Virtual Reality's inherent physicality is perfect for fitness games. Between dedicated workouts such as FitXR to movement intensive experiences like Beat Saber, VR's a great way to mix burning calories with home entertainment. Now, FIT REALITY's brought us Viro Move.
Launching later this week on SteamVR, Viro Move's designed to replicate the results gained at a gym or fitness club, something I've recently lacked motivation for. Diving in for a few sessions, I came away pleasantly surprised.
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Witness The Fitness
Viro Move provides three main gameplay modes: Challenges, Career and Playlists. Challenges offer high-intensity workouts, providing Golden Weapon Crates upon completion for new cosmetics. Playlists mix together levels to keep life varied but primarily, you'll spend time in Career Mode, which comes with four level types - Boxing, Swords, Shooting and Weapon Master.
Boxing turns your controllers into punching gloves, hitting blue and orange orbs that correspond with your fists. The harder they're hit, the more points you earn. You'll need to dodge incoming walls by moving left, right and crouching too, similar to Beat Saber's obstacles. Viro Move increases your score based on movement, so keep active to earn 100% of your points.
Swords is similar, though you'll be swiping through orbs instead without the colour co-ordination. Shooting lets you dual-wield guns, but you can't just strike them. Hitboxes will appear and slowly close in towards your enemy. Shooting them when the hitbox aligns gives you a higher score. Finally, if you're looking to mix it up, Weapon Master lets you swap between all three styles.
Feel The Burn
Mostly, Viro Move pulls off gameplay well. It's got great rhythm, a motivational EDM soundtrack, 30 levels for each game and online leaderboards to encourage competition. More importantly, burning calories didn't feel like a chore, this was genuinely fun. On a related note, I'd suggest wearing sweat bands and frequently cleaning your headset. Trust me, you'll thank me later.
In terms of VR comfort, Viro Move places you inside a safety zone. There's no free movement during gameplay, so the nausea risk is minimal. If you suffer from Acrophobia, there's also a "Fear of Heights" mode to make environments more friendly.
Sadly, FIT REALITY's not included additional accessibility features beyond that and as a fitness-focused game, there's (understandably) no seated option. As a minor annoyance, you can't scroll through menus with the joysticks either, you've got to click the scroll bar and manually move it.
Visually, Viro Move features 5 colourful (but slightly generic) environments. Background details noticeably drop in resolution upon closer inspection but generally, they suit it well. Playing levels earn credits that can purchase cosmetic skins for your gloves, swords and guns too, customising your look.
Viro Move - Is It Worth It?
Viro Move is a great effort by FIT REALITY. Offering a competent workout program, varied different courses and flexibility, you'll enjoy it even if exercise isn't your goal. Though some minor gameplay problems hold it back, Viro Move's one of the more engaging fitness games I've encountered yet and as such, it comes recommended.
4/5
Review copy provided by publisher. Demo currently available on Steam.
Reviewed via Oculus Quest 2 using Virtual Desktop, with a PC using these specs.