Ring Fit Adventure quickly became one of most popular games during the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns for people looking to stay in shape. For a while, there was a global shortage of the game as the impact of the coronavirus drove up demand and resellers began to buy overseas stock. Although the demand for Ring Fit Adventure has died down in the months since, it still remains a popular game despite the lack of updates.
Ring Fit Adventure players will have likely completed most of the content in the game by now, and while there has been speculation regarding future updates, Nintendo has yet to reveal anything. Given that the game has sold over 10 million units however, it wouldn't be surprising to see new DLC or a sequel somewhere down the line. Although Ring Fit Adventure is executed well, there are a few improvements that could be made for a potential sequel.
Ring Fit Adventure Could Use Some QoL Updates
While quality of life updates might not be big enough to constitute a sequel, Ring Fit Adventure has a few things that could be tweaked for a better player experience. One of the most annoying problems in the game is its awkward detection at times. While the game is generally good at sensing motion, there are times where it can quickly become frustrating. For example, the ring itself doesn't always register the squeezing motion properly and some moves like Mountain Climbers have poor detection for alternating movement. While it's probably a good thing to get in more reps, the inconsistent detection can be frustrating during the boss battles when recharging health.
Another common problem with Ring Fit Adventure is that moves which depend on alternating sides will almost always start on a specific side. For example, moves like the Bow Pull will have players do a set of reps on the left side before switching over to the right. However, enemies don't always have enough health for players to complete both sets and as a result, they overwork one side compared to the other. Currently, players need to "trick" the game by facing the opposite direction but it shouldn't be a necessity as a sequel should just alternate the sides randomly.
Training Room in Ring Fit Adventure
Despite the massive amount of different exercises that Ring Fit Adventure offers, there's strangely no training room or way to practice the moves before heading into a workout. One of the biggest advantages the game offers is that it forces players to utilize proper form and even the slightest deviation can cause the action not to register on the Joy-Cons. However, Ring Fit Adventure currently has no way for players to practice the proper forms and this can lead to a frustrating amount of trial and error.
A Ring Fit Adventure sequel should look to implement a training or practice mode of some sort so players are able to match the forms that the game expects from them. For how much the game emphasizes proper form, it's strange that there hasn't been an update that adds tutorials for each of the individual exercises. While the current game corrects postures to a degree, it never specifies what exactly is causing the player's movements to not register. Furthermore, a practice mode would also help players understand precisely which movements are required so they can change up their workout with alternate exercises of their own.
Balance Changes in Ring Fit Adventure
While it's not a huge problem given the sheer amount of exercises available in Ring Fit Adventure, it does feel like a lot of options aren't always implemented well. For example, the healing poses are often underused in comparison with the attack moves. This is partly because once players manage to make their own smoothies, there's almost no incentive to use the healing poses as they often over-heal or waste a turn that could be spent attacking. The moves themselves are well designed but unfortunately, there aren't attack versions of them so they are often forgotten by players.
Another problem is that Ring Fit Adventure seeks to be a beginner-friendly game that anyone can pick up and start working out with. However, this also means that a lot of potential exercises like pushups, burpees, and advanced yoga poses don't end up in the game. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, players who are experienced with working out might find some of the exercises underwhelming.
Ring Fit Adventure has a scaling problem in that it focuses on simple exercises but increases difficulty through adding reps. For players starting out, this is a nice way to ease them into exercising but people who frequently go to the gym might not get the most out of the game. Alongside some balance changes, a Ring Fit Adventure could also lean more into the RPG side of things by giving players status attacks or difficulty changes. While Ring Fit Adventure is a video game, there are times when it's too barebones to feel like a proper one and adding some mechanics could help players immerse themselves more.
Crossovers With Nintendo Games
There are also times when Ring Fit Adventure suffers from lack of interesting level design or repetition. A lot of the game simply has players run through the exact same courses over and over again with little variety. Given that it's published by Nintendo, it would be nice to see a sequel implement some crossovers with other Nintendo games.
For example, a Mario themed course that allows players to squat through pipes or a Legend of Zelda exercise that uses a bow pull move could offer a lot more variety to Ring Fit Adventure. On the flip side, putting Ring Fit Adventure into other games could also be interesting. Having players run around, climb or aim weapons in games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would likely inspire them to add exercise into their traditional gaming time. The Ring-Con has a lot of potential if it's implemented in other games and it would be a shame to see it being limited to Ring Fit Adventure.
Ring Fit Adventure is available now on the Nintendo Switch.