendo Switch game console (which comes with two Joy-Cons) and the Ring Fit Adventure game. The Ring Fit Adventure game includes the Ring-Con, the Leg Strap, and the game cartridge.
View Ring Fit Adventure on Amazon.
View the Nintendo Switch on Amazon.
What is the Ring-Con?
The Ring-Con is a Pilates-type resistance ring with cushioned hand grips. Unlike a Pilates ring, though, the Ring-Con sports a connector at the top into which you slide the right Joy-Con. Once the Joy-Con is attached to the Ring, the Ring can transmit your activity, as well as your pulse, and all of your exercise data.
The Leg Strap is a strip of black elastic about 22 inches long (that expands approximately another 10 inches) and includes a pocket designed to hold the left Joy-Con. It wraps around your left thigh and secures with a Velcro closure. Together the left Joy-Con and the Ring-Con holding the right Joy-Con send your game interaction and movements to display on your TV screen.
Getting Started with Ring Fit
Before you start playing the game, you are asked questions about your age, gender, and weight; your general activity level; and how difficult you would like the game to be. You also have the option to choose “Silent” mode, in which you do a modified squat instead of jogging, in case you have downstairs neighbors that you do not want to disturb.
You squeeze and pull on the Ring-Con and jog in place so the game can calibrate to your abilities.
Then to set up your Ring Fit Adventure character, you choose your gender, skin color, and eye color. Different than our Mii’s in Wii Fit, our Ring Fit Adventure characters are well-toned athletes that look great sporting their muscle-skimming athletic wear.
How to Play Ring Fit Adventure
The on-screen incarnation of Ring is an animated character with whom you team up as the story’s protagonists. The main antagonist, a muscle-bound dragon named Dragaux, has had a falling out with his former friend, Ring, and lives on the dark side now.
Your first encounter with Ring takes you through a brief set up of the narrative, where you decide if you want to help Ring get his powers back and defeat Dragaux. This will free the townspeople from the darkness Dragaux has brought upon them.
You later interact with other characters in the story who communicate with you through subtitles at the bottom of the screen. You move through the narration (and build up your arm muscles) squeezing and releasing the Ring to dismiss each subtitle.
Once you’ve accepted your mission, you enter World 01 and begin your journey.
World Traveling
As you jog or walk in place through the Worlds, you blast items with gusts of air by squeezing the Ring and vacuum items up by pulling outward on the Ring.
You blast wooden crates, hanging lights, and directional arrows to gain coins and other items. You blast through doorways and repeatedly blast at giant pinwheels to lift random portcullises.
You vacuum up coins, floating question marks, and animals like foxes and fish to gather helpful items like hearts and smoothie ingredients.
In Wii Fit mini games, we sometimes experienced longish intervals of exercise before getting rewarded. Ring Fit continuously rewards players with coins, hearts, smoothie ingredients, and more.
It’s not leisurely, even at the lower levels. You knee lift through water and up stairs, pick up the pace on reverse treadmills, row up rivers and waterfalls, and sprint away from angry bird-type creatures (who will steal your coins if you aren’t quick enough). You jump up rocks and over logs by pointing the Ring downward and squeezing, and leap from special platforms with long squats.
Ring Fit Adventure Monster Battles
In the Monster Battles you perform several exercises that increase in variety and number as you earn different exercise moves through the game. The colors of the little monsters are important because lining up the correct color-coordinated exercises (categorized by muscle groups) with the colors of the monsters gives you advantages in the battles.
You take turns battling these monsters, whose attacks you deflect with “Ab Guards” (pressing the Ring-Con into your stomach while you tighten your abdominal muscles).
A trainer named Tipp appears on the left side of your TV screen to guide you through the moves you need to perform in battles. The more closely you follow his demonstrations, the more points you gain against your opponents.
The individual exercises vary in their attack and recovery points. Higher attack points will help you defeat monsters more quickly. You can assemble a fairly diverse set of exercises. As you level up, you collect new exercises that you can choose to add to your skills set or skip them altogether. Leveling up seems fairly quick, which is a great motivator to keep going.
Since the exercises are categorized by muscle groups, you can choose exercises for areas you want to work on, or swap out for ones more appealing to you.
I wasn’t able to do the floor exercises, so I eventually swapped them out for the standing exercises. Ring Fit offers more workarounds, as well, for those of us who have physical challenges. More on that next.
Ring Fit Assist Modes
Ring Fit’s default settings require a lot of jogging in place, often briskly. But Nintendo also offers modified Modes in Ring Fit for those of us with physical limitations.
As mentioned earlier, Silent Mode allows players to perform mini squats instead of walking or jogging. It does this by making the leg Joy-Con more sensitive to your leg motion. So walking in place (instead of jogging) is smooth, and knee lifts and sprints require less effort.
In addition, Ring Fit also offers various Assist Modes. Once you are in the game, press the “B” Button on the right Joy-Con (the one attached to the Ring-Con) to access the Menu.
Scroll down to Settings using the control stick and then over to enable Assist Mode. Select the area in which you have difficulty. The Assist Modes let you modify exercises so that they can be performed, in some cases, even while seated.
Areas covered by Assist Mode include: Shoulder Assist, Back Assist, Ab Assist, and Knee Assist.
Check with Your Doctor Before Playing!
Silent and Assist Modes, along with an extensive range of Difficulty Levels, means Ring Fit could be playable by a widely diverse group. The younger people playing Ring Fit in YouTube videos look like they are getting a great workout by using the higher difficulty levels.
Ring Fit reminds you during play to not over do it, urges you to drink enough water, and displays messages that ask if you would like to quit for the day.
Of course, if you are a senior or have health issues, you should discuss with your doctor if the Nintendo Switch Ring Fit Adventure game is a good fit for your activity level, health, and lifestyle.
If you get your doctor’s “OK” we hope you enjoy this amazing Adventure that is Ring Fit as much as we do.
View the Ring Fit Adventure game on Amazon.
Related: Qi Gong Exercises May Help Some Seniors Keep Moving, Mini Exercise Bike for upper body, too
Thank you so much for this awesome review!
I’m looking to continue my research on Exergaming for older adults and Nintendo Switch sounds like a good candidate for my Ph.D. project!
Glad you found our Ring Fit Adventure post helpful Reza. We’d love to follow your work on Exergaming for Older Adults. Best of luck with your Ph.D. studies! Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