Parents' Guide to

Walk It Out

By Jinny Gudmundsen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Walking becomes a fun game of exploration and getting fit.

Game Nintendo Wii 2010
Walk It Out Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Walk It Out Game: Screenshot #1
  • Walk It Out Game: Screenshot #2

Community Reviews

See all
age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

Ritchie A.
Ritchie A. Adult
January 24, 2017
age 6+

Flawed But Fantastic

There are a few issues with this title: it often counts movements from a previous step as belonging to the next step, and despite this being a perfect opportunity to use Miis (you did spend a long time modelling your family and friends, right?), they use their own generic people models. It can also be really hard to aim at things to build or collect them, though some people might not consider that a negative :) On the plus size, this is a perfect way to tie physical activity in with rewards. Unlike an elliptical in front of the TV, exercise and rhythm are essential for progressing, and this game uses some common video game tricks to draw you in: steps taken are "money", which you can use to unlock paths, songs, times of day, and to build things in the map. 10 steps for a flower pot, 100 for a palm tree, 400 for a fancy house, 1000 for a flower field, and unlike a lot of video games, there's a natural termination when you get too tired (though you might make that extra little push to build that windmill, because points don't carry over) Personally, I find it motivating enough to clock 12,000 steps in a session easily, and the music is really good, though you may wish to go in and disable some songs (which you can) that have more adult lyrics.

This title has:

Great role models
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

WALK IT OUT is a rhythmic walking game that helps families get fit by walking everyday. Kids create an avatar which represents them as they explore walking paths within the world of Rhythm Island. They start on a limited number of paths but the more they walk, the more the island expands. As kids walk in place in real life, their avatar walks in the virtual world. Each rhythmic step earns a chip to use to unlock additional walking paths, trees, buildings, landmarks, rainbows, new music, and even the ability to change the time of day. You choose what to spend your chips on by pointing your Wii remote at floating capsules. For example, if you click on a palm tree that costs 50 chips and you have earned that many steps, a palm tree instantly grows beside the path.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (4):

Walk It Out makes it fun to hit the pavement, counting steps. By turning walking into a game, Walk It Out turns exercise into an enjoyable experience for kids. It is easy to start up, and hard to stop, which is a good thing because it makes you want to keep walking. You can walk just holding the Wii remote with the Nunchuk tucked into your pants pocket or waistband; or you can walk on a DDR dance pad or by using the Wii Balance Board – they all work. You can even walk with another person with two avatars showing on the screen, so that this game is a great way for a parent and a child to play together. It is a video game that can help combat childhood obesity.

This is a game all ages will enjoy from as young as age 3 to 99. But if you are playing it with little kids, select your own playlist from the 120 songs because some have edgy lyrics. And don't elect to play the two optional mini-games that involve whacking humanoid figures. Also, you will want to fiddle with the options so that little kids don't lose points if you miss a beat while walking. You can even set how hard it is to earn the capsules that decorate and expand this world.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the importance of getting exercise everyday.

  • Families can also discuss the creation of an avatar to represent you onscreen. Why did you choose the traits that you did?

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate