The new year is almost here and it’s time to make those resolutions. If a fitter decade is on the cards, we’ve pulled together some games that might just help on the road to those new year fitness goals.
Fitness goals aren’t as easy as gear enchantment but they can fail just as quickly. While I might be no stranger to the gym, the open world isn’t exactly fun at this time of year. If you’re looking to level up while you add those real-life stats then we’ve compiled a few games that might help to get past the first few levels and make it into the new year with plenty of added swiftness.
Pokemon Go
The quintessential on the go battler, Pokemon Go launched back in 2016 and it proved an astronomical hit. For any of you that have been living on the moon, Niantic’s pocket pet brawler takes the traditional Pokemon concept and drags it out into the wide world. Players are tasked with collecting from hundreds of wild Pokemon as they traverse the cities and towns where they live. As well as pilfering an ever-expanding roster of creatures, Pokemasters can battle to conquer local gyms, and even take part in open-world raids during large community-style events. The geocaching element of Pokemon Go means that the more dedicated fanbase can make a marathon without even realizing it. If you’ve ever seen yourself as a Pokemon master and haven’t tried this, then you and over a billion other potential players could be in for a lot of walking this year. Pokemon Go is available now on iOS and Android devices.
Zombies Run
Once you are done walking then it’s probably time to run and what better way than with zombies. While Zombies run is probably the result of the early 200 Walking Dead hype it is still a great way to get your feet on the tarmac and try something a bit different. Zombies Run is a smartphone-based app that hit the Play and iOS store in 2012. Featuring a range of mission and audio narratives it pushes players onto the open road and unleashes virtual zombies. As you outrun the hordes and follow a path to victory you’ll pick up supplies, weapons, and even level up before heading back to base. There are a ton of features, lots of running regimes, and a reason to keep ongoing. The game is available for free and in paid versions across the iOS and Google Play store now. You can find out more about the features over on the official website too.
Ring Fit Adventure
If things out in the cold aren’t that appealing during the bleak January mornings then Nintendo’s Ring Fit Adventure offers up an option for something a little closer to home. Launched earlier this year, Ring Fit was in such heavy demand we didn’t even manage to snag a review copy but the action-adventure seems to have plenty of stamina in the charts even now. A spiritual follow up to Wii Fit, Ring Fit Adventure is the latest in a long line of leisure activities that are available on Nintendo’s own platforms. Making use of the Nintendo Switch Joycons and a special Ring controller, the game turns the left and right Joycon into a pair of motion trackers.
Players are challenged to make it through more than 100 levels across 20 worlds. You’ll blast through anything that stands in the way with attacks based on 60 real-world exercises. Squat powered launch pads, boxing battles, and a wealth of leveling bonuses are in-store and inside as Ring Fit gets you warmed up for the new year. Check out more info on the Nintendo website for Ring Fit.
Beat Saber
If like me, you plunged into the world of VR gaming recently then there’s on action game that’s bound to get you moving to the rhythm. Beat Saber is a smash hit music game developed by Beat Games and takes every button-bashing up-tempo title you’ve played and makes it cool. An exclusively VR title, Beat Saber replaces buttons with light swords as players grip a pair of controllers and slash away at a series of moving targets that zoom past. Like any good music title, the game mixes a variety of genres and complex movements with the on-rails activity. As a VR title, however, anybody who wants to master the sabers will have to lean, swing, crouch and sometimes jump around the incoming obstacles all in time with some well-known songs.
A range of pre-authorized and community levels are available and co-op sabering is even a thing. Beat Saber is a ton of fun and it will get you moving just for the heck of it. Beat Saber is now available across PlayStation 4, Oculus and Steam VR stores right now.
Just Dance
We had to include it! Just Dance spawned its very first iteration of the musical movement series back in 2009. The decade-old routine of combining popular pop numbers with on-screen gyration seems to have worked wonders as the yearly neon outing for Ubisoft’s cash cow has appeared on everything from the original Wii, the PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Switch. If you have a Playstation 4, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch then you can grab some Joycons and get moving to a tempo I probably won’t match. Even if you don’t have a console, the appearance of a mobile title means your smartphone accelerometer can do the tracking for you.
While Just Dance 2020 and its many versions aren’t my taste, there is no doubt it will get you up and moving with a range of up to 200 songs via the subscription-based service, levels, goals, and a series of in-game rewards that will keep achievement hunters chasing more than just Kj burned.
There are tons of ways to gamify your fitness goals and while you might love the story mode on Runtastic or have a different VR game that you can bounce around to, let us know if you level up your fitness regime in 2020.
