Batman: The Video Game ・ バットマン
Developed by: Sunsoft
Published by: Sunsoft (JP, NA, EU)
Released in: December 22, 1989 (JP), February 1990 (NA), September 14, 1990 (EU)
There are countless reviews of Batman: The Video Game (not to be confused with Batman: The Topical Pain Relief Cream) that do nothing but sing its praises, lauding it as one of the all-time greats of the 8-bit era. I will not be straying far from the status quo today, because Batman is rad as hell.
Though it’s a tie-in to the 1989 Tim Burton flick, Batman: The Video Game (not to be confused with Batman: The High Performance Industrial Plastic Adhesive) has nothing to do with the movie. Some shockingly pedantic people treat this as a strike against the game, but I’d like to raise a counterpoint: WHO CARES? The game’s storyline could’ve been about Bruce Wayne embarking on a quest to get his batsuit back from the seedy laundromat on Crime Alley and it would still kick copious amounts of ass.
In case you couldn’t tell, I like Batman: The Video Game. I like it a whole lot.
For those of you not in the know, Batman is a side scrolling action extravaganza. It frequently gets compared to Ninja Gaiden – after all, the wall jump Bats can pull off has it wearing its inspiration on its sleeve. Though there’s plenty of common ground there, Batman has an identity and game feel all its own that differs from similar titles of the day.
As is Bat-tradition, there are waves of non-descript bad guys to battle your way through. Batman has a fair few combat tools in his arsenal to choose from; his fists, batarangs, batdisks, and the batpoon.
…
Wait.
Batpoon? That can’t be right.
Ohh. The batpoon’s a real thing, huh. Must be a holdover from an especially old Batman comic. Different time and all that. The evolution of the meaning of words over time fascinating, isn’t it? Here’s another one that only gets better by the year:
Anyway, back to talking about this hulking left tit of a Nintendo game (that used to mean something else back in the 50’s).
Batman’s controls are tight in a way games don’t achieve very often. Even in the modern age, few video games feel good to play. By that I mean, in 99% of games, simple things like walking and jumping aren’t anything special. And why would they be? Decent controls that function well are more than enough. But it’s games that manage to elevate even the smallest of things, like feel of movement, that tend to stand on the shoulders of their contemporaries. This is one of those.
In my opinion, superhero titles have been long-standing examples of this. Mostly. Maybe not stuff like the famously abysmal Superman 64. But anyone who has played a 3D Spider-Man title can attest to how remarkable movement in those games feels. Just swinging around NYC is a magical experience. And here, even in a dinky 2D game that’s pushing 40 years old, you’ll feel like YOU ARE THE GODDAMN BATMAN. Every jump has a satisfying weight to it, the tiniest of platforms can be tip-toed onto with precise movements, punching has a delicious stun to go along with its oomph, and the walk cycle pleases the eye just so. If something as insignificant as the walking being good isn’t indicative of quality, I don’t know what is.
But that’s enough raving about controls and the like. The million dollar question for most NES games is “how hard is it?” Batman is tough, but far from impossible; nothing a gamer with a shred of patience won’t be able to conquer after a few hours, I’d say. Continues are unlimited and very generous – you’ll always start at the beginning of the last sub-level you entered. And those previously mentioned silky smooth controls will never steer you wrong. Level design is intentionally crafted to be tricky, sure, but there’ll always be endlessly spawning robot enemies to farm health and ammo from when you’ll need them the most. Another mark of a quality work.
Even in this 8-bit iteration, the city of Gotham feels gloomy and oppressive, shrouded in shadow. Danger is lurking around every corner of this crime-ridden city, and it looks the part too. Any old school Nintendo game that manages to convey a genuinely captivating atmosphere should be praised. Setting a mood besides ‘cute and happy’ with the limited palettes and chunky pixels of the day was no easy feat. And the music? MY GOD. If you’ve gone this long without hearing the audio magic Sunsoft managed to coax out of the NES in their heyday, you’re in for a treat. The Stage 1 theme is considered one of the most iconic in all of 8-bit history for good reason. Pure Bat excellence.
The only negative thing I have to say about Batman is that the boss fights are on one of two sides of the spectrum: either brain-dead tank ‘n’ spank damage sponges, or punishingly difficult damage sponges. Oftentimes, it feels like the outcome of a fight is dependant on how much health and ammo you walked into the boss room with, rather than true skill or pattern recognition. For a game that feels so cleverly designed in all other regards, the dopey boss fights are a mark against Batman that feels as though they belong in another title entirely.
Despite that, I don’t want you to get it twisted. This is still a damn good Nintendo game. Just be prepared to cuss out Joker a few times when you manage to get to him. Yeah, spoiler alert, Joker is the final boss of a Batman game. Isn’t he always?
While some titles don’t live up to the hype-heavy reputations the internet cultivates around them, I’m happy to report that the adoration Batman’s gotten since its released is wholly justified. My attention span’s the length of a fraying bit of string, but I sat in one spot and played this thing for four hours without stopping. Despite the high difficulty and the 742 deaths I endured, I couldn’t put it down. It’s phenomenal all over.
Wouldn’t you know it, I recently hit 150 NES reviews on the NESJunk blog. Typically, I try to save big numbers for genuinely good games. But I totally forgot about that plan and published review #150 without thinking twice about it – that ended up being the aggressively mediocre Rally Bike. Uh, oops. So I’m going to honorarily christen Batman as my 150th review. It’s deserving of all the praise it’s gotten over the years, and is still great fun today. If you’ve got any love in your heart for the NES, or good action games, or the Batman franchise, you owe it to yourself to give Batman: The Video Game (not to be confused with Batman: The Book on Tape) a shot.
And with that, I must return to the shadowy cave under my mansion to prepare for my next adventure. See you next review, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel…
Final Score:
NESJunk 