Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions Review (Nintendo Switch)

Before I dive into my thoughts of Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions on Nintendo Switch, there are a few things I want to get out of the way. I’m not a boxing guy. I don’t talk about boxing, I don’t watch boxing, and until last week, I definitely don’t play boxing games either. Anything in a ring has never excited me before, and that goes for both the real world, television, or video games. But there was something different and enticing about Big Rumble Boxing on Nintendo Switch, and despite it’s faults, it’s not bad either!

To prepare myself for this title, I did go out and grab up the Rocky movies so I had some kind of reference point for what was going to happen in the game, and while this isn’t necessarily a love letter to those movies featuring the great Rocky Balboa, there is still enough similarities and throwbacks that I’m actually glad I watched the films.

There isn’t a ton to overwhelm you on the main screen, but most folks are going to dive right into the Arcade story mode – mind you, there isn’t really any initial indication the Arcade mode IS the story mode, which I found just a bit odd. Really quickly to knock out a detracting issue for many people – you won’t find an online multiplayer mode to enjoy! But you probably aren’t playing this for an online mode…

Again, my lack of knowledge gravitated me to Rocky Balboa, so after selecting him from a roster of 10 – with 10 additional to unlock via this mode – my game began. And what I got was not something I expected. I wondered how the cutscenes would look on the Nintendo Switch versus the Xbox or PlayStation versions! But that never matter, because for better or for worse, the game didn’t have cutscenes. Instead, Rocky regraded us with stories of his past via talking, static images on the screen. One for Rocky, and one for whomever he was talking with. Early on, it was Apollo Creed and Adonis Creed, and after that, a wide variety of familiar characters from the films.

You’ll fight your way through the story, sometimes in an arena, sometimes in the gym, and yes…sometimes on the streets of Philadelphia. I will say that the environments and chosen (licensed) music is quite enjoyable and often times fits the game perfectly, including multiple bouts of Eye of the Tiger as your opponents lays, nearing a KO finish on the mat.

In between fights, you’ll engage in some witty banter, and do tutorial-like-minigames that will teach you many of the games different mechanics, of which there are few. Y and any direction for a light punch. A to grapple and punch. X to land a heavy blow…it’s all standard fair for an arcade title of any genre. You can string together button combinations to complete combos and deplete your opponents health further, learning more as you go along. There is nothing particularly deep about any of this, but it’s good fun throughout and unlocking a stream of new fighters could be an interesting reason to keep playing – as someone with little knowledge of any of this, unlocking new fighters was just something I did – I never actually plan to use many of them in any meaningful way.

But there are advantages to doing so, including the ability to see different finishing moves, one-liners of text, and more. So if you have a favourite character that you really want to play as, there’s even more content to enjoy than for someone who just wants to mess around in an arcade boxing title like myself.

So should you buy it? I think if you’ve enjoy the Rocky movies and generally like a lighter, arcade experience, there is a ton to love here, even if the price seems just a tad bit high. But if you are playing the latest and greatest, most realistic boxing titles when they hit the shelves, there probably isn’t a lot here for you. It’s a very light, accessible experience, and while that isn’t to say some of the fights don’t get decently tough, it’s still not a realistic boxing experience. And that is why I love it…