Train hard, fight crocodiles and find love. Earn your place in the Punch Club ranks, and discover who brutally murdered your father, in this choose your own adventure boxing management tycoon.
Players take on the role of a young fighter seeking to avenge their father's murder. The core gameplay loop involves managing the protagonist's daily activities, training their stats, and strategically building their fighting abilities to progress through the branching storylines and challenges.
Players must carefully balance the protagonist's need for food, sleep, training, work, and social time each in-game day. Failing to properly allocate these resources can lead to stat decay, making progression more difficult. This creates an engaging juggling act as players strive to optimize the character's development.
Dedicating time to training can increase the protagonist's Strength, Agility, and Stamina attributes, unlocking new fighting abilities and strategies. However, the game's stat decay mechanic means players must remain diligent in their training routines to maintain their character's fighting prowess.
While fights are automated, players can customize the protagonist's fighting style by selecting a specific set of skills to use in each bout. This allows for strategic depth, as players must anticipate their opponent's tactics and counter them accordingly. The skill tree provides numerous options, encouraging experimentation and replayability as players discover which combinations work best.
The game features a compelling narrative with branching storylines and multiple possible endings. The choices players make throughout the game, both in terms of their character's development and their interactions with NPCs, can significantly impact the direction and outcome of the story, further enhancing the game's replay value.
Fans frequently praise the game's engaging blend of management, customization, and narrative elements. The ability to tailor the protagonist's development and fighting style, combined with the need to strategically allocate their time and resources, creates a deeply satisfying gameplay loop. Additionally, the nostalgic pixel art, abundant pop culture references, and well-written story have resonated with many players.