Who’d have thought that Fitness Boxing would make an entirely new game with none other than Hatsune Miku? I certainly didn’t, which is why I’m delighted that it’s a thing, and that I get to review it.
To shake up your exercise routine, get moving and try out the game yourself via the Nintendo Switch.
Fitness Boxing Hatsune Miku Review
For those who know me, I’m an avid Hatsune Miku fan. On top of that, I’ve been wanting to get back into exercising, so this is the perfect opportunity. But is it enough to replace a ‘typical’ workout routine?
Game Features
In this section, I discuss the main features of the game, and how they affect my overall workout. The game works around holding the joycons in each hand as you punch in time with the on-screen prompts. I find you actually have to move quite a bit and punch quite hard for the game to pick movements up, which means it’s doing its job to get your blood pumping.
Daily Workouts
I love that the game has a Daily Workout option, which provides you with a recommended exercise per day. It’s great when you don’t have the time to do any of the longer workout routines, but you want to keep up the habit.
There are 3 intensity options for this one: Light, Regular, and Heavy. They range from 23 minutes to 33 minutes depending on which one you choose. Sometimes it’s easier to just select a Daily Workout that the game figures out for you instead of scrolling through specific songs and sessions, so it’s something I incorporate into my day-to-day routine nowadays.
Daily missions are also a thing! As well as your set daily workout, you have 3 optional missions to complete that reward you with points. It’s good for an extra bit of exercise time to round off the session.
Free Training
In Free Training you can choose between regular exercise and ‘Miku Exercise’. The former focuses on sessions that target certain areas of your body or centre around a specific move like an uppercut.
The latter is where you can select a song of your choice (including songs from Miku herself and the other Vocaloid stars) in a set routine, though you can choose the intensity of the session before starting. Sometimes I just want to enjoy a workout to a good song without worrying about it being too difficult, you know? So thanks Miku!
Thanks to the ‘Basic Training’ feature, you can revisit moves that you might struggle with. There’s been a few times where I’ve missed a right hook and Miku’s told me to go back to Basic Training to practice, which I appreciate.
Stats
By selecting ‘My Data’ you can keep track of how much exercise you’re doing per day, with an estimated calorie burn amount too. It works just like a modern exercise machine or fitness watch in a way.
There’s even a handy graph that puts all your data into an easy-to-digest format with your predicted ‘Fitness Age’ and how many punches you’ve thrown altogether. You can filter it to ‘By Day’, ‘By Week’, and ‘By Month’ to keep an eye on how you’re doing.
While the concept of a Vocaloid exercise game seems novel, it’s surprisingly in-depth when it comes to analysing your workout. This is another reason why I genuinely want to incorporate it into my regular exercise! That and it’s pretty fun.
Workout Customisation
You can customise your goals whenever you want, editing or altering them when necessary. These goals include which areas of your body you want to feel the burn in and what your end goal for exercising is. By letting the game know what your intentions are, it tailors the workout routines to suit your needs!
I was surprised by how much the game considers your needs rather than just shoving anything at you. It feels like a workout specifically made for me, sort of like a personal trainer. You can also add extra exercises to a routine if you fancy having a longer session.
I’m glad the game has an ‘Information’ section at the top when browsing the different exercises, as it states the difficulty, affected body areas, and the moves that feature in the workout. This lets me customise my own routines with ease.
Achievements
The addition of achievements in any game can motivate you, but what if those points can be used to purchase new stuff? Each time you complete an achievement, you gain points that you spend on new outfits for your ‘partner’ and new songs! It gives you an incentive to reach certain goals, and while it does ‘gamify’ working out, it’s a boatload of fun at least.
Can It Replace ‘Typical’ Workout Routines?
Like any type of exercise, switching it up (get it?) always helps. I think Fitness Boxing Hatsune Miku can definitely be implemented into your regular exercise routine. I wouldn’t rely on it as my sole way of working out though, just because it can be tiring on your arms, and it doesn’t work out your legs much.
It’s fantastic for improving your stamina though! Some of the workouts are fast-paced and quite difficult, so you do get quite a sense of achievement when you manage to punch and duck in time with the rhythm. Plus, as a Miku fan, there’s something equally hilarious and wholesome about Miku shouting ‘Nice punch!’ when I get something right.
I’m seriously going to make it a regular addition to my exercise routine because A) it’s fun, and B) it works up a sweat! I genuinely feel as if I’ve done a real workout at a gym class with an instructor afterwards, but from the comfort of my own home with my favourite Vocaloid. I also think the addition of building up your data to keep an eye on your progress is a nice touch, as I can see where I’m going wrong, and what I need to do more of.
The good
- Does what it says on the tin with no messing around!
- Keeps track of your progress with handy analytics and graphs
- Customise your workouts, set goals, and choose your preferred difficulty
- Spend Achievement Points on new outfits and popular Hatsune Miku songs
- Daily workout sessions and missions give you an incentive to exercise every day
- Free Training lets you tailor a workout session to your needs
The bad
- The Joy Cons can be hit or miss when trying to punch in time, but recalibrating via the Switch’s settings can fix this
- You can swing the Joy Cons in a general way to hit the prompts if you wish to do so, but where’s the fun in that?
- Loading times can be a little slow