Nintendo quietly set the internet buzzing last week when it randomly dropped a trailer for a “new experience” for the Switch revolving around a weird ring-shaped motion peripheral. Adding to the weirdness was how the trailer showed nothing of whatever game the peripheral was for, only actors using it in ways that suggested Nintendo was working on a new fitness-type game. Today, Nintendo finally unveiled this mystery title, and it is in fact a fitness game called Ring Fit Adventure. It is also suitably bizarre, because it’s also basically an RPG.
Ring Fit Adventure will center on players making use of two peripherals. One is the fitness ring peripheral from the original teaser, or “Ring-Con,” and the other is a leg strap players will wrap around their thighs. By attaching a Joy-Con to each of these body parts, the game will be able to track their movements and incorporate them into the gameplay.
From there, players will set out on a journey to save the world from an “evil bodybuilding dragon,” a term Nintendo actually used. In the process, they will utilize the Ring-Con to perform different exercises to traverse the world in various ways, fight off monsters in turn-based battles, and hopefully get a good workout in before they’re done.
There will be more than 40 different exercises to perform in Ring Fit Adventure, and there will be plenty of options to access them outside of the main adventure. For those who want a pure fitness experience, the game will include a Quick Play mode full of minigames and high score challenges as well as the option to just perform the exercises without any extra game content tacked on.
Furthermore, the game will even come with a “Silent Mode” option that adjusts leg-heavy exercises to make for quieter exercising. This is so players will still be able to work their lower halves while being considerate to neighbors in any surrounding rooms.
Overall, Ring Fit Adventure might be weird on its own, but it’s hardly a weird step for Nintendo to take. After all, this is the company that has been doing its own thing for years, releasing consoles that focus more on unique experiences than sheer technical capability. This is the company trying to fuse games with cardboard through Nintendo Labo. Looking back on that, a history full of wild concepts, strange games, and quirky accessories, a fitness-based RPG is just another day for Nintendo.
Ring Fit Adventure comes out on October 18 as part of a $79.99 that includes the Ring-Con and leg strap.