Review: Knockout Home Fitness (Nintendo Switch)

Knockout Home Fitness invites you to” Kick your workout up a notch!” Amidst a growing library of Nintendo Switch exercise releases, is this one you’ll want to burn calories with? Maybe.

While I played this game when first released in late September, it sat a while before I returned to it. None of this was because the game had any major blemishes, but rather the early autumn release meant it was still great outdoor weather. So for exercise, it was easier to speed walk, even if a few miles took much longer than a play session with my Switch. Now that a month has passed and November is nearly here, I can see myself using this more as the fall walking weather gives way to chill.

Knockout Home Fitness feels similar to Fitness Boxing 2, sharing most of the same pros and cons. I thought the latter was a good title, and I share that same mindset towards Knockout Home Fitness. In fact, at $10 less, more budget-minded gamers on the fence might lean towards this. But FB2 is better overall, with more than double the number of personal trainers and unlockables.

Similarities notwithstanding, Knockout Home Fitness has something of its own flavor. The trainer list is small, but each one is flanked by silent partners on their sides. Ten-minute workouts are ideal if you’re looking for a quick session or merely want to build up your stamina (you can unlock up to half an hour). Achievements can prompt replays if your potential health benefits aren’t enough.

One area Knockout Home Fitness could do sizably better with is teaching. On-the-fly instruction doesn’t do enough to differentiate between the different punches, in my estimation. Practice and mostly generous scoring negates this, but only slightly. These guides assume a preexisting level of skill players may not have.

As expected, kicks are on the honor system. But I still welcome their inclusion for providing some variety. Punches are color-coded to differentiate between left and right. There are also indicators if you’re color blind. I’m not sure how strong this game would make you, but it can generate a sweat, for sure. After a few sessions, you’ll get a strong sense of what is on offer here, for better or worse.

Earlier, I said the game has no major blemishes. But the smaller ones do add up. For $39.99, you might expect more trainers, more detailed instruction, and better implemented kicking. As I mentioned at the outset, the growing library of Switch exercises titles means it’s not hard to find those that are less expensive and more varied.

Knockout Home Fitness is a Switch exclusive competing with the Fitness Boxing series and the expanding number of Switch workout games. I always welcome additional choices, and it manages to hold its own, more or less. But the price might be high for the content of a title that never aims to be anything more than “good enough.” Weigh the pros and cons and check out the demo to decide if you want to “Knock out inactivity” with this one.

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