Batman has had a rocky history in the video game world, from stellar highs like Batman on the NES and the modern Arkham games to failures like Batman Returns on the Lynx or the terrible 16-bit Batman Forever game.
Overshadowed by the fantastic Sunsoft Batman and Batman: Return of the Joker games on the NES exists this third NES Batman game based on the Batman Returns movie. This overlooked Batman game was published by Konami so chances are good that its pretty decent, but let's put it through its paces to see how it holds up.
Image source: User NintendoComplete on YouTube
Batman Returns is a beat-em-up based on the movie of the same name. While Konami also published an amazing Batman Returns beat-em-up on the Super Nintendo, this one was completely overshadowed by its big brother.
The game begins with some unskippable cutscenes, with some impressive animation effects for a NES game which recaps the first scenes of the movie. The city throws up the Bat signal and you're thrown into the action with you fighting through waves of clowns from the Red Triangle Circus gang. The enemies clearly mirror some of the memorable clowns from the film, including the fat ones and the clowns on stilts. There is a good variety of enemies the game introduces in this first stage, including an end boss who was the strongman from the movie. More challenging enemies are slowly added in later stages.
Image source: User NintendoComplete on YouTube
Batman primarily uses his fists in this game, though you have a good array of attacks available. Pressing A+B swirls his cape for an area-clearing sweep attack (which costs some of your health to do), down+B blocks, down+A does a really fast slide attack, and you can also perform a jumping kick.
You begin the game with a handful of Batarangs, which are powerful ranged weapons, but I never found more of them in my playthrough. Batman also has a grappling hook, which wasn't needed until stage 2 when it was needed to climb a building. You can cycle through your items using the select button.
Two stages of the game are vehicle-based shooters, where you take control of the Batmobile or Batboat. These are a nice diversion and sorely needed to break up the gameplay.
Image source: User NintendoComplete on YouTube
The gameplay is fast, but fairly shallow. It offers a good challenge too. The first boss took me several tries to beat and I ended up having to abandon strategy in favor of just spamming punches and slides to bring him down.
Most of the time you'll find yourself angling Batman towards an enemy to move in and unleash a flurry of punches. Enemies each have their own health meters, which is very helpful to know which of the baddies is close to his end. Controls are responsive, though Batman is a bit sluggish considering how much precision is needed to deal with certain enemies. Overall though, the gameplay is still fun even if its repetitive.
Image source: User NintendoComplete on YouTube
Batman Returns is a good looking game, but not without its problems. Character sprites are very nicely drawn, with a well-defined Batman and distinctive enemies. Backgrounds have a lot of variety and detail and feature some subtle animation here and there to give the scenes some life. The color palette is often blunt and garish, with some choices that are an eyesore in contrast to how well the graphics are drawn.
As a Konami game, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the soundtrack is wonderful. Tunes have that distinct "Konami sound" that filled games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Jackal, with high-energy music that fits the action and theme of the game very well. Sound effects are adequate, neither standing out or detracting from the game.
Image source: User NintendoComplete on YouTube
Batman Returns is one of the better beat-em-ups on the NES, sitting a notch or two below the greats like Double Dragon and River City Ransom. The game is good, though it feels like its just missing something that would push it up into the realm of the greats. If you're a Batman fan or someone looking for something that's easy to pick up and play on the NES, you could certainly do worse.
Current value:
Loose: $18.06 | Complete: $35.44
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Cover Image Source: MobyGames