When it comes to games designed to work on your fitness, I generally look out for two key things: how well it manages to give me a workout, and how much it’ll keep me engaged. Fail even one of these, and I’ll probably drop off and never return. Some games try and feel more engaging but don’t really offer any kind of workout, but usually the issue is that I simply get bored and stop altogether.

DodgeCraft aims to offer a nice mix of both elements, but how effective will it be?

Many thanks to the publisher for the review code.

DODGE, SHOVE, AND PUNCH
DodgeCraft offers two main game modes for you to sink your teeth into: Dodge’Em and Run the Gauntlet. Each one allows you to run through a brief tutorial so that you can feel comfortable against all the different elements before you jump in for real. It works really well, and I also appreciate that your playspace size can be adjusted to not only cater for different room sizes – but also allows for a customisable level of challenge too.

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Dodge’Em is a relatively simple affair, that gives you a full body exercise as you dodge and weave the incoming asteroids. It’s deceptively basic, as all you really have to do is get out of the way lest you get struck by a meteorite. As time goes on, they start to get faster and faster, thus demanding better reflexes. It’s also brutally precise too, which I found quite difficult to get used to at first given how forgiving other similar games tend to be. After I adjusted to it though, I found the mode to be rather rewarding as all hits still feel fair.

It’s a solid gameplay mode, but having played other games that force you to avoid incoming objects, I also found myself losing interest after finishing a particularly good run. Thankfully though, Run the Gauntlet doesn’t suffer from that same fate and instead offers something extremely addictive.

Like with Dodge’Em, the goal is still pretty straightforward. As you stand in one place, you need to defend the area against incoming robots by shoving them into the void on either side. There’s a nice selection of robots on display, each with their own behaviour. One crafty type likes to sidestep and fakeout quite often, making him quite unpredictable; another sprints by and you have to grab his baton at just the right time; or maybe you’ll find a helpful robot that hands you a handy mallet that can smash your foes into the abyss. It’s really fun, and you can feel it working both your body and your reflexes.

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After being burned by many other VR fitness games, I was pleasantly surprised by DodgeCraft. Sure, there’s still not a huge amount of depth as the game really is just limited to these two modes, but the important thing is that they’re both incredibly enjoyable and offer a good workout too. If there’s one fitness game I’ll return to on my Quest, it’ll probably be this one.

VERDICT
Whether you’re more of a dodger or a shover, DodgeCraft should be right up your alley. With two fun gameplay modes, a simple but effective tutorial, and an adjustable play area, there’s more than enough here to keep you entertained for the price. There aren’t many fitness games that keep me engaged, but this sure is one of them.