Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! works on a dodge-counterpunch system, which is to say, you dodge your opponent's punch, and then quickly counterpunch to stun them. Once stunned, you can get in several free punches before they come to their senses.
Characters
You play as Little Mac, an up and coming boxer from the Bronx. You have a trainer named Doc Louis who coaches you in between rounds and helps you train in between circuits. The referee for the game is Mario.
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Little Mac in his corner with his trainer.
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Your trainer, Doc Louis.
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The referee for the game, Mario.
Controls
| Control | Effect |
|---|---|
 |
Dodge Left |
 |
Dodge right |
 |
Block |
|
Duck |
 |
Low Left punch |
 |
Low Right Punch |
 + |
High Left Punch |
| + |
High Right Punch |
 |
Uppercut (if you have a star) |
 ( + ) |
Stand up after being knocked down |
Alternate between pressing and quickly to get up after being knocked down. You can only do this three times per match, and it will be harder to get up each time. However, three knockdowns in one round results in a TKO and ends the match immediately.
Left and right punches are identical in speed and power, although you may need to throw one or the other depending on the situation. Ducking is a useless move since dodging is faster and works just as well. Not all opponent attacks can be blocked, but all can be dodged. You don't need to dodge in a certain direction; unlike other boxing games, a dodge in either direction works just as well no matter the direction from which the punch is coming.
The game cannot be paused; you must wait for the end of the round or match.
If you press and immediately press (or press and immediately press ) you will return to the center more quickly when dodging. This is the quick-dodge, an important technique against Mr. Sandman's uppercuts, since he will hit you hard if you dodge too long.
Rounds
| Hit | Points |
|---|---|
| Normal punch | 10 |
| Get a star | 110 |
| Uppercut | 500 |
| Knockdown | 1,000 |
| Star knockdown | 1,500 |
Each fight is divided into three rounds of three game minutes each. The game moves at three times normal speed, and slows down for counterpunches, some animations and stops completely for knock downs. At the end of round 1 and round 2, your number of hearts is reset to the number you started the fight with, and your number of stars is reset to zero. If you knock down your opponent three times in a round, you get an automatic technical knockout (TKO), which means you win and get another KO added to your KO record. (Your opponents can also TKO you.) If round 3 ends before one of you is knocked out, you might be able to win by decision.
To win by decision, you need to have a certain number of points. The number of points depends on the opponent and is listed in the walkthrough. Circuit champions can never be beaten by decision, and neither can Mr. Sandman or King Hippo. Winning by decision does not add to your KO record, but it makes no real difference.
Hearts and stars
At the top of the screen you can see the number of stars and hearts you have. At the start of each round you will have a certain number of hearts, depending on your opponent. (You will usually have more hearts against opponents who require you to block a lot.) You will use up one heart whenever you block an attack or when your opponent dodges or blocks your attack. You will also lose three hearts if you are hit. If you run out of hearts, you will turn pink and you cannot punch, block, or quick-dodge. You will regain some hearts after dodging a few of your enemy's attacks. Be warned that opponents will alter their behavior when you're out of hearts, but they'll resume their normal pattern once you're back to normal. If you get knocked down, then your hearts are reset to 9.
The number of stars you have indicates how many uppercuts you can throw. If you are hit, the number of stars you have is reduced by one, and you will lose all your stars if you're knocked down. You gain stars by hitting your opponent at the right time, which you will learn about below.
Countering an attack
Most of the time you will not be the aggressor. Instead, you will wait for your opponent to make a move and exploit it.
There are three ways to counter an attack:
- Blocking and countering
- Dodging and countering
- Interrupting it
Blocking causes you to take a small amount of damage and also uses up a heart. Dodging costs nothing but if your timing is off you will get hit by the full force of the attack. In either case you will usually get to hit your opponent multiple times in the face (they will usually block their body when stunned). You can keep hitting him until you hear and see a punch that looks particularly forceful: this signifies that your chain of hits is over and your opponent has recovered.
Interrupting an attack will usually, but not always, get you a star (but it won't if you knock down your opponent). It depends on the attack and the timing. Generally, you want to hit your opponent while they are preparing their attack, not the moment they actually begin their move. This can be a risky move, and will often backfire on inexperienced players except in the case of very slow moves (like Great Tiger's uppercuts). Although stars are valuable, you don't need to master this technique to be good at the game.
A few of your opponents have special moves which can be interrupted. These will be detailed in the description of your opponent. Interrupting your opponent's special move will usually knock down your opponent, so it is a valuable technique to learn.