Play As Punch the Monkey & Defeat the Bullies in ‘Zoo Fighter’

By Danial Martinus  •  05 Mar 2026 in Games

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If you haven’t been living under a rock lately, you’ll probably be familiar with the plight of Punch, the tiny baby monkey whose heartbreaking story has captured the hearts of millions online. Now he’s the star of a web browser-based arcade game called Zoo Fighter.

Created by former Fortnite developer Richie Branson, Zoo Fighter turns Punch’s struggle into a simple, but rather pointed interactive experience.

Knock all the bullies away

Before we get into the mechanics of the game, it’s important to understand Punch’s backstory. Here’s a quick refresher:

Punch, as you may know, is a baby macaque who lives at Ichikawa Zoo in Japan. Earlier in the year, videos of the poor primate rapidly spread online after he was rejected by his mother and reportedly bullied by the other monkeys in his enclosure.

In many clips, Punch can be seen tightly clutching a small orangutan plush toy, a comfort item given to him by zookeepers to help with the loneliness. It’s incredibly difficult to watch, and you can’t help but feel for the little guy.

That emotional backstory forms the basis of Zoo Fighter. In the game, you play as Punch (yes, even in the game he’s holding his orangutan plush toy), as waves of aggressive monkeys charge towards you.

The objective is rather simple. Knock all the monkeys back before they can land a hit. You have to survive long enough to defeat 100 attackers before reaching the happy ending, which is when Punch gets transported to a peaceful animal sanctuary, free from the chaos of the zoo.

While the game works perfectly fine on a computer, it actually feels more natural to play on your phone. Tapping with your fingers on a touchscreen is much faster and more intuitive than trying to keep up with a mouse or trackpad. Trust me, I tried both.

The game has a deeper message

Beyond fun and simple gameplay, Branson developed the game to send a deeper message about animals living in captivity.

In the “Learn More” section, the game is framed as a sort of protest against zoos, advocating instead for animal sanctuaries because “they put the animals’ well-being first instead of public display.”

The message goes on to say, “They offer larger, more natural spaces and rescue animals from neglect or captivity rather than breeding them. The focus is on lifelong care and less human interference, giving primates a safer, less stressful place to live.”

To play Zoo Fighter, click here.

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