Punch Club

Hello! I just had a go at Punch Club – the fighting management game that had me running around in a nostalgic way – and I want to tell you about it. To sum up, I’d rate it a nice 7.5/10, but let me get into the details.

Story & Theme – 8/10
Right from the start, I liked the cheesy kung-fu movie feel inspired by the 80s and 90s. The main idea is the vengeance for one’s father’s murder which is a common theme, but it is accompanied by interesting quests and eccentric characters that give it a new life. The overlapping of the main plot and side stories is done so nicely that every character is given the right amount of importance. It’s not an intense story but it is likable and very much in line with the retro theme. What’s more, the allusions to fighting movies and the like from the past provided a nostalgic feeling that kept me involved.

Gameplay & Management Stuff – 6.5/10
Okay, this is where I'm split. The main thing you do is train your character, fight, work to earn cash, and eat. It gets pretty tactical, and I had fun planning out my days. But, the game can be super tough in a bad way. Your different stats – strength, agility, and stamina – will decrease over a period of time which means you are always switching between the training and maintaining them. It is a grind, especially on a tougher setting, and at times it feels like the game is actively working against your progress. For instance, you could be saving for a gym upgrade and just before getting there, you get robbed or you train really hard and then lose a fight due to bad luck from the RNG. Losing progress like that was kind of a downer at times. I’d rate this a 6 out of 10 'cause even though I like a challenge, the constant drop in stats and setbacks can feel cheap.

Combat & Challenge – 8/10
The fights are simple but fun, with a whole lot of random thrown in. You can win easy if luck’s on your side, or get wrecked when it’s not. You don’t control the fights, you pick your skills and plans between rounds. Speeding up the fights keeps them from being boring, which is cool. The difficulty gets tougher at a nice pace, especially if you go for the hardcore mode, making each fight feel important. The stat drop makes it even harder because you gotta think about when to train or work, so wins and losses feel hard-earned.

Graphics & Interface – 6/10
The pixel art looks good and fits the retro vibe. Little things, like characters hanging out outside shops or posters in houses, make it feel alive. But, the layout is pretty basic and could be better. Like, I couldn’t tweak my training hours much or set goals past the basic stuff, which made some of the management feel clunky.

Progression & Replayability – 7/10
It can take a while to grow, mostly on harder modes, but the game has different endings and side missions so you might play again. I liked messing with different skills and story choices. It took me around 30 hours to beat it twice, hardcore mode included. The challenge makes each run a bit different, and the nods to old fighting movies keep it fun if you like that stuff.

Audio & Atmosphere – 7/10 
The music score and sound effects are the kind of sounds one would expect from an arcade, and that is exactly what the movie was doing to me. Even though the audio signals during fights and training are not revolutionary, they still contribute to the immersion. It’s enough to keep me into it without bugging me.

Final Thoughts:
Punch Club is a love letter to those old fighting movies with a tough management layer. It is entertaining, brings back memories, and a bit of a replay value but at the same time the draining of the stats and the losses can be sometimes overly frustrating. If you are a fan of pixel art, bad scripts, and don’t mind spending time on it, then I would recommend it. I would give the game a total score of 7.5/10.