Fitness VR: Review

This game was reviewed on the Meta Quest 3s.

Reviewed by: David Cameron

Ah, Fitness VR for the Meta Quest 3. Developed by the legendary ArtSoft and available for the unbeatable price of just $1, this game is proof that sometimes, you really do get what you pay for. A game so revolutionary, so immersive, that it almost makes you forget you could just… go outside. Who needs fresh air, proper gym equipment, or even a functioning fitness routine when you have the sheer brilliance of this digital masterpiece? Strap on your headset, clear your living room of anything breakable, and get ready for an experience that will leave you sweating—mostly from frustration.

Let's start with the gameplay. If you've ever dreamed of working out in a virtual space with mechanics that sometimes register your movements and sometimes decide you should just stand still, then congratulations, this is the game for you! Nothing says "fitness motivation" like throwing a punch only to have the game completely ignore your effort. It's like shadowboxing with a ghost that doesn't care about your existence.

The graphics? Absolutely stunning—if you're nostalgic for early 2000s CGI. The environments are so blandly uninspiring that you might as well be exercising in a dentist's waiting room. You get two breathtaking settings to choose from: the woods, where you can admire pixelated trees as you flail your arms in frustration, or a futuristic space environment, where the emptiness mirrors the depth of the game's mechanics. But hey, who needs variety when you have two whole locations to explore?

And let's talk about the soundtrack. Oh, the soundtrack! If you love royalty-free electronic beats that sound like they were lifted from a low-budget infomercial, you're in for a treat. The game's music is so generic and repetitive that by the end of your session, you'll be questioning whether you actually exercised or just endured some sort of psychological experiment in patience.

But the real magic of Fitness VR lies in its workout variety. Or rather, the lack thereof. Your options boil down to four incredibly engaging activities: punching objects, archery, dodging objects, and a match-3-style hitting game. That's it. Just imagine the limitless excitement of punching floating shapes for minutes on end! Or the thrill of pretending to be an archer, shooting at stationary targets while your controller struggles to register your pull. Dodging objects might sound dynamic, but when the game fails to recognize your movements half the time, it turns into a fun guessing game of "will this count?" And the final mode—a match-3-style object-hitting game—because nothing screams high-intensity workout like a mechanic ripped straight from a mobile puzzle game.

The user interface? A true marvel of modern design—if the goal was to make you feel like you're navigating a fitness app from 2010. Menus are clunky, options are limited, and nothing says "immersive experience" like having to remove your headset multiple times just to figure out what went wrong. Nothing screams high-tech VR like a UI that makes you nostalgic for Wii Fit.

Now, let's discuss the tracking. If you thought Meta Quest 3's advanced tracking would make this a smooth experience, think again. Want to do a squat? Hope the game recognizes it. Throwing a punch? Maybe it lands, maybe it doesn't—who knows? It's all part of the fun, right? There's nothing more exhilarating than trying to complete a workout while battling a game that seems determined to gaslight you into thinking you're not actually moving.

Multiplayer? Oh, wait—there is none. That's right, Fitness VR is strictly a single-player experience, because why would you want to share the joy of barely functioning fitness mechanics with your friends? No competition, no leaderboards, just you, your questionable motion tracking, and a whole lot of existential dread.

And let's not forget the monetization. Oh, actually, we can forget it—because there's no DLC! That's right, once you've exhausted the sheer depth of content (all four whole activities), that's it. No new workouts, no expansions, no updates—just you and the realization that even for $1, you might have overpaid.

But wait—there's more! For those who tire of the exhilarating repetition, Fitness VR offers a stress relief mode. What is it, you ask? A mode where you… punch objects. Yes, that's right, an entirely separate mode dedicated to doing exactly what you were already doing, just with a different label. Because nothing relieves stress like playing a game that barely functions and pretending it's a feature.

So, why a 4/10? Well, it's not completely unplayable. If you enjoy fighting against spotty motion tracking, dull environments, and an overall experience that makes real exercise look way more appealing, then this is the game for you. At the very least, Fitness VR does succeed in one aspect—it makes you want to take off the headset and go for a real run just to escape it.

Final Verdict: If frustration burns calories, then this game is the most effective workout you'll ever have.

Reviewed by: David Cameron