While it’s true that Nintendo is having a relatively slow year in terms of first-party releases, you can’t blame the publisher for not having a trick up their sleeves during a slow period like this. Or rather, in this case, a bunny in their hat. Jump Rope Challenge is a Nintendo developed game that randomly dropped on the Switch eShop today with no prior build-up or fanfare. The game is free, and therefore relatively simplistic, but it is still crazy to think that only some hours ago, we had never heard of Nintendo’s Jump Rope Challenge, which is now available for all Switch owners to play.
Introducing #JumpRopeChallenge, a free simple game from Nintendo! Grab a pair of Joy-Con controllers and take an active break in your day by jumping rope! Available for download now on #NintendoSwitch!https://t.co/wa9gpMQYsx pic.twitter.com/YhnDAMiGD4
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 16, 2020
As the name suggests, Jump Rope Challenge is all about skipping. Literally, that’s all the game is about. You play as a cartoon bunny rabbit who hops along to your Joy-Con controller movements while racking up a score. The game encourages you to do 100 skips a day – however, your overall daily scores are also saved onto a calendar. There’s also a two-player mode that can get the competitive juices flowing over who can out-skip the other person.
Even though Jump Rope Challenge is far from deep – and you can technically cheat by simply waving your hands without jumping – there is still plenty of personality to the game. The background, sound effects, and costumes can all be changed to end up with some pretty weird results. And given most of the world is still in some form of lockdown, playing a free exercise game from home can help burn through some of that iso-belly that’s been building up (talking from experience).
My housemate was rightfully curious about where all the “meowing” was coming from.
Interestingly, the game will only be available to download until the end of September 2020. So, grab Jump Rope Challenge now in case it becomes one of those rare first-party Nintendo games that only ever sees a limited release.
