Um, what? Out of nowhere, Nintendo has released a brand new fitness game on the Switch eShop...and it's free! It's titled Jump Rope Challenge and as you might have guessed, it's about jumping some rope with your Joy-Con to reach a high score.
You can play with one other person and if you're not able to jump, you can instead bend your knees or move your arms to play.
Here's the full rundown from the PR:
By using a pair of Joy-Con controllers and imagining them as the handles of a jump rope, players can virtually jump rope every day. It’s all the fun of jumping, but there’s not a rope in sight! Two household members can jump in and play together to try to reach a high score, with each person holding one Joy-Con. With hopping bunnies as the characters, simple menus and no tutorials to jump through, it’s quick and easy to learn the ropes and get started.
For those who aren’t able to jump, or are worried about disturbing the downstairs neighbors, players can bend their knees or move their arms to play the game without creating any noise.
This title - requiring 78 MB of free space to install - was made by a small group of Nintendo developers while working from home in Japan. One catch is it's available for free as a limited-time release until the end of September.
Have you downloaded this yet? What do you think of it so far? Leave a comment below.
[source nintendo.com]
Comments 88
Well...at least that's something, I guess...
I smell a new game of the year contender!
Sit-up challenge next!
Gotta stay active!
RABBIT Jumps In! Lol
Thanks Nintendo, it's nice to see companies helping people become more active in a fun way.
I am all for more games like these. Just developers having fun during these hard times. This reminds me of the No More Heroes 2 dilemma. Where Suda asked his team to each make a minigame of their own too put in the game. And what seemed like a harmless task at first soon spiraled out of control as the team actually put more time into making their own minigames than the actual game itself. They ended up with FAR more minigames than what they could possibly put in the game. So I would love if Nintendo just let their teams work on fun little minigames of their own, maybe put them in a collection for Nintendo Online Members too enjoy
@patbacknitro18 Minigames aren't a terrible thing, necessarily! SMRPG and FF7 benefitted greatly from how they weaved in and out of the narrative. When they become too tedious, predictable, or numerous, that's when it becomes an issue.
I haven't played any NMH game, but this post is just me throwing support for this if implemented meaningfully and that's their passion.
I enjoy how simple and silly it is. Quite charming. I think it's pretty great Nintendo released it.
I'm a fitness nut, and the price is right. I hate jump rope because of the rope but, uh, this looks fun! LOL
Just got it. Not sure if I’ll ever play it but I can’t argue with the price.
Don't know why Nintendo bothered with 1-2 Switch when a game like WarioWare would do GREAT on Switch. I don't look back on Wii motion control THAT fondly, but WarioWare Smooth Moves was so damn fun...MP3 also nailed Wii controls. Minigames are fun! Especially with Nintendo charm.
Also...Mario Party 3 is the king of Mario Parties!!!
Well it makes sense why they made it free, don't think I would pay for that.
Day one buy for me
Sony: Hey here’s the PS5!!!
Microsoft: Check our the new X-Box and get a vaccine shot!
Nintendo: Here’s a free Jump rope bunny game. Have a good rest of 2020!
Nice! Was just reading about how good jumping rope and jumping jacks are for cardio — something I never do. This might just get me jumping! Since I still can’t get ring fit..
I dunno, sounds a bit bland for the price. 😜 I can get plenty of more interesting free games on my phone.
Damn, I paid £50 for this when it was called Super Mario Odyssey.
If this game is bundle with the Switch day one it'll be a system seller I think.
How’s that Switch Lite working out for you? Wait, you can connect a second pair of JoyCons to the system to play this, right?
I’m actually really excited to try this tomorrow. Curious to find out how accurate and responsive the JoyCons pick the movement up. I haven’t played a game that really tested that yet!
One catch is it's available for free as a limited-time release until the end of September.
@San_D This is all the PR said - direct quote:
"Get up and get moving in the simple new Jump Rope Challenge game, now available for free as a limited-time release until the end of September in Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo Switch system"
I jumped 100 times for free. What's your excuse?
@Liam_Doolan Obviously they don't want Jump the Rope to take away attention from their September beasts.
@Liam_Doolan thanks, they probably don't know yet what to do with this one.
and we thought they had no Triple A games left this year! Well done Nintendo!
I feel like they had an intern or new employee make this as training and then decided it was good enough to just toss out there. Why not? I'm sure someone will enjoy it.
Ok I downloaded. Then jumped.
Might jump again tomorrow.
There you have it that’s ‘E3’ wrapped up folks
And I just paid 90 € for Ring Fit Adventure.
Nintendo’s answer to the arrival of new gen ! Take that ps5 and xbox series x 😂
That's why Nintendo was so quite lately: They had all their man power and resources...on this, instead of Metroid and Zelda. Who needs Ps5 and Unreal 5, heh? This is the stuff (just joking of course)!!
I'm sick of the challenge motif. Ever since the ice bucket challenge, people have been going crazy with challenges.
I guess Nintendo are skipping this Holiday season, while Sony breed games like rabbits.
The other folks in the house are going to hate me jumping up and down lol.
@StevenH youll never see it coming
@Emperor-Palpsy there will never be another e3 again
@StevenH Animal Crossing is there big game of the year. Mario is there big game of Christmas.
We don't deserve Nintendo!
Give us WarioWare: Flabulous!
Smooth Moves was one of the most exhilarating games on Wii. A new instalment is grossly overdue.
A fun little game. Not much to it, really, but a bit more exercise never hurts.
@patbacknitro18 I was watching a Did You Know Gaming? video last week about Mario Party and this is how they actually come up with the concepts for most of the mini games!
Jump Rope Challenge Bunny for Smash!
I don't know why but I love this. These kind of characters are perfect for spirits in smash haha.
