Batman (NES) Playthrough
447A playthrough of Sunsoft's 1990 license-based action-platformer for the NES, Batman: The Video Game.
Based on Tim Burton’s 1989 classic cinematic reimagining of the iconic American superhero, Sunsoft’s Batman: The Video Game for the NES was released in early 1990, four months after the movie was released on VHS, and eight months after Batman‘s initial theatrical run. Riding on the long-lasting popularity of the Caped Crusader’s return to form, the arrival of Batman‘s video game adaptation was warmly greeted by players nationwide, many of whom still proudly wore their Batman t-shirts, carried Batman lunchboxes, and battled one another with Batman action figures during recess on playgrounds across America. With the popularity and the recognition of the brand at an all-time high, Batman: The Video Game became a huge commercial success, even garnering a much coveted Nintendo Power cover feature.
Loosely following the plot of the film, Gotham City is busy with preparations for the city's 200th Anniversary Festival. The Joker, the infamously twisted sociopath who many years ago murdered Batman’s parents, has crippled the city with a large-scale nerve gas attack. He now takes refuge in the tallest steeple of the Gotham City Cathedral, and to reach him, Batman must fight through The Joker's minions in the deserted city streets, the Axis Chemical Factory, an underground conduit, and the ruins of an old lab before he can throw down with the man who stole his childhood and shattered Gotham's fragile sense of peace.
The game is a run-and-punch action cart that sees Batman brawling and wall-jumping his way through five moody stages, each striking a careful balance between combat and acrobatic platforming challenges.
Some might argue that it's just a Ninja Gaiden clone, and while it does draw a lot of inspiration from that game, Batman is so much more than a rehash. It's one of the smoothest-flowing and polished platformers of its type on the NES. The controls are perfect: Batman responds snappily and predictably to every button press, jumps are suitably weighty, and the wall jumps feel fantastic to pull off. It's a difficult game, but there's a lot of satisfaction to be had in learning how to handle each situation. As hair-pulling as it can be at times, it's fair: there's always a reasonable way through, and thoughtful play will get you farther than brute force.
The presentation is equally well done. The stage backgrounds are eye-catching and lean into the console's limited color palette to create a "gothic" atmosphere that doesn't interfere with the visibility of the action, the cutscenes are flashy, and the soundtrack is pure 8-bit ear candy.
Batman is one of my favorite NES games. We rented it shortly after it came out in 1990, and I loved it right away. It was stylish, it was fun, and it demanded perfection. I was hooked, and truth be told, I still am. Even now, I still toss it in for a quick game every few weeks or so, and every time I take down the Joker, I still feel like I've just conquered Everest.
So yeah, Batman is your typical late-gen NES release from Sunsoft. No big deal. Just one of the best action games on the platform.
(For anyone who might be interested, I redid the soundtrack for the Super Nintendo a few years ago. Check it out! • ♫BATMAN Arranged Soundtrack (NES OST ... )
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