Fitness Boxing

Fitness Boxing is an exergaming video game developed by Imagineer[1] for the Nintendo Switch.[2][3] The game was released on December 20, 2018 in Japan by Imagineer, December 21, 2018 in PAL territories and January 4, 2019 in North America by Nintendo.[2][4]

This article is about the game. For the animated TV series adaptation, see Kimi to Fit Boxing (TV series).
Fitness Boxing
Home menu icon
Developer(s)Imagineer
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Nintendo Switch
Release
  • JP: December 20, 2018
  • PAL: December 21, 2018
  • NA: January 4, 2019
Genre(s)Exergaming, rhythm game, sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Fitness Boxing is the successor to the Shape Boxing trilogy released on the Wii, with the first two installments rebranded as licensed Gold's Gym fitness games in at least North America.[5]

Two sequels, known as Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm and Exercise and Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star, were released for the Nintendo Switch on December 4, 2020 and March 3, 2023, respectively.[6][7] A third sequel, titled Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku: Isshoni Exercise, is scheduled for a March 2024 release in Japan.[8]

On August 30, 2023, it was announced that Fitness Boxing would be delisted from digital retailers in Europe on November 30, likely due to expired music licenses.[9]

Gameplay

The gameplay involves using the Joy-Con motion controllers to perform punches and dodging maneuvers. The workouts recommend a full body stretching exercise both at the start and end of the workouts. The difficulty and complexity of the workouts increase gradually over time. Free exercises are always available, regardless of if daily workout has been completed or not. The score for each exercise (excluding the stretches) is determined by how precise the player is in performing their punches and maneuvers.

Fitness Boxing comes with charts that determines estimated fitness age and calorie burn based on the height and weight of the player. The game will periodically request the player to update their height and weight. The routine, length and intensity of daily workouts can be adjusted by the player at any time.

The default coach is Lin, and there is a total of 5 other coaches (3 female and 2 male), each with customizable appearances.[10] New costumes can be unlocked by performing achievements. The coaches demonstrate every maneuver involved in each exercise, making them a visual guide for maintaining rhythm. They also provide the players tips both during and outside of the exercises.

Playlist

Fitness Boxing contains a playlist of instrumental versions of popular pop songs that is played with each workout exercise.[11]

The songs featured in the original Fitness Boxing are;

The songs featured in Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise are;

Development

Fitness Boxing was first announced by Imagineer on June 14, 2018.[12] It was developed by former Rocket Company members working for Imagineer.

In late-September 2018, Imagineer revealed the release date of Fitness Boxing for Japan[4] and in early-October 2018, Nintendo revealed the release date of Fitness Boxing for North America and Europe as well as screenshots of game play.[2]

In late-October 2018, Imagineer revealed the track listing for Fitness Boxing and uploaded the first game play video of Fitness Boxing to their YouTube Channel.[11]

Release and promotion

On November 29, 2018, a Fitness Boxing demo was released on the European Nintendo eShop for the Switch[13] and a demo was released on the North American eShop on December 13, 2018.[14]

Fitness Boxing was released both digitally and physically on December 20, 2018, in Japan, December 21, 2018, in Europe and Australia and January 4, 2019, in North America.[2][4]

On January 15, 2019, Nintendo held a promotional event for Fitness Boxing at Nintendo New York, which included a group of women led by Instagram fitness influencer Niki Klasnic playing the game.[15][16]

Main article: Kimi to Fit Boxing (TV series)

On August 26, 2021, an anime television series adaptation produced by Imagineer and Story Effect was announced.[17] This anime series is directed and written by Junpei Morita, with motion capture by SOLID CUBE and music composed by Yūsuke Shirato.[18] It premiered on October 1, 2021, on Tokyo MX.[19]

Reception

Fitness Boxing received "mixed or average" reviews from critics according to Metacritic with a score of 66 out of 100, based on reviews from 14 critics.[24]

Nintendo Life gave Fitness Boxing a 8/10; calling it "no substitute for hard hours at the gym", but still recommended the game as a workout regimen for being energetic, entertaining, and cheaper than a gym membership.[25] Nintendo World Report gave Fitness Boxing a 7.5/10; praising it for having multiple exercises for various skill levels, but criticized the limited number of musical tracks.[26] Nintendo Wire gave Fitness Boxing a 7.0/10, praising it for having a "decent selection of punches to throw" and for allowing the user to track their progress day-to-day, but criticized the game for its "lack of variety" and for having "repetitive music and trainer dialog".[27]

DualShockers gave Fitness Boxing a 6.5 out of 10, saying that the game "just suffers from feeling inaccurate, even more so when punches and dodges aren’t correctly registered by the Joy-Cons [sic]", but praised the game for being "perfect for those who want to lead a healthy and active lifestyle".[28] Destructoid gave Fitness Boxing a 7/10, saying that "There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun."[29]

The Reno Gazette-Journal gave Fitness Boxing a 6 out of 10, saying that "Fitness Boxing works great as a fitness app but not so much as a game."[30]

Sales

From January 7, 2019, to January 13, Fitness Boxing placed 20th on Japanese sales charts, selling 3,024 physical copies during that period.[31]

