Could be someone's next favourite exercise game, but this rhythm-based game wasn't a knockout for Kyle.
All fitness games promise one thing. It’ll make exercise fun. Or at least more fun than it’s perceived to be in real life.
The aim is to motivate the player into doing something “good for them” by dressing it up as something “bad for them”. Using gamified movements and rhythm-based mechanics, maybe some beat-precise input cues and a solid soundtrack, it’s a recipe for a good time.
Unfortunately, Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer falls short of delivering on that promise. While the premise of punching and dodging to the beat sounds engaging, the experience was incredibly dull.
The gameplay mechanics are simple: follow on-screen prompts to punch, dodge, and weave in time with the music. However, the movements feel uninspired, and the lack of fluidity in syncing beats to actions robs the game of the satisfying flow state that great rhythm games achieve. In the best rhythm-based experiences, you’re so attuned to the music that it feels like you’re part of it. Here, that “one with the machine” understanding the matrix style flow state never arrived.
The soundtrack is another letdown. Fitness Boxing 3 boasts 30 instrumental tracks, but the selection is bland and generic, failing to energise or motivate during workouts. The inclusion of licensed songs initially seems like a saving grace—until you realise, they’re low-fidelity instrumental covers that lack the energy of the originals. I saw Sugar, We’re Going Down by Fall Out Boy and thought okay here we go, transport me back to 2005 Patrick Stump, I’m ready to box. Then I discovered it was a jarringly lo-fi instrumental that was essentially a chiptune cover.
The game’s customization options offer some variety, including new trainers, unlockable outfits and hairstyles, and additional training arenas. Sadly, they are all largely forgettable and do little to elevate the overall experience.
Additional game modes aimed at diversifying the workouts did deliver, though. Mitt Drills, in particular, which is more akin to a free-flowing workout, was immediately more enjoyable than the mainline workouts, but ultimately, it didn’t add enough depth or excitement to make a lasting impression.
Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer had one job, and it did it just okay.
The repetitive movements, uninspired visuals, and underwhelming soundtrack fail to deliver a workout experience that I have any interest in returning to outside of this review.
While the game might get you moving, it’s unlikely to keep you engaged long enough to make it a regular part of your fitness routine.
