A retro boxing game seen from above
Wingweight is a free boxing game that runs in your browser, seen from above the way the first home console boxing games were. An angel and a demon meet in a ring above the clouds: three rounds of thirty seconds, and a point for every clean punch.
Play against the computer demon, or with a friend on the same keyboard. There is nothing to install, and a fight takes less than two minutes, or less still if someone is knocked out.
How to play Wingweight
- Click, tap or press Space to start. Each round opens with a bell, with the angel and the demon in opposite corners.
- Move around the ring and punch when the demon is close. Your gloves only reach so far, so a punch thrown from too far away hits nothing.
- Each clean punch scores 1 point and pushes the other fighter back.
- Land three punches in a row without being hit and your halo lights up. Your next punch that lands is a halo punch: 3 points and a much bigger shove. If you are hit before you land it, the charge is gone.
- After three rounds the fighter with more points wins. Get 12 points ahead at any moment and the fight ends there, by knockout.
Controls
- Against the demon: move with W A S D or the arrow keys, and punch with Space, F or Enter. A click on the ring also punches.
- Touch: hold a finger on the ring and the angel walks towards it, in any direction. A quick tap punches. While one finger moves the angel, a tap with a second finger punches straight away.
- Two players: the angel moves with W A S D and punches with F. The demon moves with the arrow keys and punches with Enter. Two players need a keyboard.
- P pauses, M or the button under the ring switches between the demon and two players, R restarts the fight and Esc goes back to the game list.
Scoring and rules
A clean punch is worth 1 point and a halo punch 3. Points carry over from round to round, and a level score after the third round is a draw.
A punch that hits nothing leaves you open: you have to wait about half a second for the next one, instead of a third of a second after a punch that lands. Getting hit pushes you back, slows you for a moment and stops any punch you were throwing.
The demon waits just outside your reach and steps in when you are open, after a miss or while you are still recovering. It gets a little quicker in the third round. Your wins against it are counted and kept in your browser.
Tips to score higher
- Do not swing at the air. Wait until the demon is close enough, then throw one punch.
- Let the demon come to you. It steps in after you miss, so a punch timed for the moment it arrives usually lands first.
- Move to the side. Fighters need a moment to turn, and a punch aimed at where you were goes past you.
- Use the halo punch soon. One hit from the demon and the charge is lost.
- A lead of 12 ends the fight, so a couple of halo punches in a row can finish it early.
Questions
- Can two people play Wingweight on one computer?
- Yes. Press M or use the button under the ring. The angel uses W A S D and F, the demon uses the arrow keys and Enter. There is no online play against other people.
- How long is a fight?
- Three rounds of 30 seconds with a short break between them, so a little under two minutes, unless someone wins by knockout first.
- Can I play Wingweight on my phone?
- Yes, against the demon. Hold a finger on the ring to move and tap to punch. Two players need a keyboard.
- Is it based on an old boxing game?
- The view from above and the push of a landed punch come from the early console boxing games. The angel and the demon, the halo punch, the art and the sounds are our own.