@Franklin I won't lie, I used the parakeet glitch to win that minigame
@Rob3008 Funny enough I believe it was Did You Know Gamings No More Heroes videos where I learned that bit of info
I might skip it.
I bet this would’ve taken up a good ten minutes of the E3 direct.
@San_D "Jump Rope Challenge will be available on Nintendo eShop for a limited time until the end of September 2020." Which makes it sound like they'll remove it after, but that's kind of weird, right?
@Heavyarms55 It's a covid game, basically: "Jump Rope Challenge was created by a small group of Nintendo developers at home, to encourage exercise breaks at home."
My six year old approves. Did 200+ jumps in 90 seconds without breaking a sweat.
Oh to have his energy....
I'll get the game. Dont know if I'll use it. I already run and do a couple workouts. This game is a good idea with covid quarantine.
@San_D If it's free on eshop, that means they give you the game to own (not a rental system like Nintendo Switch Online
NES, SNES games). So, you can keep playing it after its taken off eshop
Just some devs having fun! This definitely screams "Nintendo" lol.
@ReaperExTenebris What's your damage, my dude, it's just a free little minigame
@WoomyNNYes @Switcheroot just that the wording is quite confusing.
Okay I kind of love this! Good little reason to move. It's totally free. Yeah I'm gonna download it!
Yeah, but is 1080p 60fps ? /s
I'd buy that for a dollar!
I’ll probably get it.
@patbacknitro18 I completely agree with minigames! I would buy a suite of them in a heartbeat- wish they had Street Pass type stuff without having to pass.
Grabbed it and did my jumps! I like this little app did 100 first thing. Might do 100 more later. I already do excercises via an app and my equipment.
this is to make up for how hard ring fit is to buy lol
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand here's the "right after this presentation" meant for the E3 Direct.
Oh, wouldn't it be rich if they charged 5 Euro's after the free download period (I mean after that period and if you still want to download it. To early adopters it stays free I suppose)?
It's just sad!
Nintendo will make you.... JUMP! JUMP!!!
Any ring fit thigh support? Any heart monitor support using the ir sensor?
@ShadJV You're completely missing the point
@ReaperExTenebris Dude chill out. All this is supposed to be is a lighthearted game that encourages a little exercise
do you like my pyjamas I LIKE THEM
Seems like another fun free game. In September it will probably get a bunch of additional modes.
@San_D Agree with you that's it's a weird choice of wording and I'd say redundant in the sentence "One catch is it's available for free as a limited-time release until the end of September." Why not just "It's available for free as a limited-time release until the end of September"?
Maybe NL writers are paid per word (and affiliate link)?
@Manah Trust me, this Rope game doesn't replace Ring Fit
AND THAT IS RELEASED IN PORTUGUESE! THAT! THIS GAME! I think it's the first first-party Nintendo title available in Portuguese since what, Mario Kart 8? My god we're so badly treated...
@dux And it's PT-PT, imagine being a brazilian waiting for PT-BR lol
@Sva Which is exactly what I am I'm not expecting though, at this point I've mostly lost all hope
Played it, did 150 jumps and now i'm dead.
Well, at least i reached the daily goal 👍🏻
@dux Tamo junto então lkkkkk
I'm still waiting
It's an interesting and cute way to stay fit. But also looks like something from Rhythm Heaven.
@StevenH They won't announce the big holiday Switch game until October or so. Unlike Sony and MS, they don't typically announce games years in advance. Like Mario Odyssey was just a few months NES Remix came out the same day it was announced, ARMS was announced and released within a short time, Clubhouse Games was just announced about 2 months prior to it coming out. There's always going to be things like Metroid Prime 4 or Pikmin 4 that people wait years for, but, more often than not, they don't show off their games or let anyone know about them until they're near release.
This is a nice little bonus. People sticking their noses up need to remember that this isnt a game in a traditional sense, it's just something to help you get a little exercise whilst you're stuck indoors all day during the lockdown. I think it's a nice thing to do and at the same time, a very Nintendo thing to do.
@krabbiekassie you’re completely missing the joke.
"I'm tremendously unfit. I could blame covid-19. But I'm also just tremendously unfit." Hahahaha!
Download it. But will I ever play it?
Obviously going to give this a bash. Reminds me of Warioware Smooth moves in a way.
@StevenH Animal Crossing hasn’t dropped off... I’m confused by that statement. It’s showing an impressive long tail. The game got to over 13 million in 6 weeks and will remain a big part of Nintendo’s campaign. It’s still in the Top Ten across all major markets.
The two Mario games coming out at Christmas (the collection and 3D World) will be significant sellers for Nintendo. Although they won’t satisfy the core audience who crave something entirely new.
Nostalgia is a major motivator for consumers during Christmas. Mario is a very strong brand right now. While PlayStation and Xbox will put together big campaigns promoting the future of gaming, Nintendo will avoid that conversation and pull together a nostalgia-tinged campaign designed to attract lapsed gamers, families and nostalgic older players.
They will compete with PS5 and Series X by not competing with them.
@StevenH Yes. But those will be its big games of Christmas. Announced or not.
‘Most early adopters’, I mean I do games market analysis for a living, and I have no idea where that ‘fact’ comes from.
Although, it’s not unusual for people to drop off a new game 3 months after it came out. So I wouldn’t be surprised. Nor does it matter.
@StevenH But they do. They’ll be in the next announcements.
I think you’re really talking about games for core fans to look forward to, rather than things that will sell at Christmas. Because Nintendo have plenty of those. Both on the market already, and the Mario remasters.
@StevenH Well, yes, they might announce something before their next reveal event. True. I don't know their exact announcement schedule, and things are always moving.
But they will be revealing the Mario games in the next 2 months.
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