Video Game Blog 046: Fitness Boxing 3

I have recently stumbled upon a new exercise addiction. Longtime readers of this blog should know that I love the Just Dance series and have had the various games as a part of my workout routine for years. Well, I’m still dancing, but that serves more as a warmup now. See, a few months ago, watching a Nintendo Direct video, I saw a promo for a game that intrigued me. It ended being my Christmas gift to myself… Fitness Boxing 3!

Title. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

Fitness Boxing 3 was released in December 2024 by Imagineer for the Nintendo Switch. It is the latest in a series of games that started with Shape Boxing on the Wii and has had several spinoffs and sequels. This game is intended to be a daily workout incorporating music, rhythm, and boxing moves.

Upon booting up the game, you enter in your height, weight, and age. You select areas of the body you would like to work on, such as your arms, chest, abs, etc. The game will tailor the workouts to those focus areas, which you can change at any time.

Meet Lin. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

The workouts are led by an instructor that you can select. I’m still using the default, Lin.

The Attack of the Anime Boxing Instructors! (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

There are a total of six instructors in the game, each with different outfits, interests, birthdays, and personalities. The Kindness option controls how much they encourage you during your workouts. There are also unlockable exercises called Box and Bond that are different for each instructor and go along with their personalities and hobbies. For instance, the first one I unlocked for Lin was about cooking and how adding different moves to your routines can be like seasoning.

Eventually I will try all of the instructors, but for now I’m used to the familiarity that Lin brings.

Time to play dress up. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

You can change up your instructor’s clothes, accessories, hair, eye color, and skin tone. New clothing items are added as you play, unlocked through achievements and purchasable with coins. (More on both of those later.) Here you see what I changed Lin into shortly into the game. Her default outfit is in later screenshots.

Welcome to the Lounge. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

The Lounge is the hub for the game. While you can jump right to Daily Workout from the start screen, much of the game options are here. This is where you can see the stamps you’ve earned on the calendar, look at Daily and Weekly Missions, your play streak, check out your progress Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and To Date, along with your estimated calorie burn and time spent working out. In the upper left is the Monthly Rank, which updates every time you complete an exercise. The dots above the instructor’s head are tips that they interject sometimes.

You have to work up to Heavy. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

The Daily Workout is the main portion of the game. You can select the course at Light, Regular, or Heavy. These default based on the answer to your first question of every day. When you first boot up, your instructor asks how you’re feeling, how you slept, if you’re eating well, things like that. If you answer affirmatively, they suggest a heavier workout. This is just a suggestion, though, you can select whatever works for your energy level, mood, and amount of time you can spare that day. You can also update your goals from here (or in the Data option in the Lounge) to change the speed and intensity of the workouts.

A customizable workout. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

Here is an example of a Regular Workout program at Standard speed. You start out with Dynamic Stretching, followed by three workouts of different lengths and movements, finishing with cooldown stretches. You can skip the stretches as you play if you choose, and each different set can be customized before you start. You can change the song or backdrop, and cycle through the different programs.

Stretch! (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

The Dynamic Stretching and cooldown stretches are very useful to get your body moving and reduce fatigue. They also help your flexibility and balance.

Punchy. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

The thrust of the gameplay depends on maintaining your Basic Stance, moving forward and back in rhythm, and punching to the beat. The punch icons move up the screen and when they reach the circle, you perform the depicted move. The instructor adds more moves to the routine as you go and you switch your stance to the other side at regular intervals to ensure you’re working out both sides equally.

The basic moves consist of straights and jabs, but there are also right and left hooks, and right and left uppercuts. The hooks and uppercuts can involve twisting to one side or the other to work your core. There are other moves that I spotted in Free Training such as dodging, ducking, weaving, and I think crosses, but I haven’t worked up to any of those just yet.

To get the most out of the workouts you have to make sure you put your whole body into the movements, not just your arms. You also have to pay attention to your form and stance and maintain your breathing. There’s a lot to keep track of, but the game eases you into it all.

My score. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

After each exercise you’re given a score based on how well you performed. There are only three options-- Perfect, OK, and Miss. (I usually get Perfects so far, but occasionally get Misses on certain uppercuts when I punch too high.) A Great Combo is awarded for getting all perfects in a set. The score box also shows your estimated Calorie Burn in kcals, just like Just Dance’s Sweat Mode. How well you do awards you points and from one to three stars of varying colors.

Workout summary. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

Once you finish the entire Workout you get your overall result. This adds up the stats and punches for all routines, awarding you a total score, overall calorie burn, and a Fitness Age.

Climbing the ranks. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

The points you earn in your various exercises all add up to your total Monthly Rank score. These, as you would expect, accumulate throughout the month and reset when the next month begins.

What is your deal with punches, lady? (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

After doing your Daily Workout for the day, you’re encouraged to punch to add a stamp to the calendar. As of the writing of this I have thirteen stamps and have not missed a day yet.

Note that depending on how you do in the Daily Workout, your instructor can change things up. If you’re doing well, they could suggest a more difficult routine for the next set, or even extend the entire Workout with an extra EX set at the end. These are totally optional and there is no penalty for not going with their suggestions. It all depends on how you feel and what you can handle. If I go with these suggestions really just depends on my mood and what else I have to do that night. I generally take them on during the weekends when I have more time to devote to my workout.

