Early Punch-Out prototype surfaces, ROM shared online
Nintendo Everything • • technology
Key Points:
- A rare prototype cartridge of Nintendo's Punch-Out, originally owned by a former Nintendo of America employee, was auctioned for $45,000 and its ROM has since been made publicly available online via The Cutting Room Floor.
- The prototype lacks sound code and features only four boxers—Glass Joe, Bald Bull, King Hippo, and Don Flamenco—with no mention of Mike Tyson, differing significantly from the final game.
- Notably, the prototype includes guest characters from the original arcade game, such as Piston Hurricane and Pizza Pasta, as well as unknown characters Rockyhead and Mongol Khan, while the final NES version replaced some of these fighters.
- Debug options in the prototype allow players to control unfinished opponents and cycle through their movesets, though this causes visual glitches during gameplay.
- The Video Game History Foundation recently showcased the Punch-Out prototype in a new video, adding to ongoing discoveries in the series, including newly found codes for Super Punch-Out.
