Active Life Outdoor Challenge Review (Switch)


There was a time during the Wii era when you couldn’t move for fitness games. The enormous success of Wii Fit spawned a steady stream of copycats, from well-known publishers to paddle dealers looking to cash in on the latest fad. One of the most exclusive offers was the Active Life Outdoor Challenge (known in Europe as Family trainer)

Released by Bandai Namco in 2008, it opted not to use the Wii Remote or even the Wii Fit Balance Board, and instead came with a giant mat. This was a nod to Bandai’s original 1986 Famicom game. Family trainer, which also used a mat (which would eventually become known in the West as the NES Power Pad).

Just 13 years later, and likely inspired by the success of Ring Fit Adventure, Bandai Namco has decided to bring back the Active Life Outdoor Challenge by porting it to the Switch. This time, however, the carpet is nowhere to be seen. That does not mean that it does not have some kind of physical trick yet, that yes. Instead of using the mat, the player has to use a leg strap to attach one Joy-Con to their leg, using the other Joy-Con on their side as a controller.

Let’s assume that most readers didn’t own the original game, but for those who do, let us cut to the chase by saying that this Switch port doesn’t offer much newer than the one reviewed. control scheme. If you still have the Wii version and take it out every now and then for a family jog, then there really is no reason to upgrade to the Switch game unless an HD update is absolutely necessary. For everyone else, however, let’s continue.

16 mini-games are offered here, all of which use the leg strap. In case you are curious, there is no option to replace the leg strap controls with something else, so if you have mobility difficulties that prevent you from running and jumping in place, this game is not a start for you. you. That is not necessarily a criticism, just something you should be aware of that is a potential problem.

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The leash is used primarily for three actions: running (simply jogging in place), jumping (physically jumping off the ground), and hurdling (lifting the leg). Meanwhile, the other Joy-Con is used to position the player in most games, although it is not always used.

The 16 minigames on offer are varied to some degree, although it is a bit disappointing that some of them feel like carbon copies of each other, despite the relatively low number of events out there. Log Leaper, for example, has you standing in place and jumping every time a log passes under you, while Jump Rope is essentially the same game with a jump rope. Meanwhile, Timber Trail involves running in place and lifting your leg to jump over the logs as they roll towards you; Head-On Hurdler is pretty much the same with obstacles instead of logs.

There are some more complicated games, such as Kayak Attack (in which you use a Joy-Con as a paddle) or Speed ​​Roller, a speed skating game in which you tilt the Joy-Con to change direction while continuing to jog on the place to stay increase your speed. However, for the most part, only a handful of events could be considered truly inventive, and most fit the typical actions of running and jumping.

For the most part, the controls work quite well. The game is recorded fairly accurately and is good at differentiating between running, jumping, and lifting one leg to jump. However, not all games are so well controlled. Considering that each of these mini-games was originally designed with a mat in mind, some of them don’t transfer to a Joy-Con and a leg strap as easily.

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The kayak game, for example, makes you hold the Joy-Con on its side and tilt it left and right to emulate paddling. While this move is technically more realistic than the Wii version, where you sat down and used your hands to hit the mat, the responsiveness is not as satisfying.

The same goes for Stone Hopper, where players jump through a series of stone columns and tilt the Joy-Con to highlight the next stone it is pointing at. We found that jumps are recorded less effectively in this game, especially when we tried to record numerous fast jumps in a row, and as a result we had a hard time completing the stages in a reasonable time. These are exceptions to the rule, however, and for the most part, players will find that the game responds to their inputs accurately enough to make challenging their scores and best times a viable proposition.

The main mode for single players is Outdoor Island, which in turn consists of three independent options: Free Play (where you can choose any minigame), Outdoor Adventure (where you face three preset series of minigames) and Fitness Training (where choose) from a series of curated mini-game playlists designed to suit a specific exercise need).

As a way to stay in shape regularly, the exercise training option is perfectly fine. It won’t replace any of your other fitness games and you probably shouldn’t cancel your gym membership just yet, but take a sufficient intensity exercise training course and you’ll sweat as long as you play it properly.

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The main problem with the game, however, is a general lack of depth. Once the three short outdoor adventure courses are completed and the credits accumulate (which can take less than two hours), all that remains is to incorporate the exercise training mode into a daily routine or take the mini-games separately In free play mode to test and beat your previous scores and times.

There is also a Challenges section which is essentially an Achievement system where you can earn badges for completing certain tasks. This adds additional replay value, but unless you’re a die-hard who intends to collect all 100 or so, it’s possible to see everything this game has to offer in a day or two.

There is nothing wildly offensive or terrible about what is offered here, it is a perfectly competent and entertaining way to stay in shape. The only thing holding it back is that there are better alternatives. Just as the Wii version was very much in the shadow of Wii Fit, it can’t be ignored that the Switch version is an apparent answer to the success of Ring Fit Adventure, leg strap and all.

For that reason, the fact that Ring Fit Adventure exists means that Active Life Outdoor Challenge will always be a runner-up at best. If you’ve fully exercised (pun intended forever planned) everything Ring Fit has to offer and you’re looking for something else to mix up your workout routine a bit then this is a perfectly acceptable alternative. Just keep in mind that replay will kick in pretty quickly and unless you don’t mind playing the same 16 minigames over and over again, chances are you find yourself looking other alternative in a short time.




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