Punch-Out!!/Gameplay

Controls

 * /: Push the joystick to the left or right to dodge in either direction.
 * : Push the joystick up to raise your guard to protect your face and initiate punches to your opponent's face (known as a jab).
 * : Push the joystick down to lower your guard to protect your body and initiate punches to your opponent's body (known as a body blow).
 * Left punch/right punch: Push either button to throw a left or right punch. The height of your punch will be determined by the current position of your guard.
 * Knockout punch: When your KO meter is full, push the button while your guard is low to perform an uppercut, or push it while your guard is high to perform a right hook. While both attacks are aimed at the face, the right hook is a bit faster and generally the better punch, although it nets you fewer points.

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 version 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.

Your opponent's moves
Your opponents' jab and body blow are of course like your own. Your opponents don't use body blows very often, usually preferring a hook, which is performed when your opponent throws in a punch from the side and his arm is bent. Your opponents can also uppercut. There are two kinds of uppercuts. The more common uppercut involves the opponent ducking briefly before throwing the uppercut. They will usually overextend and you can easily counter attack. The other kind is faster and more immediate. This uppercut is thrown while standing and is not overextended much if at all.

Later on you may encounter the right cross. The first opponent to use the right cross is Glass Joe after defeating Mr. Sandman. This is a straight punch to the face that your opponent uses after dodging your left jab. You cannot dodge the right cross, so your only defense is to not provoke it in the first place.

You can tell a boxer is about to throw a punch because their eyes will turn yellow. This is called a "telegraph", since it tells you what's coming, and most of your opponents will have other telegraphs such as raising their fists a certain way before punching.