For many years, Nintendo has had an active interest in promoting physical activity through video games. The Wii's focus on motion controls was particularly well-suited for this, especially with the help of the Wii Sports series. Wii Sports has fallen by the wayside, but it now has an heir in Nintendo Switch Sports. The upcoming Switch title encourages motion controls in a few new ways, like Soccer's upcoming leg-based motion controls, meaning Nintendo Switch Sports looks like a solid innovation on the gameplay that defined Wii Sports. While Nintendo Switch Sports doesn't look nearly as strenuous as real exercise, it could still make good use of physical activity.
Notably, the Switch already has a successful game that promotes exercise. A few years ago, Nintendo released Ring Fit Adventure, an RPG that motivated the player to use various exercise techniques in combat and required the player to jog in place to move their character. Ring Fit Adventure earned praise for its decent implementation of exercise, making it overall a major step forward for Nintendo's efforts in physical activity. Because Ring Fit Adventure was such a success, it seems likely that it'll be represented in Nintendo Switch Sports somehow. The two games share some DNA, even if they use those commonalities in different ways.
Ring Fit Adventure's Possible Place in Nintendo Switch Sports
Ring Fit Adventure is a descendant of the Wii's Wii Fit, but it differs significantly. Instead of using a Mii, players control a character belonging to the Ring Fit Adventure universe. The game notably featured cosmetics, allowing players to dress up their character in different athletic gear. It wouldn't be surprising if Nintendo Switch Sports' customization included some Ring Fit nods in this way. Nintendo could port some of Ring Fit's cosmetics directly into Switch Sports, or it could make some new ones based on major characters from the story of Ring Fit Adventure.
Nintendo could get far more ambitious than that, though. Although Ring Fit Adventure features entirely different controls from Nintendo Switch Sports, Nintendo could try to incorporate its mechanics into a DLC somehow. Players could end up playing a PvE expansion where they have to use their skills in Nintendo Switch Sports gamemodes to defeat various monsters from Ring Fit Adventure. Along the way, players could still earn exclusive cosmetics based on Ring Fit Adventure, letting them show off their skill in completing the DLC while they're partaking in Nintendo Switch Sports' online multiplayer.
Nintendo's Physical Gaming Legacy
Putting an RPG DLC in Nintendo Switch Sports might be tricky, especially since it conflicts with the game's main image, but regardless, Nintendo ought to acknowledge Ring Fit Adventure in Nintendo Switch Sports somehow. Both games represent Nintendo's major advancements in motion controls, which are significant, since the rest of the industry has largely moved away from motion controls. Nintendo remains dedicated to the concept thanks to its interest in promoting physical activity, and it's paying off. Ring Fit Adventure was a solid game, and Nintendo Switch Sports looks highly compelling too.
Ring Fit Adventure may have fallen by the wayside in terms to Nintendo support, but Nintendo Switch Sports could promote physical activity on the Switch throughout the rest of the console's life. The upcoming Golf update for Switch Sports could be the first of many sports added to the game retroactively. Regular additions will keep Nintendo Switch Sports interesting for years to come, meaning it'll keep Switch owners on their feet and moving around. Hopefully Ring Fit Adventure gets to be a part of that potential longevity somehow, whether Nintendo creates a highly experimental expansion or simply depicts the game through cosmetics. These games are family, even if they don't look alike, so they deserve to be united to some extent.
Nintendo Switch Sports releases April 29, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.