Thunder Ray

Boxing has inspired real-life moments, movies, and video games so tough that they make you feel like you got punched in the face. Thunder Ray from developer Purple Tree fits into the latter category. It's an indie game for PC and Nintendo Switch that puts a sci-fi spin on classic Punch-Out!!-style boxing gameplay. Thunder Ray’s style outpaces its substance, but it’s a fun and affordable ($14.99) fight if you're looking for arcade-style fisticuffs.

(Credit: Purple Tree)

The Baddest Man on the Planet

In a world with no worthy human opponents left to fight, Thunder Ray travels to the stars for the ultimate intergalactic boxing tournament. Whereas the Punch-Out!! series tasks you with fighting cartoonish ethnic caricatures, Thunder Ray lets its creativity run wild with outlandish alien opponents. 

That creativity is brought to life through absolutely stunning 2D graphics and character designs. Menus crackle with electric energy. The protagonist has a cool lightning bolt cut into his hair. Huge, detailed, and immensely stylish boxers feature entrancing animations. Thunder Ray's bouts are epic battles that only barely pay lip service to being a "sport." The game's wonderfully executed aesthetic gives Cuphead vibes. 

Although it's rated T, Thunder Ray is a bit bloodier and grosser than its Nintendo inspirations. Some later fights, with their frightening fluidity, morph into body horror scenes seemingly pulled from the Akira anime. However, the neon colors keep the presentation from becoming too grim, making the game feel like an edgy underground comic book. Even the solemn voice acting has a 1970s-style grindhouse schlock quality. 

Gonna Fly Now

Thunder Ray’s expressive visuals do more than just look fantastic, they serve a vital gameplay purpose. Arcade-style boxing titles are less fighting games or sports simulators and more like boss rushes that challenge your pattern recognition. Each opponent has a set of attacks, and it’s up to you to figure out their tells, avoid those blows, and unleash your own punches when you see an opening. Thunder Ray's well-choreographed animations make those attacks more obvious and satisfying to predict and overcome. 

(Credit: Purple Tree)

The alien nature of Thunder Ray's enemies facilitates creative attack patterns. One fighter floats behind a magical shield that must be taken down before you can damage the boxer. Another foe fights more like a karate master than a pugilist. Thunder Ray never feels unfair, but you may need to think outside the box to avoid damage and unleash your offensive fury.

Thunder Ray has modern conveniences to alleviate this old-school difficulty. If you lose a fight, you can immediately demand a rematch instead of getting kicked back to the beginning. You can also choose between three difficulty modes at any time. In fact, you can simply lower the difficulty before your rematch with a tough combatant. The one downside, though, is that this exposes the game's short length; there are only eight opponents in a single ladder. For comparison, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! on NES had 14 fights broken up into multiple divisions, albeit with some rematches.

(Credit: Purple Tree)

Strike Like Lightning

Thunder Ray’s gameplay fundamentals should feel familiar to former Punch-Out!! champs. You play as a relatively small fighter facing down a towering giant. Your controller's D-pad initiates ducks, blocks, and dodges, while its buttons let you punch the opponent's face or body. Like Punch-Out!!, you rapidly press buttons to either regain health when your opponent is knocked down or stand up if you get sent to the mat. You can even charge a meter to unleash an extra powerful strike.

All of this sounds correct on paper and works good enough in practice, but the feel isn’t quite there. Maybe it’s because of the elaborate animations or the input latency inherent in modern HD displays, but Thunder Ray feels a bit less responsive than expected. Contemporary games simply can’t command the same frame-perfect precision of titles released in the arcade and NES era. There’s just enough delay to discourage offensive tactics like interrupting a foe during an attack with a counterpunch. Fortunately, this mild lag never actively harmed my performance or enjoyment while playing, and the game ran well on the Nintendo Switch.

The Great Electric Hope

From Bomb Rush Cyberfunk to the upcoming Pepper Grinder, this year has seen quality indie games that proudly flaunt their retro inspirations. Add Thunder Ray to that list. It may not be the next great leap forward for boxing games, but it’s a beautiful burly trip to the past that scratches the Punch-Out!! itch.

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