Ring King is one of the many NES games that I didn’t play or know about when I was a kid. When you don’t pay attention to video game news, you miss stuff like this. It also helps that I don’t pay attention to other retro gamers that might’ve already covered this.
Data East released Ring King in 1985 in the arcades, and then again in 1987 for the NES in North America. It was also part of Nintendo’s VS. Arcades, which was also released in 1987. Those are cabinets that I don’t think I’ve talked about much. They were pretty cool cabinets and a brief but fun part of Nintendo’s history in the arcades.
I briefly played this game about eight years ago, I think. It was fun, but I had problems with the controls and a lack of gameplay. At that time, I didn’t really look into the game as much, and my opinion has changed a little. Anyway, lets get into it and see what ring King has to offer.
TLDR: Great Graphics and Solid Gameplay make Ring King a Fun experience.
Narrative
There is no story for this game. You can always make on up in your head, but Data East didn’t come up with one. This was pretty common for sports games like this, especially in the arcade. When they were brought to the NES, you’d be lucky if anything was added to explain what was going on.
Ring King’s Gameplay
Ring King is a simple boxing game. The controls are solid, but the gameplay has some things in it that I don’t like. It has some cool features, but the game really shows its age at times. There is a lot that the developers got right with this.
There are a few game modes, but they are just versions of the same thing. You can play a tournament, single match, and a simple career mode. It isn’t all that different from other boxing games I’ve played from the late 1980s.
The character’s movement is a little awkward, as you kind of snap into place in front of each other. It is easy to punch and block, though. The controls are very responsive, and I never felt like I was getting screwed over by bad controls.
You can customize your boxer, which is nice. In the career mode, you’ll get some bonus points to spend. You can change your character’s power, speed, and stamina. This is kind of a fun thing to see in a game like this. It is a basic system, but Data East did a great job of getting it into the game.
There isn’t much else to say. Ring King has some very good features, but feels a little awkward at times. It isn’t as good as other boxing games that I’ve played, but it is a lot of fun. If the controls and movement were better, then I would like it more.
Visuals for Ring King
This is a pretty good looking game. Ring King has better graphics than many of the other NES games that I’ve played. There is a big caveat to this, but I do like the boxers, ring, and crowd. Data East got a lot of mileage out of the graphics here.
The character sprites look good for what they are. There really is just one boxer, but the developers made a bunch of palette swaps to give the illusion that there are more. So, while everyone looks like an out-of-work 1970s porn star, there are a bunch of them. I actually really like the way they look.
The crowd is very lively. It looks pretty good and is very colorful. I could say this about every part of the game, honestly. There are also some little things in the crowd that are great! Such as cameras and cheering fans.
The camera is on an angle so you can move around the ring. It looks very good, and you get to see a few angles of the characters. The ring itself isn’t amazing, but it gets the job done. The UI is also quite good.
Between each round, there are little cutscenes that look… awkward, to say the least. It kinda looks like the managers are giving the boxers a BJ. I know that isn’t what they’re supposed to be doing, but it looks like that is what’s happening.
Overall, this is a good looking NES game. I didn’t come across anything that looked bad, which is always nice to see. There are some awkward things, but nothing terrible. This is a solid looking NES game.
7.5/10. Despite some issues I have with the controls, this is a great boxing game. Data East did a great job with this one. I really like the graphics, and the gameplay is good enough to keep me playing.
Pros
- Great Graphics
- Solid Gameplay
- Unintentionally Funny
Cons
- Awkward Controls
- Repetitive
- Lack of Game Modes
Conclusion
As much as I like this game, it probably wouldn’t have pulled me away from Punch Out for very long. Ring King is one of those games that I’m glad I played. It had been sitting in my collection for a while, and I honestly don’t remember when or where I bought it.
Looking at the game now, I think this would’ve been a good weekend rental. It is up there with games like Rampage, Iron Tank, and Tiger Heli. These weren’t games I would consider asking for as a Christmas or Birthday Present, but I would’ve been happy to rent them from my local Blockbuster or Family Video.
The more I think about this game, and the more that I play it, I find little things that I don’t like. Most of them have to do with the gameplay, specifically the controls. They aren’t terrible, but it feels a little off. Many of the issues I have are due to the age of the game, which I can’t blame on Ring King.
There are quite a few games like this. I’ll try to get to them while playing through a few other games. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to like games like this more and more. Boxing isn’t a sport that I ever remember caring about, but the video games are fun.
If you like this post, check out some of my others on NES games. Such as 10-Yard Fight or Castlevania.