Punch King, hmmm, that title somehow seems familiar.  A boxing game where you go head-to-head against various comical boxers from around the world, you say?  Haven’t I already played this game?  Next thing you’ll say is the lead character is a wet-behind-the-ears scruffy green-haired boxer with a trainer who blurts out off-the-wall comments that make little to no sense. Well, yes actually.  Quite simply Punch King is a blatant Punch-Out!! clone that manages to give a much-needed boost to the boxing genre on the GBA.  Yes, Punch King is like Punch-Out!!.  Yes, it controls nearly identically.  And, no, Nintendo had nothing to do with the actual creation of this game.  And as obvious an imitation as this title is, Nintendo would be well advised to consider it a compliment.  As far as non-simulation boxing games are concerned Punch-Out!! is the undisputed heavyweight king, and I’m glad to say that Punch King does justice to the legacy that Punch-Out!! (ARCADE & NES, 1987 & 1984), and Super Punch-Out!! (1994) made.  Punch King takes a little bit from each of these games and meshes them together honorably, but falls just short of greatness.  If that is not enough elaboration on what Punch King is like than read on and I’ll pick the game apart, piece by piece.

Graphically the game is far better then average but not monumental by any means.  A few more frames of animation would have greatly enhanced the overall aesthetic appeal of Punch King, and despite the opponents unique appearances they lack an equally original personality -- don’t expect any entertaining taunts or trademark winning poses.  There certainly aren’t any Bald Bull-caliber foes in this game.  Rival boxers include the infamous Otto Van Pummelyu, the ballsy Wan Jab Lo, and the World Champion Bucky “pretty boy” Booth.  The art style Acclaim used is very original and look Todd McFarlane-esque,

Acclaim also did a great job in the sound department, using a large assortment of colorful digitized voices for the announcer.  Each fighter’s name is enthusiastically announced before every fight.  The accompanying music in the game is very fitting to the theme and successfully adds to the overall enjoyability of the game.  For each of the 12 boxers there are unique and entertaining musical-tracks to compliment the on-screen action.  The various sound effects in the game are also surprisingly effective, the sound of landing a right-uppercut to your opponents dome sounds satisfying and adequately realistic.

There are three gameplay modes in Punch King.  In Arcade Mode you’ll climb the ladder of success by facing off with 12 unique boxers from around the globe, starting with the weakest contender all the way up to the surprise “true” champion.  Aside from the main mode you’ll also have the option to participate in Survival Mode which is exactly like arcade mode except that it chooses your opponent randomly and your strength amount is carried over from match to match.  The goal of Survival is to see how many boxers you can take out before your energy is depleted, you will be given a ranking depending on how many boxers it took to take you down.  In VS Mode you can set up a quick match between you and any opponent you have beaten in Arcade Mode.  You will also be able to select the arena that you fight in, time limit, amount of rounds, and amount of energy recovered between rounds.

Like Punch-Out!! there will be indications that the enemy is about to attack, for instance the opponent’s boxing gloves will flash immediately before they attempt an attack.  Controlling your boxer may, at first, be a little confusing, but after around 20 minutes you should be comfortable with the control layout.  During the duration of a fight you’ll be given a certain amount of stamina, for each punch you throw your stamina will go down.  Executing devastating attacks will drain your stamina quickly where areas throwing a weak left jab will hardly affect your overall stamina.  Once your stamina reaches below a certain area you won’t be able to attack and instead be forced to go on the defensive until your stamina gradually increases back to an acceptable level.  You will also have a standard health-meter which once fully depleted will result in a knockdown.  And like the arcade version of Punch-Out!! there is a KO meter that can be filled up by successfully landing punches on an opponent, once your KO meter is filled you’ll be able to unleash as many attacks as you want without having to worry about your stamina decreasing.

Bottom line: I love this game.  But for the uninitiated or less nostalgic there are a few issues that should be addressed.  There is a serious lack of strategy in Punch King, memorizing when to attack and when to block will always result in victory and you can use the same technique over and over again on your opponent without the computer forcing you to change up your style.  The between-round dialogue is generic, your trainer will respond with the same quips and so-called “advice” regardless of how the round went.  Also an include multi-player mode would have been a welcomed addition.  The biggest gripe that I have about this game however is its lasting appeal: after you have memorized each opponents unique fighting style you’ll be able to blast right through the entire game in under 20 minutes.  But despite these minor annoyances Punch King is still a hugely entertaining game that manages to capture the same style and feel of those classic Punch-Out!! titles. 

Gameplay: 7.9
Gameplay in Punch King is very similar to that of Super Punch-Out!! and success is attained through knowing when to be on the defense and when to unleash a barrage of attacks on the opponent.  Performing various attacks is quite simple and for the most part logical, but newcomers to Punch-Out!!-esque games may require 20-30 minutes of practice before the control scheme is fully understood.

Graphics: 7.7
Graphics take a fresh comical approach and are very cartoony, in a good way.  The various digitized art illustrations look great and each boxer is incredibly aesthetically diverse.  Animation is a tad sparse but hardly detracts from the overall enjoyment.

Sound: 8.1
Music is fitting and enjoyable, the included announcer voice-clips are a welcome addition.  Aurally Punch King is very light-hearted and somewhat whimsical complimenting the bright cartoon-like graphics nicely.

Difficulty: Easy
Expect around 30 full minutes of playtime before completing the game.  Continually mashing on the buttons will more than likely result in a victory and even the most novice gamer will be able to complete Punch King in under an hour.

Concept: 8.4 
A blatant Punch-Out!! rip-off sounds like an excellent concept to me!  Punch King will more then deliver on the goods for anyone looking for some good old fashioned cartoon-based boxing.  The various personalities aren’t quite up to par with Punch-Out!! but they are adequately entertaining.

Overall: 8.1

Punch King is hands down the most entertaining boxing title currently out for the GBA.  Unfortunately there are a few too many minor issues that ultimately keep this title from being an instant classic along the same lines of it’s predecessors.  But until Nintendo wises up and ports over Super Punch-Out!! for the GBA, Punch King will continue to be the definitive cartoon boxing game for the handheld market.