3.5/5 ★ – Spongyoshi's review of Pato Box.

Duck meets Boxing Glove and Punch-Out meets Adventure Games in this crazy indie game! Does the mix pay off? Let's find out! As mentioned above, Story Mode mixes an adventure game and Punch-Out gameplay! Most of the time, you'll be playing with a TPS style of gameplay where you control Pato in various stages and punch your way through! You can play them in any order you'd like (with few exceptions) which is honestly real sweet! It plays way better than you'd expect although it's still fairly simple but also very varied which makes it very entertaining but can also be a bit cumbersome to some players especially since some stages are a bit difficult (but none of them overstay their welcome in fact I would say the stages are a bit too short but I'd say it's for the best) You can even find hidden patokens for players who like exploration! Some are a little bit too well-hidden but otherwise they are a joy to track down! The star of the show however are the Punch-Out like fights that acts as boss fights! While there's only 8 of them, they are incredibly varied and fun and they are definitely worthwhile for any fan of the formula! Some are incredibly designed and put a nice twist on the formula! Others are a bit on the weak side but still a lot of fun! There's a bit of an over-reliance on projectiles and some attacks kinda break the pace, it can also get unclear which attacks you can counter-attack but nonetheless, man those fights are fun!! You can also play Arcade Mode if you only care about the fights to play them right away and you even get ranked on your time! You can also find tips on how to beat certain bosses during the adventure stages, while you learn better by doing, it's still a nice touch! Bosses play similarly as the aforementioned franchise with the same perks but it's also simplified in many ways. For example, the fighters don't have a set pattern of attacks, instead they'll circle randomly through them. There's also no round, instead each bosses has 3 phases that start after reaching a certain damage threshold. Also, you can't recover from a knockout but instead when you're on your last drop of health, you can dodge for half a minute and you'll go back at full health! I think all of this are nice changes that give this game a nice identity and especially the last one that makes for some very fun moments! The controls can feel a little clunky at times with dodges having buffering but not punches and the motion controls just don't cut it for those type of games but overall it's definitely very playable as I never blamed the controls on my deaths! So overall what's the verdict? The plot is a little insane but never in a bad way. I love how seriously it takes it's entire premise and it makes for a very endearing story, even if it loves to play with clichés in a fun way! The adventure part is fun but nothing more than a nice distraction, it might take too much of the adventure for some players but imo it's a needed break after those intense fights. Speaking of which, they are easily the best part of the game and are so much fun! Figuring out each fighter is a treat and finally beating them is a joy! I think it's a fun game that offers an entertaining adventure and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the sound of the concept mentioned above. I wish it got more content and polish however, it feels a bit lacking overall and it has a slightly clunky feel to it all. Personally, I loved this game and I hope you do to but I would definitely understand if it doesn't cut it for you. But if you can get past that, you get a very unique and interesting game! I hope that's not the last time we hear of Pato Box!