Roadwork

Becoming the World Heavyweight Champion will require hard work, patience, and perseverance. You’ll find all the tools and tips you need to work your way to the top right here!

Starting the Game

Press the Start Button and you’re ushered to the Main menu. Use Up or Down on the D-Pad to select either NEW or CONTINUE. Selecting NEW will, of course, start a new game. Selecting CONTINUE sends you to the Pass Key input screen.

WVBA Rules

A match in Punch-Out!! consists of three rounds, and each round is three minutes long. If a boxer is knocked down and doesn’t get up by the count of 10 seconds, the match ends in a KO. If a boxer is knocked down a total of three times in a single round, that boxer loses and the match ends in a TKO. If a match goes through all three rounds without a KO or TKO, the winner is determined by whichever boxer has the highest points, which is decided by the referee. In matches against title holders, the decision will always be ruled in favor of the defending champ.

The Main Event

There’s a lot more going on in a fight than just throwing punches while wearing boxing gloves. You’ve gotta learn to dodge! You’ve gotta learn to block! And you’ve gotta have Heart (and Stars)! Read on to learn how to keep Mac performing at his best!

Hearts (Mac’s Stamina)

Little Mac can punch as much as he wants, so long as he still has Hearts. He loses a Heart each time his opponent blocks or dodges one of his punches, and Little Mac loses three Hearts if he is punched by his opponent. If he loses all of his Hearts, he enters a fatigue state, and is temporarily unable to throw any more punches or block, meaning he must dodge and duck to avoid damage.

Stars

When Little Mac has a Star in the box next to the Hearts box, he can throw his patented move, “the Knock-Out Punch!”—a devastating uppercut that can bring most opponents to the mat if used properly. In order to get Stars, Mac needs to hit his opponent at the time when they are at their most vulnerable. This changes for each opponent Mac faces, but it’s usually just before they strike. Learn when to steal a Star from each opponent you face and you’ll be champ in no time!

Stamina Meters

The white bars at the top of the screen are Mac and his opponent’s Stamina Meters. Your goal is to deplete your opponent’s Stamina Meter while keeping yours from being depleted. Every hit received is a loss to the Stamina Meter; the harder the hit, the larger the depletion. When a fighter’s meter is fully depleted, they hit the mat and the ref begins his count. If the fighter gets back up, their Stamina Meter refills based on what count they got back up on, what round it is, and how many times the fighter went down in that match.

When a round ends, while both fighters are in their corners, if you hold the Select Button, Mac will listen to Doc’s advice and refill his Stamina Meter as a result. You can do this only once per match, so make sure you pick the right time to use it.

Scoring

If a match is taken to a decision, the score will be based on the performance of the fighters. Little Mac will score points for every hit landed on his opponent; Knock-Out Punches and Star-producing punches score the most points.

Rounds and Round Time

The time for each round and round number can be found in the top-right corner of the screen. When the timer reaches three minutes, the round ends. When the timer reaches that time on the third round, the fight will go to a decision. The victor is determined by points (if it’s not a title fight).