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Easter egg for Punch-Out!! surfaces 29 years later

There are still plenty of secrets left to find in the moldy-oldie section of your gaming library.

David Craddock

April 13, 2016 12:50 PM

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I know, I know. FAQs and forum posts killed Easter eggs and cheat codes. Secrets can't stay secret for long without a pack of Internet super sleuths bound and determined to spoil every game hours after (sometimes even before) it hits digital and physical shelves. Nintendo's 8-bit library existed long before the Internet, but a growing legion of retro gamers have discovered every possible Easter egg conceived during the '80s and '90s.

Not in the case of Punch-Out!!, Nintendo's classic puzzle-boxer released 29 years ago. Reddit user 'MidwesternHouseWives' was tooling around in Punch-Out!! over the weekend, as we all do, and discovered a tell Nintendo's developers planted in the game that tells you precisely when to deliver punches to Bald Bull and Piston Hurricane during your second match against either fighter.

Load up the game and get to your second match against Bald Bull or Piston Honda. Now scope out the crowd. In the front row, to the left, you should notice a bearded man. Turns out he ducks at the exact moment you need to punch during Bald Bull's one-hit-KO charge and Honda's build up to his flurry of punches.

You'll still have to deal with heavy hitters like Soda Popinski and the final boss, [REDACTED], but Midwestern's cue just might help you shave a few precious seconds off your next speed-run attempt.

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.