Welcome to another edition of Playing With Power. The review article that looks at all things Nintendo Entertainment System. I’ve wrapped up several video game “trilogies” lately for the NES, so I figured why don’t we finish off the trilogy of Batman themed video games? And that means we finish off with Batman Returns. After two great outings from Sunsoft, could Konami have the skills to handle the mantle of the Dark Knight? Or is this game not quite the cat’s meow? Or is it something something penguin pun? Let’s find out with the review.
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1992
PUBLISHER: Konami
GENRE: Beat-Em-Up
The smash success of 1989’s Batman film was so massive that it was a no-brainer that there would be a sequel, helmed once again by Tim Burton. And in 1992, the world got it’s continuation to the Batman film saga with Batman Returns. And while it was another success box office wise, there definitely were some issues people had with the film.
First off, many parents complained that the films were becoming too dark and scary for their kids. And the second issue that coincides with the first is that this felt less like a Batman film, and more like a Tim Burton film. The Penguin being a deformed, sewer dweller after being dumped in there as a baby. Selina Kyle being thrown out of the Shreck building, and being brought back to life by cats. Stuff like Penguin biting a guys nose off, and Batman even blowing a guy up. It was definitely a sign that Burton never read a comic in his life, and was definitely going for his own vision. And whether you like that vision or not, it worked for the time.
And of course, everyone expected success from this film, and the merch machine was massive. And that meant that there would of course be several video games based on the movie. Around this time, Sunsoft had lost the license to make Batman games, and instead we would see the Nintendo rights to the franchise go to Konami. They would make two major Batman Returns games. Both beat-em-ups. The SNES version in particular being a beloved classic reminiscent of Konami’s arcade beat-em-ups that were massive hits. So, how was their NES version? Let’s find out.
COVER STORY
A rather stock cover, but it still works. You have all of the major players from the film, Batman, Catwoman, and Penguin. You also have the little hologram Batman logo which looks really nice. And in the end, I guess that’s all you need for an eye catching box such as this.
STORY
As if his battle with The Joker wasn’t bad enough, now Batman has to deal with two new villains. Oswald Cobblepot, a strange penguin-like being has resurfaced and is trying to become mayor, all while his gang from the Red Triangle Circus are causing chaos throughout Gotham City. And a woman calling herself Catwoman is also causing problems for the caped crusader. Can Batman stop these two villains and save Gotham City yet again?
GAMEPLAY
Batman Returns is a 1 player beat-em-up. You control the caped crusader as he must go from level to level defeating the various members of the Red Triangle Circus, as well as Penguin and Catwoman. You move Batman with the D-pad in all directions. Fighting is done with the B button, and jumping is executed with the A button. Basic controls for a Konami beat-em-up on the NES. You can also switch weapons with the select button.
Being the dark knight that he is, Batman has an array of weapons and moves at his disposal. You can have Batman slide by holding Down and A, which can stun enemies long enough for a surprise strike. Holding Down and B will have Batman block certain attacks. When selected, Batman can fire batarangs, or his bat-grappling hook by holding Up and B. And Batman can use a cape slash with A+B pressed together that does a powerful hit. However, similar to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project, this attack will take a hit from Batman’s health bar.
Speaking of Batman’s health bar. He has a solid amount of hit points, but only one life. That’s right. If his HP runs out, it’s game over. And the game offers no extra lives. At least not in the normal sense. Batman can find boxes which will add another bar of health to his arsenal, giving him sort of an extra life in a way. The game has unlimited continues, as well as a password system.
The game is broken into six levels. Each with multiple parts. You’ll go through a majority of areas and events based on the movie. You’ll battle on the streets of Gotham, fight it out against Catwoman in the Shreck department store, try to save the Ice Princess, and eventually find your way into Penguin’s sewer base for the final battle. On your way, you’ll face off with a plethora of Red Triangle baddies.
The enemies run the gamut from basic clowns, to tall men, fire breathing devils, knife throwing ladies, fat rolling clowns, and the skull head biker. At the end of each level will be a boss fight. You’ll face big members of the circus gang like the strong man and the organ grinder. You’ll also battle Penguin and Catwoman on multiple occasions. You even have to battle Penguin in his duckmobile.
But it’s not all just monotonous beat-em-up stages. The game gives you two levels where you get to use the Batmobile and the Bat Boat. In the Batmobile level, you can move in all directions with the D-Pad, shoot bullets with the B button, and stronger missiles with the B button (useful against chopper enemies). You have to destroy all the members of the circus gang, while surviving all obstacles and obstructions in your way. In the Bat Boat stage however, you have no enemies whatsoever. All you have to do is collect the hearts and bat coins that are scattered in the sewer to earn extra points.
While the game looks great, and can be a fun beat-em-up, it’s not without its problems either. Best example being that when you hold the down button and either try to jump or attack, you will do the slide or block attack, and sliding into hazards like electric water, or pitfalls that take you back to other parts of the level can be an annoyance. A similar issue comes about when holding up and trying to attack if you have a batarang or bat grapple selected. You end up using that instead of your actual weapon, and that can be a pain as well.
The game has an added bonus to its ending, that still follows the flow of the film itself. However to achieve it, you cannot use passwords or get a game over. And considering how hard this game can be at points, that’s no easy task. But if you’re up for the challenge, then by all means give it your best shot.
GRAPHICS
The game sports excellent graphics. Levels feel like they come straight from the movie. Character sprites all represent the characters as best as possible for an 8-bit system. But the shining moment of the game is the great looking cut scenes that follow the film as best as possible, with excellent caricatures of the stars of the film. One of Konami’s best looking games on the NES.
MUSIC
The game has some great tracks. Maybe nowhere to the quality of other Batman or Konami titles, but nothing that would be rough on the ears. My personal favorite tracks include the first level tune, as well as the boss battle music. Both have lots of energy, and action, most fitting for a game based on Batman. While I may have a bit of a softer spot for Sunsoft’s soundtracks, there is definitely enough in Batman Returns to enjoy.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Batman Returns is a fairly decent beat-em-up, but suffers from some annoying control issues. This was definitely a control scheme thought out for a console with more buttons. And considering how far better handled the SNES game is, you can definitely see that glaring issue. But other than that, great graphics, and a solid soundtrack accompany an okay game. The only thing that really hurt it for me was the control, and it’s why it doesn’t hold up at all in comparison to the other Batman games on the console, which played far better. It’s not the worst game on the console, but for Konami’s only NES Batman game, it could have been handled better. And on a console and from a company that has made better Beat-Em-Ups for the NES, this does seem like a far less polished effort, and that is a major shame. In the end, this return wasn’t the worst outing for the Dark Knight, but far from the most glorious either.
RATING: Thumbs in the middle