Last week, Nintendo released a video showcasing two new Joy-Con “experiences” for the Switch without announcing what game(s) they can be used for. As promised, Nintendo has since uploaded a video expanding upon this new experience—which turns out to be an upcoming original game called Ring Fit Adventure.
The two new devices Nintendo announced last week were an exercise ring and a leg strap, both of which can hold a Joy-Con and sense the player’s physical arm and leg movements. Nintendo has revealed their names: Ring-Con and, well, Leg Strap, respectively. With the Joy-Cons strapped in, the Ring-Con and Leg Strap will translate the player’s real-life exercise moves into in-game movements.
Ring Fit Adventure mixes exercise with fantasy, adventure, and RPG elements, as the player controls a character who traverses through various levels and fights monsters along their way to fight an “evil bodybuilding dragon” who has thrown the world into chaos. As touched upon above, the player’s real-life movements control the protagonist, such as jogging in place to move the protagonist forward, or performing different exercise techniques to fight enemies.
On the latter point, Ring Fit Adventure utilizes a unique type-matchup system in battles to diversify the types of exercise the player will do. There are four different categories of skills, each focusing on different body parts. Red focuses on arms, yellow on core, blue on legs, and green draws upon various yoga-inspired poses. The better the player performs the prompted skill, the more powerful their attack in battle. Additionally, performing a skill in the same color category as an enemy is super effective. Players can also hold the ring against their abs during enemy attacks to shield themselves. Like an RPG, there is a level system as well, with battle victories earning more experience points for players and raising their various stats.
Nintendo also emphasized that players can choose to play the game in whatever increments of time they so choose, encouraging players to go at the pace and intensity that they need. Additionally, Nintendo aimed to make this experience as accessible to people from different fitness backgrounds as possible, as the strength of the Ring-Con’s resistance when pushed in itself is adjustable.
There are also mini-games and challenge modes outside of the main story mode, all building upon the Ring-Con and Leg Strap in different ways. The game even offers a silent mode, which allows players to move and jog more softly so as to not make too much noise in real life.
Ring Fit Adventure will launch on the Switch on October 18, along with the Ring-Con and Leg Strap, which can be purchased with the game.