Kids who grew up in the '90s fondly remember Final Fantasy and Pokémon as their first JRPGs. Kids who grew up in the 2000s might have nostalgic feelings over Dragon Quest, Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, or Persona. Apparently, children born in the last few years will one day recall playing their favourite retro JRPG: Ring Fit Adventure.
After checking out Nintendo's latest sales figures, games journalist Imran Khan noted that the exercise game is the best-selling new JRPG of this generation. That might sound crazy, but remember that huge sellers like Pokémon Sword and Shield, the Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Dragon Quest XI are not new - they're all sequels.
Ring Fit Adventure is a totally new IP (intellectual property), and with 8.5 million copies sold over its lifetime (thanks, COVID), nothing else comes close.
Khan had a few other observations about the figures from Nintendo, like the fact that Pikmin 3 Deluxe is now the best-selling Pikmin game of all time (which is a bit sad, really, given that it only sold around 2 million), and that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is officially the best-selling musou title of all time, outselling all Dynasty Warriors games in just a couple of months.
Okay, let us have it: is Ring Fit Adventure a JRPG? Give us your thoughts below.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 42
It is, technically. But I search my feelings and it's not. It's the exercise equivalent of edutainment with some RPG elements.
I did end up getting it and like it. But it's a big stretch to say it's the same kind of game as Xenoblade or Final Fantasy.
I mean, if you play for long enough, you'll unlock a skill tree which requires a separate point system mechanic. Thats about as JRPG as it gets
By the same lack of logic, I'm pretty sure it's also the best selling new racing game IP.
It's totally a JRPG! By mechanics, story wise it's a bit lacking maybe
Sure. And Mario is Missing is a shmup if we are going to go all the way nuts.
(Gah! I do get it though...)
I caved last weekend and got one. Got tired of waiting for a sale.
Ring Fit Adventure is my favorite strand-type game
It deserves it this game isn't a major thing for gaming but it is innovative and creative, which is rapidly becoming something only indie devs seem to be able to do. I mean seriously you don't see square enix making games like the world ends with you anymore. You don't see capcom making games like ghost trick. I just feel like all the creativity is built off of something else from before or is cookie cutter. Nintendo and a couple big releases are still very creative and fresh and that gives me hope, but the number of risky big budget games that innovate in what a game can be has seemingly stopped happening. Ring fit is a perfect example of how nintendo strives to do something new. Sega with sonic although not always good aimed to innovate with constant risk. It may not have turned out well for him but I feel we at least appreciate the passion of finding new stuff for sonic. Now sonic forces is a clone of generations which is good but lacked any creativity and sonic lost world is a copy of super mario galaxy. Let's hope the next sonic game goes back to the riskyness of past titles that gave sonic flavor even if it wasn't perfect. I can only think of a few franchises where nintendo didn't innovate for better or for worse. Right now, games that are like this seem to be a rehash of old creativity or a few exceptions that make me very happy. Don't get me wrong a lot of these cookie cutter titles are great and that's not the problem I just see a lot less risk now than back in the 2000s. That's my rant really. Nintendo and indies carry most of the burden of making risky creative titles but titles like ghosts of tsushima, the doom reboots, and even how the ff7 remakes were handled gives me hope for the future of a medium I love so much because I love creativity in games. I'm not worried about nintendo though just one look at this game will show that.
@RebeccaEdv I think of it of pokemon which is a great introduction to jrpgs but instead of pocket monsters they made it about working out lol
Anyone else agree the music has no right to he as good as it is?
Of course it's an RPG. It has leveling up, stats, a skill tree, turn based battles, items that heal/buff., equipment, crafting, etc. It's more in depth than some other RPGs but it also doubles as a fitness game. And if you get tired of the RPG stuff, you can enjoy it as a rhythm game instead. It's really well made and totally deserves its sales numbers.
I got it last year and played it for 50 days. Then the summer vacation hit and I spent the next 4 weeks with my family. I haven't gone back to it since. It helped me lose some weight and I truly enjoyed my time with it. I'm sure I'll pick it up again sooner or later. I just haven't had as much time for it lately.
Does Ring FIt Adventure have a fishing mini-game?
Because it's only a JRPG if it has a fishing mini-game and if it has a fishing mini-game it's a JRPG.
Passing off an exercise game as a JRPG was an evil, greedy tactic by Nintendo.
I liked the game until my Joy-Cons broke...I have a third party pair that works great but sadly don't fit in the Ring-Con.
Is it a JRPG? Sure, whatever...not everything needs a label...
With that much grinding it's definitely a JRPG.
I wonder how many people bought it and barely used it. Totally unrelated, but my is almost new and I bought it day one.
@Purgatorium you've had mentally and emotionally painful grinding in other games, now it also hurts physically lol. I actually think grinding in most games is a game design flaw it should be well paced so a good deck can win with no grinding. Ff7 is my favorite example of this. This game thought grinding is excercise lol it fits right in
This is NOT a JRPG! This is a fitness game with just some tiny RPG elements! It's like they had made Zelda in the past RPG which is not again. It's an action adventure with some RPG elements. Role Playing Games are usually the games with roles and a freedom and you decide what you want to do from a plethora of actions / moves and consequences. Ring Fit Adventure is so linear and you have only a skill tree. If we put a skill tree on Bubble Bobble, it will be transformed to RPG !?!?
