So when the offer came in for Fitness Boxing 3, I assumed that I would be getting a chill rhythm type game, where you do the motions of boxing, in time with some music. What I actually got was an experience that had me punching like I was getting ready to take on Mike Tyson, I mean anyone can these days. So why did I like this game, or fitness program, far more than I thought I would?

Honestly, I don’t know if I can give you a simple answer. After the basic tutorial, I jumped into the first workout and almost 30 minutes later dropped into my chair sweating like I had just spent time in an Australian summer. But then it was time to dig into the options and there were quite a number of them. Now never having played the other games in the series, I don’t know what is the same or new, so I was experiencing everything as if it was new. One of the things the game did after that first workout was ask what type of area I wanted to focus on, like arms or chest. It then asked more questions and the outcome was that it would build up a course that it thought would help me achieve my goals. While the first session was normal, the second session was actually made up of a bunch of groups, which with warm up and cooldown, ended up around 40 minutes long. There were times when the game would ask if I wanted to keep going, if I was doing very well or if I came in late, ask if I wanted a lighter workout, both very nice options.

Before I started a new course, if there was a different move in the mix, the game would prompt me to learn how to do it, which is good but highlights the bad for the game. Throwing a jab, which is where your fist is out in front of your face is similar to throwing a straight, but for that you fist is much closer to your face. The game though can’t detect the distance in which you actually move, just that you do, so if you throw a jab when the game wants a straight, it won’t know the difference. The same can be said for hooks, uppercuts and so on, as long as you move your Joy-Con when the game expects you to, then you pass. Now the idea is that you treat every move as if it was the real thing, which means if you put in the effort, then you will get a proper workout. Now if you are like me and your timing is slightly off at times, mine was especially in the beginning, then don’t worry to much. The games inability to detect the exact punch you have thrown; also means it is quite forgiving if your timing is off. The problem there, however, is that there is a line between it being forgiving and being apathetic and you will never know which side your actions have landed upon.

Perhaps the one area where there isn’t any signs of the game not caring is with the instructors, of which there are six to choose from. The game gives you Lin as your first instructor, who will walk you through the first workout, program customisation and other basic settings. Eventually you can swap to one of the remaining five, and while they will all be the same in the long run, they have slightly different approaches to how they speak, Guy will be a little more direct than Stella, as an example. While you can swap from trainer to trainer as often as you want, if you do spend time with one, you can build up a bond with them and learn more about them. Of course, if you do have a preference for Bernado but don’t like what he wears, you will earn coins for all the workouts you do, that you can then use to buy new outfits and accessories. The game will even grant you random items at certain times of the year, it surprised me when I booted the game up in December and found my instructor to be wearing a Christmas tree on their head.

The customisation can also be applied to the workouts you create. You can elect to do a daily workout, in which the game will provide you with a range of courses, based on your previously selected desires. Or you can create a custom exercise from scratch, that means choosing a course and intensity, selecting the music you want to listen to while you do it and even the background for your trainer. You can do a single course or chain a number of them together, so you have the choice to do as much punching, or as little as you really want to. But if you don’t want to stand up and follow the games idea of a plan, you can jump into the new Mitt Drills. Here is where your trainer will have some mitts in hand for you to punch at in your own time. You will still have to throw the punches indicated, but you won’t have to keep up with the rhythm that the main exercise mode demands, the best news you can do it sitting down. Which is where the Sit Fit Boxing mode also shines, you can do the punches without standing up, honestly you can do the main mode sitting as well, but the game does throw in some duck moves in the more intense workouts and you can’t do those sitting down. So if you choose the Sit Fit Boxing mode, all those extra little moves, outside of the punches are turned off.

There is perhaps one major complaint that I have with the game, the trainers themselves will tell you to keep your arms up, or focus on your core, all good tips. The problem lies in two parts, one those tips are never specific just general call outs, so if  your arms are in the perfect position and they tell you to raise them up, it feels misplaced. The other issue is that when they tell you to pivot for a punch or control your core, they don’t actually explain how you are meant to do that. Now if you are someone who is already working with a personal trainer or has a great control over their body, this may not be a concern to you. But for anyone coming in hoping to get a good exercise program from there, you will be out of luck until you research these ‘tips’ on your own. As the days went buy I did find myself picking up some motions better and I honestly will be curious to see how I go over months, but that is more on me watching and attempting to interpret, rather than just being given clear instruction.

As far as the games presentation goes, it honestly surprised me how nice the game looks. Now it isn’t attempting to render entire cities or fantasy settings, so there isn’t a lot for it to work with, but that doesn’t mean they have shied away on the details. Each of the six trainers look good, in fact whilst putting new pants on a trainer, I actually was surprised to see the shadow on the ground behind them didn’t contain a lot of jagged edges, it was very smooth. When you are in a session, the background of each can change from program to program, or you can set them to all be the same. These vary from a warehouse looking space, to a futuristic nature preserve and even some form of RGB inspired rave. The lounge, which is the main area where you select workouts, change things and all that, is mostly a void of white, so there is not much to see there. It does however transition to your workout space very nicely and while its not instant, there isn’t a lot of waiting to see. Finally the outfits that you can decorate your trainer in are quite varied and while they are not branded, they do look similar to some things you might see around the place.

The weakest part of the presentation is that of the soundtrack and voice work, lets start with the former. The game has two types of music there are the large, dance inspired tracks that you might find playing behind some workout video online. They are mostly devoid of anything that will identify them as a particular track, but they also work brilliantly. There are licenced songs that you can unlock to enjoy as you work out, with tracks from Madonna, Elton Jogn, Kenny Loggins. But don’t worry there are also more recent artists like The Monkees and Rick James, oh and Billie Eilish, One Republic and more. The problem is that the songs are weird instrumental versions of them, which I get as you don’t want to hear the lyrics to Take on me 3 times in one session, but I feel the game would have been better served by just having custom music, rather than licensed instrumental. Sadly that is not the bad, that comes from the trainers. There are some trainers that sound great, like they are really thinking about how they speak to you, but there are some where it feels forced, like they were saying the lines because they were paid to. Lin is sadly the worst one, her performance feels counterproductive to what she is saying, like hearing her say good job, but without any enthusiasm just takes the fun out of things. You will find a voice that suits you, which is nice, but I just wish they were all of the same standard out of the gate.

Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer is an interesting game, though game is likely the wrong word for it. There are a lot of aspects that you can dive into here and if you are willing to put in the work, you will see some progress. This is sadly not the right type of product for someone who thinks it will be the solution to get into shape, it will help, but the game is not about giving you a complete program to follow. The lack of instructions on motions and concepts is a great example of that and while the game does show you how to throw the various punches and duck correctly, a real-world trainer would be better. While you shouldn’t use this as your only method of getting into shape, as part of a larger program, it would be a great addition to your fitness journey. With its looser interpretation of movements, anyone can box with it, but stepping into the ring will be a ways off.