Devastating Blow

Overview

Devastating Blow is a traditional boxing game. It was originally released in 1991 for the ZX Spectrum, although it was later ported to the Commodore 64 (in 1992). The game was both developed and published by Beyond Belief, and Devastating Blow is the company's first release. Notably, Devastating Blow features Mike Tyson on the cover, who is actually the final boss of the game.

Devastating Blow was fairly well-received by software magazines, with one reviewer praising the increasing complexity as gameplay progressed. Beyond Belief was also praised for supporting the ZX Spectrum in its relative old age.

The player takes control of an unnamed protagonist--an up-and-coming boxer. So far, this boxer has won 20 matches, but it's time for him to take on some tougher opponents.

Gameplay

The game is a simple two-dimensional boxing game. The player takes control of a boxer, and faces off in one-on-one matches. Players must move toward the opponent and press the right buttons in order to knock them out. The game was criticized for being somewhat of a button masher, but as the game progresses it becomes increasingly difficult to knock out opponents without performing the appropriate moves.

In between boxing matches, the player has the opportunity to increase their strength. This is done by training on a punching bag. Additionally, the opposite side of the tape contains a multiplayer mode.