Didn't Hyrule Warriors AoC outsell the rest of the Dynasty Warriors series in it's first week, or something crazy like that?
RingFit Adventure has totally helped turn my physical and mental health around. It's fantastic.
I really hope for more expansions and use of the equipment.
@nkarafo It's definitely a fitness game, first and foremost. But I wouldn't really call the RPG elements "tiny".
Yeah, there's the obvious leveling up and skill tree, but the combat functions like your standard turn-based JRPG. You pick attacks that are more effective the better you perform them, matching attacks to certain colors deal more damage, the stronger attacks require more real-world stamina, you can use items to buff your character, you got clothing options to affect attack/defense/etc.
The story is even pretty JRPG-like, with its narrative/tropes, pacing, side quests (yes, really!), grinding for money and EXP., and overall length. It ticks all the boxes to unironically be considered a JRPG.
EDIT - Oh yeah, it even has crafting and cooking!
I mean, turn-based combat, skill trees, leveling...it all sounds right. But he focus of the game isn't on transporting you to another world and really letting you feel the characters and story. It's about exercising. You don't roleplay, you work out. I think that it had JRPG elements, but isn't and never will be a full-fledged JRPG.
@LXP8 Yes it outsold all others in 4 days, not a few months like said in the article.
Btw RFA sold way more than Dragon Quest XI (6 million) and has almost outsild Final Fantasy XV (8.9 million as the end of 2019, less than 10 million though). Even these big sequels get outsold by Ring Fit Adventure.
@DTFaux Fully agreed. Per definition it's a JRPG, only controlled by fitness exercises.
Where da poll at?!
@Burning_Spear
"evil"
"greedy"
Huh?
Purchased it a couple of weeks ago and played it once yesterday for about 30 minutes. Have about 15" of snow to shovel today - sorry I don't know what that is in metric but it's enough - so not playing today. Maybe not tomorrow either as I recover.
1 thing I learned during the Ring Fit warm-up, I can't do lunges to my left side, I fall over, only my right. I think in retrospect I was too old to buy this JRPG.
Wait what? Why is DQ being tied to the ‘00s? Series came out in 86. I grew up playing 4,5 and 6 in the 90s.
It'd be cool if they released a DLC pack or sequel or something. My wife is really far in the game is ready for something new. I'm not as far but ya I can see where I'm ready for some change up too.
@rjejr There are certain exercises that I will not add to my skill set; I know my limitations. I do the actual running in place to challenge myself but I appreciate that they added a "silent mode" to bounce in place to make the character run, which is less impact on the knees, should that be a concern. I bought this in November and have played Adventure mode 30 days (I just completed World 8); I have definitely noticed a difference in my fitness level. As a life-long couch potato, I appreciate the game elements to distract me from focusing on how hard it is to get that much-needed exercise.
I was surprised go find out you can customize the character (and the ring guide) to be male or female; I had only seen screenshots of the female character.
@Susurrus I was thinking lately that it would be nice if Nintendo released another game to use the RingCon (similar to Link's Crossbow Training). DLC would be welcome too.
This game further proves that, when done right, exercise games for the sake of exercise (not dance), can sell very well. That being said, I personally still prefer old school DDR.
@datamonkey I haven't figured out how to do polls yet! 😅
@Ryu_Niiyama you're right - I just remember the DQs in the 2000s (like DQ VII) being huge, so I can imagine a kid with a DS having that as their defining JRPG
Still doing a two hour session every week. It's a great and fun addition to my routine. Hope they make an improved sequel.
Never really thought of it that way, but I can agree with that.
@BTB20 I think it speaks for the value of innovation, especially since I believe the Ring Fit Team did 1-2 Switch, Labo and Ring Fit all in the span of the Switch's first three years.
Like it not only outsold Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, who go to great lengths, especially the latter with absurdly long/expensive development cycles to achieve standard sales. Ring Fit was made in a much shorter time span.
No, that's not true. That's impossible!!!
I started playing, and I actually really like it, but work just wipes me out every day. I should make more of an effort on my day off.
The RPG element that I saw was very simple auto-incremental stats, but I guess it’s turn based and there are different abilities.
It is pretty innovative in that my mana pool is my body. Like I’m gonna cast another spell that hurts less for a turn. But maybe when I’m stronger, I can spam cast my favorite spell.
Ring Fit Adventure will outsell every Final Fantasy game ever by the end of March.
If Nintendo doesn't release a sequel and continues to sell this game for the rest of the Switch's life, it could feasibly reach 20+ million copies sold and approach the lifetime sales of Wii Fit (Plus).
Well jrpg is a very loose term as it is... Lol
@Gamer_Griff Since my last post I decided I didn't hurt myself doing Ring Fit, but trying to move our outdoor basketball hoop. One of those rolling ones filled w/ water. Not sure what 40 gallons of water weighs but it's a lot. Moved it about 6" out of the street so the snow plow wouldn't hit it. Next time I let them hit it.
Oh, and I know it wasn't intended for me, but Link's Crossbow Training is very underrated. I bought it used w/o the plastic gun, for $2.25 at Gamestop WAY back when. Tons of fun for 2 bucks. Better than paying $30 for a Panzer Dragoon remaster. (On sale for $10 this week.) I'd buy a Link's Crossbow Training DX port for $10. I wonder how gyro aiming would work?
@Agent721 What's DDR?
Konami's Dance Dance Revolution.
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