For those following along, this will be the fourth NES game I’ve profiled. Those games are, in order:
Tecmo Super Bowl
Mega Man 2
Super Mario Bros. 2
Punch-Out!!
That feels about right, to be honest. While Punch-Out!! might in some ways be the most impressive of that group when it comes to its intuitive, responsive play control or its huge, bright graphics, it’s also in many ways the simplest of the bunch.
Memorize a pattern, be quick with your inputs, wash, rinse, repeat.
That lack of variety works for and against the game. You could call it the purest of the four, but you could also call it the least interesting of the four.
For the purposes of this exercise, let’s lean into pure, shall we?
Punch-Out!!
Genre: Sports
Released: 1987
Platform: NES
No. 17 on Nintendo Power’s Top 200
That simplicity is at the very heart of what makes the game work. Most great games offer some variation of that principle of “easy to grasp; difficult to master,” but it’s taxing to try to think of a game that comes close to Punch-Out!! in straight out embodying the concept. Punch. Block. Dodge. These are the basic principles, but again, they must be employed in the correct manner in order to survive, and as one progresses in the game, the demands on one’s skills become more and more extreme. The gamer is charged not only with figuring out how to deploy his or her arsenal in the most effective manner — for example, when an opponent is vulnerable to an attack — but then the reflexes and finger dexterity required to actually pull it all off come into play as well.
You must learn how to win, and then you must train yourself to be able to actually do so.
The play controls, thankfully, mostly cooperate with that goal. Precise inputs are nearly always possible, with most irregularities in movement due to user error. It may feel like your guy went the wrong way, but more than likely you just didn’t hit the correct button fast/hard/softly enough. Now, it’s not perfect. The unforgiving hard edges of an NES controller provide additional challenge, as do any hiccups you might encounter in emulation (input delay is an often over-cited excuse for dismissing emulated games and/or game being played on modern displays … but when fractions of a second are impactful, delay becomes a real factor with a game like this). In short, you probably want to play this game in its original format on an NES cartridge if possible … or be prepared to spam the game with save points (this would be considered “cheating” in some circles).
The actual “cheat” inherent in trying to learn the game is the memorization of patterns that occurs. This allows you to become almost “Jedi-like” in your movements, anticipating an opponent’s movements before they occur, thereby having your counter attack and/or avoidance of their attack ready to go. The resulting sensation is of getting into a kind of flow or rhythm … and oh hey, that kind of sounds like real boxing, doesn’t it?
What’s actually even better about this system is that you can rely on it all the way until the final boss … but it won’t work on him. If you try it and guess wrong, he knocks you out immediately. If you’re going to beat the game, you cannot try to anticipate your opponent’s moves. You have to earn it through quick reaction alone.
Indeed, defeating Mike Tyson and/or Mr. Dream is considered one of video gaming’s highest achievements.
Ah yes, that odd substitution. Midway through the game’s initial run on the NES, Mike Tyson disappeared from the cover and marketing of the game, and even the game itself, being replaced with a fighter identical in skills but decidedly different in appearance (to avoid any potential litigation, I’m sure). Many folks thought this came about because of Tyson’s various exploits in and out of the ring, including his criminal history. But the truth was much simpler — Nintendo didn’t want to pay him anymore. Either way, whether fighting Tyson OR Mr. Dream, the frustration inherent in trying to defeat this ultimate boss is IMMENSE. It’s the stuff of legend and lore … because it’s just THAT difficult.
An added level of strategy prior to that ultimate duel is that nearly every fighter presents a variety of openings. Some of said openings are large and gaping, offering pretty modest returns on your counters. Others are microscopic and harder to exploit … but if you do connect, you earn a star, which gives you the means to unleash a tremendous “finishing” style of attack. This collection of stars so as to increase your attack power is a key component of the game. Though you can play the game through with little regard for the star system, it does make each opponent more susceptible to quick disposal (not a small thing when each fight is only three rounds long to begin with — giving you a narrow window to complete your objectives).
The story of the development of the game is less interesting and more straightforward than many others. Since Punch-Out!! was originally an arcade game, the biggest challenge involved porting it onto a home console that was completely incapable of replicating said original’s big, bold graphics. The eventual solution was actually genius, as the developers sought to create huge, detailed sprites among the various opposing fighters, but sacrificed the sprites of the main character, making him smaller and weaker-looking by comparison. This added to the atmosphere of the game, creating more of that wonderful underdog story line while simultaneously maintaining impressive sprites for the enemies … while also giving the gamer the ability to see everything the opposing fighter was doing/preparing to do (since everything is third person, and your character is so small, your character doesn’t block the gamer’s view).
If there’s a problem with Punch-Out!! today it’s the game’s horribly executed stereotypes of varying world cultures and people, occasionally stepping over the line into terrible taste/racism. Yes, they did a highly competent job of giving each character a unique design, memorable characterization, and subtly different attacks/moves … and yes, these are big, beautifully rendered sprites (especially for an 8-bit game), but sometimes it gets super cringy (a full quarter of these fighters probably wouldn’t fly in today’s world).
These things are what they are. In circumstances such as these, I find it’s best to enjoy the brilliance where it occurs, but also acknowledge the problems. I can still enjoy “Pulp Fiction” or Splash Mountain, after all.
So what makes it worth playing today?
As I led with, I believe it’s a top five NES experience. Yeah, some people may quibble with this title being ranked over some others, but Punch-Out!! is still pretty universally beloved, regardless of its placement on an individual’s favorites list. It’s basically essential to the NES library.
For everyone.
It has earned that designation thanks to its game play and visuals (and let us not fail to mention that ear worm of a main theme), and really, if you take a step back from it and say to yourself, “If I’m ever going to play a boxing game, which one would it be?” it should take you about .03 seconds to decide on this one.
Definitive, console defining title? Check. Best game within its specific genre? Check. But wait, there’s more!
Punch-Out!! was so good, and so important, that it leaked outward into pop culture relevance.
It’s impossible to name drop Mike Tyson and not think of this game (and vice versa). As a result, the game, and the legend surrounding its final boss difficulty, has staying power. So whether you had a great time with it 3 decades ago or whether you’ve never even touched the thing, it’s an iconic, culturally important game (as evidenced by these absurd auction prices) worth being experienced by everyone.
And I promise you this: Knock out Glass Joe, and you’ll want to experience more.
Dave’s Score: 10/10
Check out the whole Retro Gaming Essentials list here!
How to play
- Original hardware (NES)
- Animal Crossing (GameCube; unlockable)
- Virtual Console (Wii, WiiU, Nintendo 3DS)
- NES Classic Edition
- Nintendo Switch Online