Nintendo is the undisputed heavyweight champion of video game heroes. Your pantheon of key protagonists –Mario, shortcut, Samus– features some of the most iconic characters in all media. While the gameplay gimmicks and boss fights may be different, what unites them is their pure warmth in the face of overwhelming odds. Nintendo’s less popular characters are often pushed aside Smash Bros. Cameos and Virtual Console re-releases. (We miss you, pit of Child Icarus!) But there are many more Nintendo franchises that deserve a modern reinvention.
Nintendo’s rough boxing series, Punch Out!! made its debut in arcades 40 years ago and was instrumental in Nintendo’s rise to video game supremacy in the mid-to-late 1980s. After the great success of Donkey Kongthe first Punch Out!!
The arcade game was an instant hit in Japan and North America, allowing players to perform thrusts, uppercuts, and swings with just a few buttons and a joystick. Each of the game’s six opponents had their own striking and blocking pattern that had to be meticulously memorized in order to get them to the mat. The game’s balance between challenge and an attainable sense of mastery ensured that eager players took quarters just for another round.
For a time, the series was at the forefront of the arcade and emerging home console scene, receiving sequels Arm wrestling spinoffA Game and observation system
The gameplay had to evolve for the NES’s control scheme, but the core loop remained the same. To eliminate their opponents, players had to pay attention to visual cues, understand patterns, and wait for the right time to strike. This solid core is so strong that four decades later Punch Out!!
There were few new ones over the next few decades Punch Out Title. 1998 had Great punch out!! for the Super Nintendo and had the confusing title in 2009 Punch Out!! for the Wii. These days, if younger gamers know about Little Mac, it’s probably because they passed him by when choosing their favorite fighter Super Smash Bros Ultimate or noticed the game’s cameo in 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie.
But Mac and Punch Out!! still deserves so much more, so here’s hoping the Switch 2 sees the glorious return of Nintendo’s plucky underdog series. In the meantime, if you ever get the chance to try out the arcade cabinets or a vintage Nintendo console, give it a go Punch Out!! and its sequels are an opportunity. It’s much easier to become a boxer if you don’t have to get beaten in real life.