Unless you have access to high-paid, Hollywood personal trainers, you aren't likely to resemble the muscular stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, a new workout app wants to use those superheroes to help you achieve your own, more attainable fitness goals.
“There’s nothing more motivating than combining exercise and storytelling,” says Adrian Hon, CEO and co-founder of Six to Start, the developer behind Marvel Move, an upcoming interactive workout program set in the Marvel Universe. “Our collaboration with Marvel will deliver that same powerful motivation to millions more.”
What does “exercise and storytelling” look like? Look at Six to Start’s previous release, Zombies, Run! That interactive audio drama encouraged you to get up and jog by convincing you that you were running away from zombie hordes. Marvel Move works the same way, except that it replaces zombies with fully voice-acted Marvel characters who push you to run the extra mile.
Six to Start’s writers collaborated with Marvel comic book talent like Tini Howard for five workout programs designed around popular heroes. Run from Sentinels with the X-Men. Train in Asgard with Thor. Go on the lam with the Hulk. Prowl the streets with Daredevil. Visit magical worlds with Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch. Although these stories won’t crossover for a grand, Avengers Endgame-style finale, the different genres should satisfy different fans. It sounds similar to Marvel’s recent narrative podcasts, except here the listener is turned into the main character.
Whereas games like Pikmin Bloom and Pokemon Go constantly break up the flow to have you poke at the screen, Marvel Move offers a continuous workout. Stories feature multiple episodes, with cliffhangers leaving you eager for your next run. You can incorporate music or turn on in-universe radio stations to stretch episodes out even longer, so you don’t burn through everything during one especially long session. You even find collectibles and earn achievements.
If Ring Fit Adventure has taught us anything, it's that making exercise a game is an effective endeavor. Marvel Move features marathon-level training intensity options and supports outdoor running, treadmills, and wheelchairs.
Marvel Move's content will exist inside an upcoming mobile fitness app called ZRX, a platform where you can listen to more audio workouts. You will find Zombies, Run! there, too. Six to Start hopes to expand the platform in the future.
Right now, you can sign-up for a two-year Founders Club subscription for $99, a 30% discount that also includes some extra perks. Marvel Move arrives this summer.