Monkey Puncher - The Story Behind the Retro Hidden Gem

     Firstly, I am fairly certain I am one very few people to have actually played Monkey Puncher here in the western world. Of those who did play it, I am probably one of significantly fewer who thoroughly enjoyed the game. I imagine so, anyway – I have been incapable of tracking down anyone else who has played it. Nevertheless, it was a game I picked at random from a shop as a child and recently re-discovered; so I thought I would cover it here on The Explorator.

     Monkey Puncher is a GameBoy Color game that, surprisingly, isn't about punching monkeys; 'monkey punching' in game is a poor translation of 'monkey boxing'. Released in the year 2000 and developed by Taito Corporation, it is the kind of game that the translation and shipping to a western audience may have been an after thought, as the translation is horrible and basically nobody has heard of it. Nevertheless, it exists here and I'm so glad it does.

What is Monkey Puncher?

    As a child I understood the premise of the game: train a monkey (they're actually apes, but we'll continue to call them monkeys because game 'cannon') and watch them box each other, before continuing to make stronger monkeys. However, I didn't understand much of what was going on other than that, partly because I was a child and didn't care so much about the story, partly because most of what it says in the game doesn't make sense. Being older and playing it however, has allowed me to piece the parts of the game together enough to understand the story and beat the game, getting way further than I ever did as a kid.

     The game is essentially a training game. You get a monkey, you train that monkey in individual stats, such as 'power' by using a punching bag or 'speed' by skipping (this mostly involves pressing 'A' a bunch but not too fast or slow), and then climb up the 'Japan monkey boxing circuit ladder'. Every few days you will be asked to challenge another money up to two ranks above your monkey's rank. Then, when you go to the ring, you can give them a strategy of how to fight before sitting back and watching them go ape-shit (hehe) on each other.
     You have no input to the fighting, you just have to cheer your monkey on as they punch another monkey in the face for three rounds of thirty seconds. Then, you either win or lose, but go back to training either way. There are also special books you can pick up to teach your monkey special punches – but I digress. That is the game.
     Some of my favourite parts of the game include the name of the food you can feed your monkey, such entire curries, or just jam. As one of the activities you can ask it to go to the shops and laugh as it comes back having completely ignored your order and randomly bought a Toaster and a CD (both of which are useless in game).

     Of course though, you're not just watching animals fight each other for the fun of it. Rather, there is an intense story behind the whole thing which is dramatic, amusing, and (again) terribly translated. So, if you wish to train your own monkey and don't want to know the game's amazing twist, stop reading here. Otherwise: behold, the wonderful world of Monkey Puncher.

The Story

     You start the game as either Kenta (male) or Sumire (female), the child of an ex-monkey punching champion. The player character's (whom I shall call Kenta, as I played as him) mother died when Kenta and Sumire were very young and their father retired as a Monkey Puncher trainer in order to raise his children. Kenta's father was taught as a Monkey Puncher trainer by a man named Fred, who later on became your father's rival. One day, Sumire and your father get kidnapped by the evil underground monkey ring and criminal syndicate called the Saru. The Saru is lead by a man named 'The Master' who plans to mind control your father and make him and his monkey punch for them.

     Kenta then decides that the only way to get them back would be to join the monkey puncher circuit and train until he can beat The Master's monkey in order to get his father and sibling back. Upon deciding this, Kenta gets a visit from a wizened old man named Fred, who explains that he was his father's rival but wishes not for him to be used in such ways the Saru would have him used, so aids Kenta on his goal by giving him his first monkey named Freddy. Kenta then also gets a visit from another friend of his father's named Bill. Bill then books Kenta and Freddy's test punching match; he also goes on to book each of Kenta's ranked matches every three days.

     Kenta and Freddy train hard and work their way up to around rank 10, before Freddy's abilities reach a maximum. So Kenta breeds Freddy with another powerful monkey to make a new baby monkey puncher and begins to train that monkey instead. Kenta does this a few more times, reaching a higher rank each time, but not without problems. Around rank 10, the Saru send one of their cronies to have a monkey punching match with Kenta. Upon beating the cronie and continuing to rank 5, Kenta is challenged by a scientist known as 'The Professor' from the Saru who uses a robot monkey to fight your monkey. Somehow, Kenta also wins that fight and each victory gets Kenta closer to his goal. Eventually Kenta reaches rank 1 and Fred arrives, explaining that his monkey holds the rank 1 placement in the Japan league and that he is proud of Kenta for reaching this far.

     When Kenta beats him, Fred congratulates him. Kenta then received a mysterious letter from the Saru offering him a place in their monkey puncher tournament on an island off the coast of Japan. So Kenta trains a little further and accepts the invitation, taking a boat to the island where it is explained that Kenta's monkey will need to win five fights in a row in order to make The Master want to challenge him. Kenta's monkey successfully beats the first and second monkey (who is the same monkey owned by the cronie he fought at rank 10). The third monkey is an upgraded robot monkey with The Professor. The fourth monkey is owned by – Sumire herself! Kenta battles his half-mind-controlled sister in a monkey puncher match and when he wins, Sumire becomes free of her mind-control and joins Kenta in saving their father.

     The last monkey puncher match in the tournament is then called and Kenta's opponent is his own father! Kenta must battle his fully mind-controlled father and his monkey puncher: 'Beast'. When Kenta wins, his father begins to regain consciousness and Fred returns to see the end of the event. Fred explains that Kenta became more powerful than he expected much quicker than he expected and that Kenta was the goal the whole time. Fred throws off his gown to reveal that he is The Master of the Saru and claims that he only kidknapped Kenta's father so that Kenta would train and become the strongest trainer in Japan. All Fred needed to do then was have his monkey, Shadow, throw a mind-controlling punch and Kenta would then be under Fred's control.

     Kenta's monkey fights Shadow, in an epic final showdown. When Kenta's monkey wins, Fred claims that he cannot understand there being anyone stronger than him, so decides that if he cannot be the best, then nobody can. He throws himself into the volcano on the island and the islands starts shaking. Kenta, his father and Sumire panic. Just in time, Bill arrives in a helicopter in order to take them all home safely. With the Saru defeated and living at home with his family again, Kenta decided that he wants to go full time in the monkey puncher world, so signs up for the world leagues and begins to rise the ranks there instead.

Conclusion

     Okay, so the graphics are simple, the gameplay is simpler. However, I adore this game and I think that story pretty much speaks for itself! I don't know anyone who played this game, so if you did - please get in touch! That's all.