BOXVR

Review

Fitness has been a hot topic for as long as I can remember, either keeping bodies in shape or getting them into shape. Let me throw my hat in the ring . . . as a young frog, I used to be super fit, playing soccer at least four times a week (training), plus a full game on the weekend. Then I discovered cooking and fine wines in my mid-twenties, and since then I have accumulated a little bit of fat on my belly. Yeah, I am overweight! This year (2018), I am bringing back my fitness with a daily trip to the gym. Can I fit in some BOXVR as part of my daily routine?

BOXVR is a VR Boxing game where you can take several workout sessions to eliminate as many calories as possible in the comfort of your own home.

First, you’ll need to put your height and weight into the system. Then, you’ll be prompted to go to the main menu where you’ll see a board with your statistics on the left, telling you how many workouts you’ve done, how many calories you’ve burnt, and your percentage of hits.  The rest of the board will give you several other workout options and a tutorial. You can select workouts designed by the developers, try to exercise as long as you can with the survive mode, or train with your own favourite soundtracks.

I was really excited the designed workouts. There are 17 available to you, choosing between beginner, power, speed, endurance or super endurance. The workout times vary from 5 to 37 minutes. You also have four locations in which to pursue your training: The New York gym, a graveyard, a dark tunnel and a festive winter holiday place.

The gameplay is absolutely sublime; balls of different colours will come at you at varying speeds, coordinated with music. Some balls will have an arrow, either on a side or underneath, which indicate from which direction you need to hit them, and with which hand.  So get ready to punch, jab and give your best uppercuts! You will have to block incoming objects, as well as squatting and ducking overhead bars.  The other aspect I like about BOXVR is the leader board, which will definitely push you do a good workout in order to grab the top spot, if that’s your motivation. Plus, hitting a ball with more intensity will get you more points.  Keep up your hitting streak and you’ll earn extra multiplier points.  There’s plenty to challenge you and have a great workout!

Personally, I find this game very fluid; I tried several workouts, including the endurance, and I was buggered and dripping with sweat by the end of it! The funny part is that my 65 year-old mother gave it a go and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Then my wife hijacked my computer for a little try.  Fifty minutes later, her checks were bright red - we decided to have a session once a day as part of our daily routine. Yes, BOXVR will give you a seriously good workout! You can even set a daily goal of how many calories you wish to burn.

Graphically, the game is fabulous and the soundtrack is really cool and upbeat; you can train with your own music too.  The developers are going to release more workouts, which will be fab!  One thing I would like to see is more locations; maybe in China, for example, hitting dragon heads.