Batman

"Sorry, but no Vicki Vale..."

Developed by Sunsoft, Batman is a 2D action game featuring the dark knight of Gotham. It is based on the first Batman movie (you know, that cool movie directed by Tim Burton and with Jack Nicholson as the Joker).

The premise is quite simple: the Joker has been threatening the city and you, controlling Batman, must stop him. The story loosely follows the events of the movie, even with some occasional cutscenes between the stages, but the link does not go beyond that. Nearly none of the in-game events or stages seems directly based on any sequence from the film.

The gameplay is a blend of 2D action and platformer, similar to Ninja Gaiden or Castlevania.You lead Batman through Gotham City alleys, sewers, factories and hideouts. Needless to say, there are Joker minions everywhere and, unfortunately, the dark knight seems to have left most of his gadgets at home. He only has his batarang, a rocket launcher and some shurikens as weapons, all of them with a limited amount of ammunition. Nevertheless, the shortage of weapons won't be a problem once you notice that your punch is actually stronger than anything you carry, even your rocket launcher. Videogame physics, I guess.

Batman is not much of an athlete in this title, since he is slow and cannot jump very high. He can, however, perform a stylish and handy maneuver: a wall jump, pretty useful to reach high platforms or to climb vertical shafts. This move becomes important in later stages, when you face conveyor belts or electrified fields in every corner. Batman does get more complicated near the end, but it is not a hard game. In fact, its five stages can be completed within forty minutes. Not long enough, even for a NES game.

Visually, Batman is quite decent. The characters may be tiny and lack definition sometimes, but their animation is swift. The backgrounds are excellent, with both a dark look and a high number of details. In fact, some of the subtle touches, like the rotating fans and water effects, are quite impressive. The audio department is nice as well, with great music and sound effects. The tunes are fitting for each area, and they capture the gloomy feel of the stages.

Batman is, in general, an interesting action game. Indeed, it may be short and straightforward but, if you do not put your expectations too high, you will certainly enjoy it.

Score – 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/10/04, Updated 06/24/04