Tough review: Les Mills WILL give you a good workout--and a far superior one to games like Beat Saber, Pistol Whipped, etc.--but the lack ofTough review: Les Mills WILL give you a good workout--and a far superior one to games like Beat Saber, Pistol Whipped, etc.--but the lack of proper hit tracking and feedback means this game doesn't have what it takes to be considered good or even above average.
Les Mills is kind of a kickboxing workout, with patterns similar, albeit far superior, to Beat Saber, in terms of attaining real workout goals. You have numerous punch types, from hammer-fisted jump rope motions to punch-the-sky upstrikes. It also incorporates squats very well, sometimes with strikes included as you stay squatted under rolling obstacles. Kicks are not incorporated, but knees are (more on that later).
For PSVR 2, users have to take the cord into consideration. And while I love my PSVR 2 and the power boost it gets from being wired, that wire is a nuisance in an exercise app. But while it isn't a dealbreaker, there are a few things that might prevent you from enjoying your experience with the app...
Ultimately, I have several MAJOR frustrations with this app/game. First, and this is a doozy, the hit tracking is impossible to wrap my head around. I've gone through 20 minute workouts where I hit every jab, and then I'll do a different workout where half of them don't register. Moreover, sometimes, it seems like if I jab a little harder, it is more likely to register, but then other times, like at the end of a 20 minute workout when my shoulders are burning, I'll "paw" at the targets and get them to register. Is it that I'm not hitting them dead center when they don't register? I don't really know, but there in lies the second huge frustration--lack of feedback.
Les Mills opts for a cheerleader approach, which I hate. They should have implemented a feedback system. For instance, if I miss three knees in a row, have a voice pop in telling me what I'm doing wrong (because I seriously don't know). If four or five jabs in a row don't count, tell me---did I miss the middle of the target? Did I not hit it hard enough? Making a game/app that RELIES on hitting targets demands a more thorough feedback loop. Les Mills has no feedback at all.
And then there are the scoreboards. What seems like a cool idea to push yourself against other users really just becomes an exercise in frustration (pun intended). I've literally gone from first place in one workout to last place in another, simply because my right jab failed to register about 1/2 of the time. I've seen my score drop when knees don't "connect," despite me feeling like I'm repeating the exact same motion every single time.
So, buyer beware! As a user who's logged 15 hours of these workouts, you're getting equal parts exercise and equal parts frustration. It's such a bummer, too---you should be proud of completing these workouts, many of which WILL kick your butt (don't believe me then I dare you to stream yourself doing a high intensity workout). Instead, your left wondering if those who are beating your score are just "playing the game" to get points, or actually working out as intended.… Expand
