Nintendo Releases Jump Rope Challenge, A Free Fitness Game Made Entirely At Home

Nintendo Releases Jump Rope Challenge, A Free Fitness Game Made Entirely At Home

Written by on | OpenCritic

Games discussed:

Nintendo has launched Jump Rope Challenge, an entirely free to play game built by a few devs working from home during the pandemic. 

The game is now available and uses the motion controls of two Joy-Cons to operate, allowing players to simulate jumping rope for some cardio in our socially distanced lives. The game is meant to be available only for a limited time, specifically until September, said Nintendo.

Jump Rope Challenge offers solo or two-player modes with stat-tracking. If played in two-player mode, each player uses one Joy-Con and each takes control of one of the bunnies featured in the game. It includes milestone tracking too, so players can track their progress every day to see how much virtual rope they've jumped in the pandemic.

It also accommodates folks with accessibility or noise concerns, allowing players to participate merely by bending their knees or move their arms to play the game with minimal movement and better volume control for those worried about disturbing others.

Of the game's development process, Nintendo said Jump Rope Challenge "was created by a small group of Nintendo developers while working from home in Japan as a simple game to add some quick and fun movement into their daily lives."

At a time when the at-home working conditions have universally affected the games industry, it's interesting (and quite like Nintendo) to see them launch a free game in this style. For the folks who can't manage to obtain an elusive Ring Fit Adventure, the free Jump Rope Challenge is perhaps your next best bet for fitness gaming. 

The entire game download will only cost you 78 MB of storage and it's already localized for several languages including Japanese, French, German, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Korean. 

Jump Rope Challenge is available now.

About the Authors

Mark Delaney Avatar Image
Mark is an editor at GameSpot and a Boston transplant now biking across Portland, Oregon. He especially enjoys covering battle royale, horror, and sports games. He spends his free time with his family, marathoning HBO, and advocating for animal justice.