Batman: The Video Game is a shining example of how a licensed game should be done even if it’s rather loosely based on the film. Maybe that’s why it’s so good?
Was Sunsoft concerned that consumers were incapable of determining the difference between the Batman film and the video game, thus they had to play “The Video Game” in the title? Maybe this was done to help the older generation pick out the proper item for the youngins but it just seems a bit silly due to the obvious difference in VHS and NES packaging. Now that I have that off my chest I can concentrate on the game itself and I have to say this is a really good Batman game.
Gameplay
The game consists of 5 levels, each divided into 2-3 distinct sections, that must be traversed to make a final confrontation with the Joker. These levels aren’t exactly labeled, but we can safely assume they are part of Gotham City. City streets, factories, caves and clock towers are all present here. Do they represent the Batman universe well? No not really, but they look nice and are well designed to complement Batman’s arsenal of platforming abilities. You have the ability to do a regular jump and a wall jump and the latter is used quite often in creative ways to make some challenging , and some frustrating, level layout. Movement is fluid and while jumping off walls and dispatching enemies I really felt like the game captured what it means to be Batman perfectly. The enemies are also pretty out there as many are some type of machinery which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but of course there is all manner of street thug to bring to justice as well….you are Batman after all.
And as Batman you wouldn’t be your namesake if you didn’t have some tools at your disposal. Besides your trusty fists you also have access to three special weapons; the batarang, a missile gun, and some sort of triple disc weapon. These weapons are fueled by ammo that you will find from defeated enemies and you find so much that you shouldn’t be relying on Batman’s martial arts skills very often. This brings up an issue though. The batarang is the only weapon that I ever found very useful and there’s a few reasons why. It’s the cheapest costing only one ammo and it can hit enemies multiple times causing massive damage in comparison to the other two options. The only real drawback is the range, but in most situations you’ll be too close to your enemies to care. The other weapons can be fun to use, but in the grand scheme of things the benefit doesn’t outweigh the cost.
The most disappointing aspect of this game has to lie in the boss battles. Of all of the bosses, only one of them is an actual Batman villain and that’s the Joker. The others are either death machines created to dismantle Batman limb from limb or humanoid bug things. While this is certainly a missed opportunity I do have to give the designers credit for at least making the bosses very different from one another and for the most part enjoyable to fight. They aren’t the most challenging bosses, but they definitely aren’t a cakewalk either.
Graphics
The sprawling levels of what we assume are part of Gotham are dark, atmospheric and well detailed. Batman himself animates well and looks just as he should kicking ass and sneaking around the shadows, but the lack of enemy diversity is pretty poor. There are only about 10-12 different enemies you will encounter, disregarding bosses , and some of these enemies will be seen in almost every level. There are 2 interesting ones, a jetpack riding gunner and a quick and deadly ninja, that are only seen in the game’s opening level and it’s a shame they reused the more uninteresting enemies so much. Overall though, the graphics are pretty good for an NES game.
Music/Sound
This is the part that always keeps me coming back! The music. It’s just so well done and catchy. The music instills a great sense of urgency and excitement to your adventure and you’ll have it stuck in your head days after hearing it. Even the boss theme is a classic as it probably makes the encounters more entertaining than they really are. It’s pulse pounding and adrenaline infused. All action games should take note. This is how it’s done. On top of this the sound effect are nice and clean creating the needed audio cues for the player.
Verdict
Batman: The Video Game is not ground breaking for any reason except it’s a good game based on a great brand and movie. Why pretty much all other Batman based games have been trash up until the recent Arkham series is beyond me, but this game is a glimmering ray of hope in a landfill of garbage titles.
Score: 80/100
Release: 1990
Platform(s): Nintendo Entertainment System
Players: 1
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