Jump Rope Challenge

 
Jump Rope Challenge was born out of the pandemic as a little escape for both Nintendo's developers and their fans. It's a very simple, free title that encourages you to stay active while stuck at home, which is absolutely appreciated while quarantining. However, I think what makes it really special is the fact that it was made as a sort of hobby project by developers that couldn't go into work. COVID-19 forced a lot of major Nintendo projects to be placed on the back burner, but that didn't stop them from making us something fun anyways.

Jump Rope Challenge is a motion-controlled jump rope simulation game reminiscent of the WiiWare era. Using your Joy-Cons like the handles of a jump rope, your only job is to jump while moving the "rope." On the screen, a cartoon rabbit (in the costume of your choosing) mirrors your jumps. Once you hit your daily goal, the background image and jumping sounds change as a sort of reward. I found that I was always pretty excited to see what they would become. The encouragement to keep jumping pretty much ends there, without even a daily streak counter to show for it (the game does keep track of how many days you play, but not how many days you play in a row). However, if you have somebody nearby, there is a local multiplayer option, and real-life competition is a far better motivator than a streak counter.

Other than keeping active, the game doesn't really have a goal. All of the costumes are available from the start, so there's nothing to unlock. Because of that, the unmotivated may not have much of a reason to come back. However, the game makes cardio so much more fun, so if you want to stay active, this is an enjoyable option with a really good price tag.

The game is available for Switch here (as of 3/3/21): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/jump-rope-challenge-switch/

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