Nintendo unveils Ring Fit Adventure and a new Switch peripheral, the Ring-Con.
The all-purpose nature of the Switch has already helped Nintendo break out of traditional video games with its range of Labo Toy-Con sets. The company’s latest innovation (or should that be a gimmick?) is a return to the casual-friendly days of the Wii. Introducing the Ring-Con.
The Ring-Con, to all intents and purposes, is a pilates ring that offers resistance, detects exertion, and holds a Joy-Con controller. It comes accompanied with a leg-strap accessory, which holds another Joy-Con, and a pack-in game called Ring Fit Adventure.
That Nintendo should release a plastic peripheral midway through the life-cycle of a popular console is no surprise, but the software appears to be a welcome evolution over Nintendo’s previous fitness efforts. Instead of being bundled with a collection of traditional exercise routines, Ring Fit Adventure contains a full RPG experience in-which physical actions translate to in-game moves.
For example, jogging moves your character from one location to another and squeezing the Ring-Con powers up an attack move. It’s the latest in a long list of reasons to look silly in front of a Nintendo console, but, as always, it’s an oddly appealing prospect.
Speaking about the game, Nintendo of Europe’s Stephan Bole says:
“It’s in Nintendo’s DNA to keep thinking of new ways to entertain players and put smiles on their faces, and Ring Fit Adventure for Nintendo Switch is a new kind of game where fitness meets adventure. I hope that once players hold the Ring-Con, put on the Leg Strap and start playing for themselves, they’ll be immersed in a journey that will keep them motivated to come back and have fun exercising every day.”
Ring Fit Adventure features 20 different worlds to explore, each with a range of enemies and obstacles to overcome by using 40 different Ring-Con and exercise skills. You can see the game in action in the new closer look trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ki-LZ5imwU&feature=youtu.be
Despite the RPG trappings, the fitness element is still key. The game gives players advice on form and posture and tracks progress over time. Ring Fit Adventure also features a quick play mode and various mini-games that can be played with other players on a turn-by-turn basis.
Ring Fit Adventure launches on October 18, 2019, and includes the game, Ring-Con, and Leg Strap accessories.
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