I will say that Lin is hilarious on the EX routines. They speed up her voice and movement and it feels like the entire thing is going in fast forward.

Playing through the exercises. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

Free Training is where you can play the individual exercises categorized by intensity levels from Low to High. There is a separate list for the EX Exercises, which are the highest intensity. These are unlocked as you progress. Your score and number of times played are logged for each routine.

There are other options here such as Sit Fit Boxing where you exercise while seated, and Mitt Drills, where you punch into your instructor’s practice mitts.

Can do! (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

There are lots of other options in the Lounge, such as a two player mode (which I haven’t tried yet, although Cocoa has tried this game out too a couple of times.) Basic Training teaches you the moves in case you ever need a refresher or want to check your form.

The Data option is where you can change your weight, goals, and focus areas. The Graph shows your progress in a handy graph format based on your BMI from your data. Play Report shows your cumulative stats like your total amount of time playing, your total punches, things like that.

I love achievements. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

Of course, it’s not all sweating and sore muscles. Since this is a video game, they had to gamify your exercising as well. As mentioned earlier, there are Daily and Weekly missions shown in the Lounge. These involve tasks such as doing your Daily Workout, working out with specific instructors, doing specific routines, doing a set number of punches, things like that. Completing these missions add to your Achievements and earn gold.

The Achievements list shows the things you’ve accomplished in the game. These are done by going through the tutorial, exercising with the different instructors, getting certain amounts of punches, Perfects, Great Combos, and playing the various routines and intensity levels. This encourages you to update your weight in Data, as there are achievements for that, as well. Accomplishing these award coins and unlock new clothing. The coins can be spent on clothing and new songs.

Music list. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

There is a big list of songs you can purchase with in game currency to add some variety to your workouts. Those who know me well wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the first two songs I bought were Superfreak and Stay (from Enter the Spiderverse.)

I am assuming more songs will be released as paid DLC down the road. Judging by what I found in the Switch Store for Fitness Boxing 2, we will likely get several packs of additional songs. There was also something called No Mercy Mode where I guess the instructors are even rougher on you? I likely won’t go for this. That may motivate some people, but I would feel discouraged if Lin ever started getting mean.

She’s hanging out on the holodeck. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

So that’s the basics of the game. I can identify that it would not be for everyone, and it’s likely no substitute for in-person boxing lessons, but if you’re looking for something that’s completely at your own pace and can slot easily into your current daily workout routine, this could just be the game for you. It can be more convenient and less stressful to work out on your own and not around other people.

Downsides: The music and instructor voices can get repetitive (but hey, that’s what the mute button and personal playlists are for!) and the music does all sound very similar. There are not a huge number of different backdrops. The instructors are all anime-style and basically the same body type— the men big bulky walls of muscle and the women long and lean. The motion controls are not super sensitive so on occasion when I notice I screwed up a punch I can still get a Perfect for it. Since it’s a virtual exercise scenario, there is no human aspect to correct your form or give suggestions. There’s not a lot of variety to the exercises, so if you get bored, you may need other things to give yourself a fuller, more interesting workout.

Upsides: The workouts are high energy and as mentioned, it’s all at your own pace. You can opt out of the instructor’s suggestions and stick with the original plan or push yourself. You can cater your workout to how you feel on any given day, opting for lighter or more challenging workouts as your mood or energy dictates. The appearance and voice of the instructor, their compliments or critiques, can all be very comforting. The exercises themselves are very effective, as long as you use the correct stance and form. The achievements and missions help to keep you trying a variety of game modes and logging in every day to work out.

I’m a big one for routine and the familiar, so this works just fine with my personality and needs. I find myself getting pumped up for my workout every evening, and that’s one of the most important things to keep me motivated to continue it.

How festive! (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

So far I’m loving this game and can see myself playing it for years to come. I still play Just Dance, of course, but now it’s become my easy workout before work. I’ve realized that in order to reach the same kcal burning results, I would need to dance to 8-10 songs in one session. In the evening after dinner I box, working up a good sweat before I relax for the evening. Even after just two weeks, I’m already feeling a big difference.

Right now, I’m trying to pace myself and work up to the more difficult levels. I’m really just getting started with this game, so I haven’t explored the harder routines yet. (Aside from the occasional EX exercise that kicks my ass.) I want to make sure my form is down and I’m a little more in shape before I push myself further. After nearly two weeks of playing this game, I feel better. I have more energy, more motivation, and I’m moving easier. When going back to Just Dance for my morning warmup, I find that I can move quicker and incorporate more of the leg movements. My balance is slowly improving, I’m a bit more flexible, and I have more stamina overall. I can’t imagine how I’ll feel this time next year.

I’m going to stick with Fitness Boxing 3 and see if it helps me reach my fitness goals. The encouragement of my instructor, the comforting familiarity of the bouncy music and vibrant backdrops, the Missions and Achievements, the challenge of the workouts themselves— all these things factor in to my enjoyment of this game. This has fast become something to look forward to at the end of a hard day and a valuable inclusion into my daily workout routine. (In fact, I may check in on this game with you all again in my Year End post.)

Get in your stance. (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)

And that’s Fitness Boxing 3 in a nutshell! Thank you for joining me in this quick review. I have lots of fun content planned for 2025 and as Lin would say— we’re just getting started! I appreciate you all and look forward to sharing more with you all.

Thanks for reading! (Credit: Imagineer, Nintendo)