Soundboxing relies on endurance, agility and a bit of dexterity. It’s something of a hidden gem among fitness fanatics. Its community is strong, and constantly creating beatmaps and playlists. As a new player, or even one returning to the game after a long hiatus, you might wonder what to search for.
We’ve spent some time this month digging into our favorite playlists from the “monthly” section. Navigate to “Playlists” and select “Monthly” to find them. You can also sign into Soundboxing.co and beam the playlists direct to your workout. I’ll be linking to my favorite picks throughout, and you can view demos of the beatmaps for yourself.
And don’t forget, we wrote a guide on creating your own beatmaps like a pro.
These workouts do involve reaching high into the air, a lot of ambidexterity, and some of them get pretty tough. Fortunately, the system is pretty forgiving and failure seems next to impossible. Soundboxing is a great title if you’re looking to overcome the VR Fitness learning curve. If you’re ready to take your workout to the next level, try these playlists out for the month of April.
Oberstein
We’ll begin with Oberstein’s playlist made of a solid mix of club and house music. My favorite picks are the Daft Punk remix of Around the World, and the Crypt of the Necrodancer song. This list is on the challenging side, and it’s a pretty intense workout. I was sweating by the end, reaching for notes above me that really put my resistance training to the test. I was quite sore by the end of a four songs in my session.
Overall, the playlist has a good mix of dance and club type music, and there’s something from every modern popular genre. However, it’s not a light workout. It’s surprisingly intense and will test your skills as a rhythm gamer.
Not a Drummer
Next, we have a fun mix of songs from Not a Drummer. This playlist has some classic tunes with funk and soul that will take you back to the golden era of music, with a range of difficulties. Does anyone remember sweating to the oldies? Here’s sweating to classic rock!
We begin with Riding the Scree. This playlist has a ton of Genesis on it, and not the popular kind, so I decided to take this song for a ride. It ended up being exactly the kind of prog-rock sound I wanted with a beatmap that was challenging but not impossible.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlepn7295xo&w=560&h=315]
My next pick is Earth Wind and Fire’s September. A soulful beat that’s impossible not to dance to. The beatmap isn’t too tough, just follow the rhythm and let your hands do the rest. And remember, the system is forgiving so just try and have some fun with this one. .
Finally, we come to the trippy and funky Virtual Insanity. The music video is incredible in and of itself and combined with the beatmap I was in heaven. This song gets unexpectedly tricky towards the end, so be prepared!
There’s also a 12-minute song somewhere in this playlist that feels like the ultimate challenge.
Lithraviel
I loved the mix of nostalgia and pop in this list from Lithraviel. My picks for the list include MIA’s Paper Planes, and Friend Like Me. But the list generally has a good mix of hip hop and some interesting show tunes and popular music throughout. It’s a “for fun” list with medium to easy songs that are fun to dance to. You get a decent “punch” workout, and definitely some fun resistance training. Just watch out for a few tougher songs like Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, and the Nightcore tracks.
Overall, I’d recommend this list for most players, especially those who consider themselves beginners. You’ll learn how Beatmaps work, generally, and there are some great tracks everyone knows here.
I’m left wondering: what is Aladdin’s Friend Like Me doing here and why isn’t there a Disney playlist?
Demolian1
Demolian1’s mix contains some more popular tunes everyone knows, and it won’t have players reaching for high notes too often. Most of the notes came at me from the shoulder or waist length, making this list fun to punch. Lots of tracks have repeated half or quarter beats, so be prepared to shake your controllers a bit like maracas as you dance.
My picks include the Ghostbusters theme song, and Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. The Daft Punk track is medium to hard difficulty, so definitely be prepared, but it’s a fun track for dancing. I liked this list a lot for its more casual approach. Nothing here feels impossible, just difficult. For instance, the Ghostbusters theme has a section where you switch hands on the prominent beat. Once you’ve done it a few times, the motion feels a lot clearer.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9We2XsVZfc&w=560&h=315]
I like this list a lot for cooldown or warm up. I can play two or three tracks I enjoy and then hop into my routine.
Verjoen
Stephen Viljoen’s playlist is full of popular dance music and some fun classic picks that are hard not to love. I began with Johnny Cash’s classic, Folsom Prison Blues. The notes don’t involve too much ambidexterity, but enough to be challenging. The BPM keeps the pacing high without getting too intense. A good song for moderate players, or those looking to up their game from the easier tracks.
Van Halen’s Jump is far more exciting to play as a rhythm game. The beatmap takes advantage of the guitar riffs so you feel a bit like you’re playing Guitar Hero dance mode. It’s an exciting song too, and the beatmap has you pumping your arms up and down to the music.
Power of Love is another classic song that just screams late 80s hair metal to me. It’s a great song, and the accompanying music video brings you back to that golden era of early-mid 80s cinema where characters were lovingly naive.
Final Thoughts
April’s lists were all about classic rock and good vibes. I was caught unexpectedly by some songs, like Friend Like Me, but I found the nostalgia vibe served my workout well. Soundboxing is a great title for those of us addicted to rhythm. It’s got a decent mix of boxing and dancing, but there’s no emphasis on fighting. The leaderboards keep things competitive, and some of these playlists feature songs with only a few competitors. I scored second place once or twice because I was one of the first ten players to try something out.
What are your picks for this month? Let’s get it!
