As it turns out, you can teach a dog new tricks. Or rather, it knew said tricks all along, and you simply never knew. This is what we've come to understand after a retro gamer discovered a new visual cue in the classic NES game "Punch-Out!!" that makes it easier to knock out Piston Honda and Bald Bull.
Yes, you read correctly. Not 1994's "Super Punch-Out!!" for the SNES or 2009's "Punch-Out!!" for the Wii, we're talking about the 1987 "Punch-Out!!" for the NES, meaning that this secret has successfully remained under wraps for the past 29 years.
This secret comes to us courtesy of Reddit user midwesternhousewives, who discovered and then posted a video of the cue in action.
Part of the genius behind "Punch-Out!!" and the series as a whole is that protagonist Little Mac's advantage comes from his speed and precision. Instead of just beating down opponents with raw power like you would see in games nowadays, players need to look for small visual cues or "tells" that the opponent has which signifies when to attack or when to dodge and which direction to do so. For example, in the final fight against Tyson, a quick wink signifies which direction Little Mac needs to dodge to avoid a flurry of punches.
In this case, Piston Honda becomes vulnerable when he backs up for a special attack, while Bald Bull becomes vulnerable when he preps up for his charge. Sure, players knew what to look out for, but mistiming the counter by even a second had disastrous consequences. Now, thanks to the secret being revealed, that risk factor has been taken out of the equation.
In case you missed the video, in both fights, the bearded man in the left of the audience will duck to signify just exactly when to throw a punch. If timed correctly, a Little Mac punch will instantly knock down either fighter.
This cue is allegedly present in all fights, so it's bound to help players who are capable of keeping a watchful eye on the bearded man, as well as the opponent.
Of course, with a secret this big that has been supposedly under wraps for the past 29 years, whether or not midwesternwives is truly the first to discover this visual cue. According to a comment thread on Game FAQs, at least one other person was aware of this cue beforehand. However, not only was that in reference to the second Bald Bull fight, but there is no documentation of the secret in action either.
In the end, it doesn't make much difference who discovered it first. All that matters is that the secret is out there and serves as a testament to the fact that even after 29 years, the NES still has many secrets for players to uncover.
