Pato Box is a fighting/adventure game that will give you the feeling of playing through a graphic-novel. Being developed by the team at Bromio, this action-packed, boxing game has a touch of noir that’ll pull you along as you try and master the fighting mechanics and learn how to defeat each of the seven bosses.
We had a chance to play Pato Box this year at PAX East and chat with Antonio Gutierrez who is the lead programmer creating this indie gem. We chatted about the art direction, where we can look to play the game this fall, and how the game was inspired by the Punch-Out!! series.
Pato Box weaves in and out of the story and fight segments with transitions that include interactive comic book panel style storytelling. As well as, adventure sequences that revolve around you trying to uncover the reason why your company, Deathflock, has turned on Patobox.
As you explore through the organization in a unique mix of 2D and 3D environments trying to track down Deathflock’s henchmen who are out to get you, you slowly start unraveling the truth. Each fighter you encounter has their own area of expertise and arena in which typical Punch-Out!!-esque boxing and timing isn’t the only mechanic and puzzle to solve in order to win the fight. Button mashing will not get you far.
In one of the fights we faced off against a chef who used interesting methods of squaring up against Patobox, and before you question it, remember that you are playing an anthropomorphic duck. In the fight, the chef is stirring his stew and attacking you with his ladle. Part of the solution to predicting his attacks is by studying the lobster in the pot who is giving you hints as to what attacks he’ll be trying to land on you next.
For those who want to dig a little deeper, there will also be collectables to obtain that will unlock a harder mode for boxing fans looking for a beatdown. We enjoyed our taste of Pato Box when we played the PS Vita version and are looking forward to seeing how difficult the developers at Bromio make it for us to get Patobox back to his champion status.
Pato Box recently finished their Kickstarter and was given the green light by Steam, so look for Pato Box to be released tentatively this October for PC, Mac, and PS Vita. Though, the developers have come out and said that they are taking their community’s feedback into consideration so there is the possibility of a delay to create the best game possible.
Interested in checking out this spiritual successor to the Punch-Out!! series? You can download a demo version of the game on the Pato Box website. To stay up to date with all things Pato Box check them out on Twitter.
Pass The Controller 