Knockout Home Fitness is a brand new Nintendo Switch-exclusive rhythm-based fitness game developed by Marvelous Inc. Developed in partnership with a leading health specialist group in Japan, Knockout Home Fitness immerses players in fitness routines inspired by several martial arts including Boxing, Kickboxing, Karate, and Muay Thai which are completed by using the Nintendo Switch joy-cons.

While the fitness aspect of the game is especially attractive to exercise and martial arts enthusiasts as well as those who just want to get a workout at home, the rhythm game quality makes it a fun, challenging game in the vein of Just Dance. It's definitely aimed at those with fitness goals but it would also be fun for those who enjoy the challenge of rhythm games in general.

Under Training Settings, Knockout Home Fitness allows players to choose between goals: weight loss, strengthening, and staying active and adjusts training based on those settings, focusing more on either cardio or strength-building moves.

Like with most games, levels start at a low difficulty level with higher difficulty levels benign unlocked as one progresses. Players who are already fit and active and/or are familiar with martial arts may find the first few levels a bit too easy but will also easily unlock the first of 12 levels available in each category—warmups, kickboxing, fighting, boxing, and challenge.

The "Warmup" workouts teach the basics of different martial arts while getting you ready for the other available choices like "Boxing", which usually involve elbows and punches; "Kickboxing", which include moves from other martial arts like Muay Thai and have lots of kicks (obviously!); "Fighting", which are a fun combination of different fight moves, karate, dodges, and more; and finally, the "Challenge" workouts are high-intensity cardio drills. There are a total of 60 unlockable workouts, two studios, and 25 upbeat music tracks that vary from EDM and Rock to Trance and Hip Hop to cater to different tastes and match the workouts perfectly.

There are also four available trainers, each with their own style and personality. Whether strict instructor to kind supporter, all trainers are encouraging and motivating throughout your workouts. Satsuki—the sweet, semi-serious one—and Takumi—the only male—are readily available, while sexy fitgirl Christie and cool martial artists Matilda must be unlocked by completing a certain number of sessions and receiving crowns for them.

Knockout Home Fitness has two modes: Personal Training and 3-Minute Fitness. Personal Training can only be done once per day at maximum and can be 10, 20, or 30 minutes long depending on players' preferences and available time. The length of training sessions, studio, and personal trainer can all be selected and changed every time for a nice variety and adaptability to each player's schedule and tastes. The 30-minute option must also be unlocked by playing...ahem...training regularly.

In 3-Minute Fitness mode, players who want a quick workout, a fun challenge, or want to complement their personal training session can choose from all unlocked workouts, which are anywhere from just under 3 minutes to around 4 minutes each and have no limit as to how many one can do in a day!

As mentioned before, like most rhythm games, the main goal is to do what is on screen at the right moment. Left and right color-coded circles appear on the screen signaling which side is working and with the name of the move spelled out inside it—jab, cross, upper, hook, kick, knee, etc. Unlike with other games, though, there is no need to press any buttons while in the workouts. All players need to do is grip the joycons and punch, kick and move as the trainers instruct. There is also a "Check Actions" menu where players can learn the correct form for each move along with what body parts are targeted so no need to be a martial arts expert at all.

Personal Training mode begins and ends with a short 2-minute stretching session that can be turned off if desired and goes through several stages including a warm-up and a variety of mixed martial arts-inspired mini workouts that are around 3 to 4 minutes long to complete the 10, 20 or 30-minute workout selected. Unfortunately, the stretches are always the same, which is a bit of a bummer, especially since there is very little leg stretching.

3-Minute Fitness mode has the exact same controls but the player can choose whatever mode, style and level they want and play as long as they want, though the system will recommend taking a break every now and then. Each time a block is completed, players get a report with total time, calories burned and their score based on how many actions were completed in a row throughout the workout.

A really cool thing about Knockout Home Fitness is that players have their own progress report under "My Report" where, after entering their height, weight, and goals, they can keep track of how many days they have exercised, how many calories they've burned, weight tracking, and more.

A downside of Knockout Home Fitness is that the controls aren't always 100% accurate. For example, when we were playing, we noticed that any movement will register as the "correct" move as long as it's completed by the matching joycon. If one is supposed to "jab" with the right, for example, but instead performed a right "hook" with the right hand, it will still count as correct; same if you punch instead of kicking. Conversely, kicks and knees can be a bit of an issue if one doesn't move their hands down to the hips fast enough or low enough while kicking, which is how the controller knows you're "kicking" or raising your knees. So those that keep their guard up while kicking may have issues getting the moves to register.

Overall, Knockout Home Fitness is a great game for those wanting to stay active and work on their fitness goals. While it does start a bit slow, that is actually perfect for beginners and those at the beginning of their fitness journey. Regardless of that, it's a great way to stay active daily, while not even needing to leave the house! One could easily switch from a regular videogame to this one for a few minutes to make up for sitting for long periods.

Being able to choose one's goals and training time makes it so that anyone wanting to get in shape with a martial arts flavor can do it without worrying about making it to a group class or actual sparring. Not everybody enjoys a crowded sweaty class but many of us enjoy a fun, challenging game!

Overall, Knockout Home Fitness is a fun, challenging way to stay active, especially for people who are familiar with rhythm games. What makes it great is that it feels like you're just playing a game and trying to beat your own score when, in reality, you're getting a workout!

If you enjoy games and feel like you could use a few extra minutes of activity per day or want a new, more challenging rhythm game than the usual music games, we highly recommend Knockout Fitness Boxing! After a few months of training with your favorite trainer (or switching them out daily like we do), you may be able to recreate some cool action anime scenes next time you cosplay!

Are you intrigued by Knockout Home Fitness? Let us know if you plan on giving it a try or about your experiences with the game if you're already playing it! Stay tuned to our fit otaku hive for more game reviews and fit otaku articles!