Punch-Out!!/Gameplay

Screen arrangment
Punch-Out!! uses two separate displays, one stacked on top of the other, to display all of the relevant information about the game. Most of your attention will be focused on the bottom screen, where the action of the fight takes place. However, there are bits of useful information to be found on the top screen as well as the bottom screen, so it's good to know where to look for it.
 * Top Screen
 * Boxer portraits
 * Current top score
 * Remaining fight bonus
 * Player's current score
 * Fight number
 * Remaining time (out of 3 minutes)
 * Fighter status (Opponent on the left, player on the right)
 * Bottom Screen
 * K.O. Meter (fills in from the right to the left)
 * Fight scene

Player
The boxer you control will appear as a green haired fighter with green boxing gloves, green trunks and a green wire-frame mesh. This enables you to easily distinguish your character from your opponent, and to see the movements of your opponent while maintaining a third-person over-the-shoulder view of the fight. However, while possessing and defending the championship belt, your character will have red boxing gloves and trunks, and a yellow wire-frame, although his hair will remain green.

While boxing, your guard will remain in its most recent position until you change it. If you press up, your guard will remain high until you press down. This differs from the console versions where your guard defaults to low, and you must hold up to keep it high.

The left jab is your fastest and weakest punch, followed in strength (and slowness) by the right jab, left body blow, and right body blow. The speed tends to be more important than the power, so the left jab is typically your main punch, and you should use right punches less often.

You may only execute a knockout punch when your KO meter is full. Even if the tone rings and you hear "Knock him out!", you cannot execute the punch until the meter is actually full. Fill up your knockout meter by successfully hitting your opponent and dodging his attacks. You may lose a point when your punch is blocked or dodged, and you will lose a significant amount if you get hit or grabbed.

You will usually get a "free" KO punch whenever your meter fills up. By "free", we mean your opponent will ignore it and probably get hit by it (unless they were already going to do a move that happens to dodge it). You can sometimes get more than one free KO punch but you are probably pushing it by going for more than one. After the earliest fights, your opponent will usually dodge and hit you while you throw your punch, but when your meter fills back up you will get a free one again. Be sure to use it! Being knocked down or knocking down your opponent will not give you another free KO punch.

After getting knocked down the first two times, the player will automatically rise at some point in the count. Pushing buttons is not required as it is in the console versions of Punch-Out!! You will not get up under any circumstances after the third knock down.