Batman: The Animated Series (Game Boy) NintendoComplete
352A playthrough of Konami's 1993 license-based action-platformer for the Nintendo Game Boy, Batman: The Animated Series.
What a thoroughly fantastic Batman game this one turned out to be! Between this, Batman Returns, and The Adventures of Batman and Robin, Konami did an unexpectedly awesome job replacing Sunsoft as the official developer of kick-ass games for the Caped Crusader. Old Konami was top notch, but Sunsoft wasn't an easy act to follow.
The Animated Series keeps the basics grounded in what Sunsoft did with Batman on the NES and Return of the Joker on Game Boy - wall-jumping is still a very necessary skill - but the level design, the grappling hook, and the occasional moments when Robin takes center stage give the formula a very fresh feeling.
And what Konami pulled off in terms of graphics and sound is nothing short of a miracle on the Game Boy. The backgrounds showcase some incredible pixel art (just check out that cityscape as a snow storm is going on, or the way the grass moves in Poison Ivy's area!), as do the cutscenes and the animation, not to mention how the music is dead on par with Konami's best NES soundtracks.
The Game Boy didn't often receive games with such high production values, and it was even less common to see those resources poured into a competently made licensed game, but this one nails it with plenty of style to spare.
I played this game constantly when it came out. I loved it for the graphics and how challenging it could be. The only thing that left a bitter taste in my mouth was how I came to have this cart. My friend Steve wanted to borrow my (still relatively new) Super Mario Land 2 cart, and he convinced me to try this one. Well, he never returned Mario 2, which I'm still annoyed about, but I still have Batman! :) Not a bad trade at all - I just would have preferred that he had lost my Dead Heat Scramble cartridge instead.
Batman: The Animated Series is head-and-shoulders above what most developers ever attempted on the black and white Game Boy, and it succeeds spectacularly. I wouldn't say it's *better* than Sunsoft's NES Batman efforts, but it's undoubtedly just as good, and it's quite arguably the best Batman game on the Game Boy.
Truly outstanding stuff.
*This is a replacement for a playthrough that I posted of the game years ago. Better resolution, framerate, and gameplay this time around!
*Recorded using Retroarch shaders for that blurry, nostalgically eye-straining Game Boy look.
___________________
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!