In February 2019, Fitness Boxing started experiencing shortages in Japan.[32]

In September 2020, Imagineer announced that the game had sold over 1 million copies worldwide.[33]

References
  1. Yanmoto, Shinichi; Sasaki, Shuji (March 16, 2019). "「Fit Boxing」プレイヤー必見！ "中の人"に聞く，開発秘話と正しい運動法。プロによるレクチャー動画もあり" ["Fit Boxing" player must-see! Asking "people inside", development secrets and correct exercise method. There is also a lecture video by a professional]. 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  2. Craddock, Ryan (October 9, 2018). "Nintendo Shares First Details, Release Date And Screenshots Of Fitness Boxing, A Switch Exclusive". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on October 9, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  3. Seedhouse, Alex (July 31, 2018). "Nintendo Announce Fitness Boxing For Nintendo Switch". Nintendo Insider. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  4. "New Switch Exercise Game Fitness Boxing Launches In Japan On December 20". Siliconera. September 25, 2018. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  5. Rai, Nagaoka (2018-10-30). "Nintendo Switch用「Fit Boxing」、プレイムービーと声優陣のサンプルボイスを公開" ["Fit Boxing" for Nintendo Switch, released play movie and sample voice of voice actors]. GAME Watch (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  6. "Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise". Nintendo. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  7. "Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star". Nintendo. Archived from the original on 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  8. Romano, Sal (September 14, 2023). "Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku: Isshoni Exercise launches March 7, 2024 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  9. "Fitness Boxing Is Being Removed From Switch eShop Later This Year". www.nintendolife.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  10. "Get a cardio workout at home or on the go with Fitness Boxing for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site". Nintendo.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  11. Craddock, Ryan (2018-10-30). "Track Listing And First Gameplay Video Revealed For Switch Exclusive Fitness Boxing". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2019-01-16. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  12. "Nintendo Switch ソフト「Fit Boxing」発売決定のお知らせ～日本国内はイマジニア、海外は任天堂が発売元～" [Nintendo Switch software "Fit Boxing" release decision-Imagineer in Japan, Nintendo overseas-]. imagineer.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  13. Craddock, Ryan (2018-11-29). "Nintendo-Published Fitness Boxing Gets Free Demo On Switch eShop, Full Pricing Revealed". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  14. Lada, Jenni (2018-12-13). "Fitness Boxing Demo Arrives On The North American Nintendo Switch eShop". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  15. "Photos of the Fitness Boxing Event at Nintendo NY Store Are Available on Business Wire's Website and the Associated Press Photo Network". www.businesswire.com. 2019-01-15. Archived from the original on 2019-01-16. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  16. Doolan, Liam (2019-01-16). "Nintendo's Private Store Event Turned Out To A Promotion For Fitness Boxing". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2019-01-16. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  17. Kawase, Ayuo (August 26, 2021). "フィットネスゲーム『Fit Boxing』まさかのTVアニメ化。「キミとフィットボクシング」として、10月よりTOKYO MXにて放送へ" [The fitness game "Fit Boxing" has been made into a TV animation. Broadcast on TOKYO MX from October as "Kimi to Fit Boxing"]. AUTOMATON (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  18. "キャラクター" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  19. Loo, Egan (August 26, 2021). "Nintendo Switch's Fitness Boxing Game Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  20. "Fitness Boxing for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2019-01-22. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  21. Andriessen, CJ (31 August 2021). "Review: Fitness Boxing". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  22. "Fitness Boxing Review (Switch) | Aces high". Nintendo Life. 31 August 2021. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  23. Koopman, Daan (31 August 2021). "Fitness Boxing (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  24. "Fitness Boxing". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2019-01-22. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  25. Lane, Gavin (2019-01-01). "Review: Fitness Boxing - Rhythm Trappings Help This Limber Wii Fit Successor Land Its Punches". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  26. Koopman, Daan (January 3, 2019). "Fitness Boxing Review - Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  27. Ganos, Jason (2019-01-11). "Review: Fitness Boxing". Nintendo Wire. Archived from the original on 2019-01-16. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  28. Bayliss, Ben (2019-01-28). "Fitness Boxing Review — I Woke Up Stiff and Aching". DualShockers. Archived from the original on 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  29. Andriessen, CJ (2019-02-16). "Review: Fitness Boxing". Destructoid. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  30. Hidalgo, Jason. "Punch out: Fitness Boxing review for Switch | Technobubble". Reno Gazette Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  31. Romano, Sal (2019-01-16). "Media Create Sales: 1/7/19 – 1/13/19". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  32. Carter, Chris (2019-02-11). "Fitness Boxing on Switch is experiencing shortages over in Japan". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 2019-02-26. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  33. "Nintendo Switch ソフト「Fit Boxing」・「Fitness Boxing」（海外版）全世界累計出荷販売本数100万本突破のお知らせ" [Nintendo Switch Software "Fit Boxing" / "Fitness Boxing" (Overseas Version) Announcement of Worldwide Cumulative Shipment and Sales Exceeding 1 Million Units]. Imagineer (in Japanese). September 8, 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
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