I've always been a big fan of the Fitness Boxing series for Nintendo consoles. Although I know very well that it is not intended to help us achieve an incredible physique or replace going to the gym or hiring a personal trainer, it is certainly useful in promoting exercise and opening the doors to the world of aerobics. Open training courses. What I mean is that the final installment, “Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer,” isn’t going to make us sweat bullets or eat a candy bar for abs after a single session. However, if we use it frequently, it can make our body more active, less tense and even a little more flexible. Without a doubt, adding some gentle exercises to complement harder and more effective training is the most fun and ideal way.
The fitness boxing series has always achieved this goal, except in one of its episodes. The second part was a bit imprecise and confusing as the motion elements were unreliable at best. It also felt very shallow, both because of the practice table and the overly limited game modes. The positive thing is that the graphics were suitable for this type of project and the difficulty level allowed us to tailor each workout to our daily goals. All of these aspects have been retained or significantly improved in Fitness Boxing 3, but one very important aspect falls short when it comes to providing the full rhythmic boxing experience: the soundtrack.
The second part offered a selection of very popular and world-famous audio-only titles. We were able to train to the rhythm of pop hits from Zedd, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Avril Lavigne, Lady Gaga, Pitbull, Owl City, Maroon 5 and many others. Regardless of whether these artists were our favorites or not, the mainstream pop music made the soundtrack much more appealing compared to what we saw in Fitness Boxing 3. This episode's emphasis was placed on the use of original tracks, which aren't nearly as memorable. But fortunately, this is the only aspect in which the second part outshines Fitness Boxing 3.
I say this because one of the aspects that has improved the most is the motion controls. Now it seems that our every move is recognized as soon as we make it, whether it is one engravinga straight hit, a Uppercuta dodge, a hook, a sideways move, a swing, etc. We won't strike in time to see it “Failed” This makes us so angry. The team at Imagineer has done wonders with the responsiveness of the motion controls, which makes us wonder why they didn't do this from the start. But that doesn't matter, because the sun has shone again on fitness boxing and the new day it has given us deserves one “Perfect”.
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The other big improvement that this title brings us lies in the game modes. The Daily Session is still the main mode and as effective as ever, but it lacks a way to jump straight to a higher difficulty level for users looking for more of a challenge. Instead, we are forced to follow a gradual progression system where we complete more complicated workouts every day, which is ideal for beginners. However, for more experienced players who have even taken their data from Fitness Boxing 2, it would be great if there was the ability to manually adjust the difficulty of each workout.
Anyway, let's look at the other modes. Now we can switch to Free Exercise mode to try Mitt Drills, regular exercises or even the Box and Bond session where we can get to know our trainer better. The last feature seems to me to be a more superficial feature, such as the ability to customize the appearance of our personal teacher. Neither of these two options detract from the overall experience at all. The other two modes, however, are great additions that add a lot of depth and new challenges to the title. Mitt Drills, for example, completely turns the way we played fitness boxing on its head and has eventually become my favorite mode as it is much more dynamic and intense than the normal daily session.
Another point that has improved a lot is the quality of the graphics and design. In a rhythmic fitness project, good graphics are not the most important thing. However, a more vibrant design, more attractive teachers, clearer indications of strokes and movements, and other similar elements help make the experience much more immersive. This is also reflected in the game's performance, as the smoother flow and fewer interruptions means there is a big leap in quality compared to the second title.
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Taking all of these changes into account, it is important to emphasize that while we see some similarities between Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm and Exercise and Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer, the latest installment appears to be a major step forward for the series in every way. It is more challenging, the responsiveness is better, the list of game modes is longer, it is more attractive and it continues to offer us fitness activities that are as interesting and rewarding as we could only expect from this series. If the soundtrack contained even more impressive songs, we could only say that this part is a true marvel.
