You know, it’s getting to that time of year when you just want to stay inside as much as possible, and holiday gatherings abound with way too much food. Well, maybe not so much the gatherings this year, but you get what I mean.
The point is, make sure that you take the time to get some exercise in, whatever shape that may take in the Year of the Lockdown. Exercising regularly is important for keeping your bod in good shape, but it’s also good for your state of mind. You might be going a little stir-crazy, stuck alone at home all the time, and stressed out by the frigid weather. Working out can definitely help to put you in a better head space and kill some of that “down time” that I’ve been hearing so much about.
Of course, you’ve probably guessed that I’m writing about exercise specifically to give myself an outlet to talk about Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise. And to that, I say, you’re absolutely correct.
I was borderline obsessed with the original Fitness Boxing when it released on Switch in early 2019. I’ve never liked exercising, and I had always been absolute garbage at doing it consistently. Not sure what it was about Fitness Boxing, but it really worked for me, and I was able to keep it up at two or three 30-minute sessions a week throughout the entire year. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s huge for me.
I dropped off a lot in 2020, especially in the summer months when I focused a lot more of my exercise time on Ring Fit Adventure and actually going outside to run. I think I squeezed in one Fitness Boxing session per month between April and September. But once it started getting cold, I found myself picking up Fitness Boxing regularly again, and just in time for the release of the sequel!
Fitness Boxing 2 is basically exactly what you would expect from a video game sequel: the same thing as the first, but with more bells and whistles. There are a lot of little changes that make FB2 much more enjoyable than the first, however. Like an indicator of which foot you should have your weight on at any time, a special meter that fills in as you land punches (think Star Power from Rock Band), and more options to toggle before you start your daily workout. They’re just little tweaks, but between them and the UI refresh, it does feel like a whole new game.
As for the new content? It probably could have just been added in a DLC pack, honestly. FB2 has 23 new songs to box to, three new trainers, and a whole slew of new clothing options for you to play dress-up with said trainers. Sadly, their hairstyles are still permanent. The boxing routines seem to have been remixed somewhat, which is nice, but it doesn’t seem like there are still the same number of them, and there’s no custom mode, which makes me sad. Achievements are a new thing, but they feel hollow because they’re handed out like candy and huge number of them are tied to doing X thing Y times with each trainer.
I still need to spend some more time with the game to see if anything more exciting unlocks. It hasn’t even been out two weeks yet, so there’s a long road to travel before I hit that 100% mark, even if it is just for a bunch of random clothing items. Goals are goals! Mostly I’m just happy that there’s finally a Fitness Boxing sequel, even if it is more of an incremental improvement than a complete overhaul. I’m feeling very motivated to exercise again, and that’s what counts!