Nothin’ says lovin’ like my homemade biscuits! Err...rather, Boxing Fever is a really cool game.
I should make it clear that Boxing Fever is not the spiritual successor to Punch-Out!!; the two games simply play very differently. But that doesn’t mean BF isn’t a great game, and even hardcore fans of Nintendo’s classic boxing franchise should try Majesco’s new take on the sport, because there are a lot of great ideas here, not to mention fun.
The most striking thing about the action in Boxing Fever is that nothing is scripted. Each character has an arsenal of combos, but they’re difficult to spot without practice, and you never know when they’ll be used. Tiny (who, unsurprisingly, is so big you can’t even see his face from your perspective) doesn’t have some set pattern that you can learn and exploit to easily beat him; at all times, the keys to winning a match are observance and quick reflexes. If the opponent lowers his (or her!) gloves, you’d better block low real fast, and if you see them crouch down for an uppercut, you better dodge to the side...quickly. You’re always on the edge of your seat, high-strung and waiting for the perfect opportunity to sneak an attack or combo in.
This gameplay formula is perfectly complemented by the unique first-person view, since opponents literally fill the screen, giving attentive players no excuse not to see a punch coming. The animation is critical here, and it works very well...only a couple characters are so fast that it’s practically impossible to anticipate their actions, but they also do so little damage per punch that it’s okay to get hit a few extra times.
I’ll save the specifics for my graphics score explanation, but suffice it to say that BF is one of the most visually unique games yet released on GBA. The developers, Digital Fiction, have combined smooth parallax scrolling with absolutely gigantic, hand-drawn character sprites to create a highly interesting and very much functional look for the game. Graphics aficionados will eat up the clever use of technology, while everyone else will appreciate the unorthodox style and the how much the first-person view adds to the gameplay.
Boxing Fever has five levels of difficulty, all selectable right off the bat. It would have been cool to unlock the later ones, but it’s hard to complain when the AI is so good. Opponents pull no punches (ugh, bad pun alert!), and winning a championship on easy will make you want to jump right into something more challenging...a testament to the game’s playability and balance. There’s also a limited but quite useful training mode, plus a surprisingly fun “Endurance” test that rewards strategy and energy conservation even more than normal.
Last but not least, you can hook up with a friend’s GBA (you’ll need two cartridges) and go head-to-head...and this is one of the few games that just absolutely begs to be played with others. Unfortunately I didn’t get to test that feature out, but provided that it’s technically sound (no slowdown, etc.), multiplayer should be one of the most valuable and long-lasting modes in the game. Even matches against the computer often become veritable punching-chess-matches, and the ability to share that experience with a friend is enticing indeed.
Boxing Fever is a deep, cerebral game of pugilism; if you’re the type to jump in and start mashing on buttons, you’ll probably be frustrated very quickly. Those who can appreciate the strategic, seat-gripping gameplay and lush graphics are going to love this game. Highly recommended, especially if you’ve got a friend interested in two-player.