Is Batman: The Video Game still good?
Batman: The Video game is a side scrolling action game developed by Sunsoft and released
on the Sega Genesis in 1991.
Sunsoft released a Batman game on a variety of platforms of the day, including the NES,
Game Boy, PC Engine, and the Sega Genesis.
Curiously, all 4 games are completely different beasts, rather than being ports of a source
version.
Therefore the Genesis game is unique to the Sega hardware.
Like the other versions, Batman: The Video Game for the Sega Genesis was met with positive,
though awkwardly written, reviews:
Electronic Gaming Monthly scored the game an 8 out of 10 noting, "It's great, but
not the best.
Once again, another simple game for the Genesis.
The gameplay is true to the movie plot and scenery, but the bosses are too easy and don't
last very long.
Anyway, Batman is a lot of fun and full of huge levels to keep you busy.
Solid."
Sega Pro magazine agreed giving the game an 8.5 out of 10 stating, "Graphically, Batman
the game is really in tune with its film counterpart.
The music playing through, though not the original, is obviously inspired by the movie
soundtrack.
Gameplay is great fun, but rather dated, although there's plenty of variety here!"
So, is Batman: The Video Game still this good?
Let's dive in.
Batman: The Video Game opens with a massive amount of scrolling text outlining the plot
from the feature film.
The background image does occasionally change but as an endless wall of text doesn't make
for interesting review footage.
I'd encourage you to go watch the excellent movie rather than listen me try to explain
the details.
The adventure begins at Gotham City Street where the player learns the controls.
Batman's move set is pretty standard.
He can jump and double jump, punch, leg whip, and throw a limited amount of batarangs.
If I'm honest, you could swap the Batman sprite for just about anything, change the batarang
to a gun or maybe ninja stars, and the game would still work exactly the same.
This level is also extremely linear, with no vertical movement whatsoever, just a simple
path from left to right.
You will notice some control quirks however.
Sometimes jumping into an enemy will kill them, other times Batman takes damage.
Additionally, sometimes a single punch will knock out an enemy, other times it takes two.
I'm sure there must be a logical reason for these quirks, but even after multiple playthroughs,
I couldn't figure it out.
With the gameplay and level 1 out of the way, we move onto the first boss fight.
There may be a pattern to memorize here, like jumping over the boss and punching his back,
but the game provides enough batarangs to dispatch this foe, with guaranteed hits as
long as you are crouching.
From here we are off to the Axis Chemical Plant.
Now is a good time to talk about the grappling hook, which is the most Batman thing, found
in Batman: The Video Game.
On designated platforms Batman can stick a grappling hook and launch upwards.
The level design occasionally requires this, with clues in the level geometry tipping off
the player.
The double jump also becomes mandatory in some jumping segments, giving Batman a boost
in horizontal trajectory.
Same as before, the level ends with a boss fight.
This isn't much of a fight if I'm honest as a single hit will dump Jack into the large
vat.
Our next stop is the Flugelheim Museum.
While the structure of the game doesn't change much here, some new obstacles are introduced,
including the addition of light platforming as well as chandeliers dropping from the ceiling.
Sometimes these are triggered by the player, other times they follow a preset pattern.
In either case, the addition of hazards does increase the difficulty, as you need to avoid
both incoming gunshots in addition to the obstacles, to make it through.
It's also worth noting if you die, you don't restart the level, but rather respawn where
you left off.
In any case, this third level features two bosses.
The first is a ninja styled enemy.
I found the best way to take this one down was to perform a double jump, making sure
to land just past the opponent.
The enemy will take damage from the cape, and allow the player to get past unscathed.
If you do it wrong, you'll land in front of the enemy and take damage.
I'm not sure if this is how the developer's intended this fight to go, maybe you're supposed
to jump over the boss and then strike, but this seemed to work with the least amount
of risk.
After this is a second fight.
The patterns found here are also basic.
Simply move out of the way after the belly flop attack, and then punch.
That's it.
Next, a cut-scene is finally shown, with Batman rescuing Vicki Vale.
It's not much, but a nice nod to the film.
Batman then cruises around in the Batmobile in Gotham City Street.
This plays like a horizontal shmup, and in my opinion isn't too bad.
Batman has unlimited ammunition and the batarang changes to guided missiles.
Between the two it's a straightforward exercise to defeat the waves of cars and vans.
Thankfully, the various tanks do pose a challenge, with attack patterns requiring some memorization.
The same goes for the boss.
This is challenging at first, but once you memorize the simple pattern, it isn't too
bad.
The level is not over however, and the action returns to the side scrolling variety.
There isn't much to say here.
There are a few different clown enemies with different attacks.
Some just somersault backwards, making them easy targets.
Others blow fire, requiring some timing, and others jump kick, making them the trickiest.
The boss fight on the other hand, is ridiculously easy.
All you need to do is let the ninja run underneath Batman, and then attack.
The boss will even jump over Batman after taking damage, saving the player the trouble
of enemy avoidance.
Simply repeat this two-step process until the boss's lifebar runs out.
After making it through this onslaught, we move onto In the Sky over Gotham City.
This is another vehicle level, but in the Batwing.
It plays much like the Batmobile stage, except there is a little bit of delay in the jet's
movement.
I assume this is a realistic nod to aero physics and there is not any lag.
In any case, Batman again has unlimited standard ammunition along with limited guided missiles.
The final boss encounter is about as basic as it gets.
This is the last of the vehicle segments and Batman makes his way to the Gotham Cathedral.
I mentioned at the beginning of the video Batman: The Video Game could be a ninja game
with a few sprite swaps, and the first section of Gotham Cathedral feels like it's ripped
straight out of the original Shinobi.
There are two distinct levels to play through, with various obstacles and enemy placements
requiring Batman to move up and down between the two levels.
After the Shinobi section is a boss rush.
Nothing changes here, except for some color differences.
If you struggled with the previous boss encounters, this part may be challenging, but if you've
already memorized the patterns of each, the boss rush is a breeze.
Next the player makes their way up a large tower.
The grappling hook is a necessity here, challenging the player to time its use correctly to avoid
the bombs enemies are throwing in addition some fire breathing statues.
The small platforms and aggressive enemies make this a worthy final level.
And of course when you reach the top, the Joker is waiting for you.
Like all of the other bosses presented thus far, The Joker is extremely easy to beat.
I found jumping just in front of him at the edge of the screen repeatedly seemed to yield
the best results.
Try anything else and you'll quickly be mowed down by one of two devastating attacks.
After this, the Joker is defeated, and another wall of text is presented marking the end
of the game.
Then of course, the credits roll.
As you would expect from a Sunsoft game, the graphics are pretty good.
The sprites are large and detailed, backgrounds look nice, and there are few technical issues
to speak of.
Batman himself is well animated.
The walking animation is a bit stiff, but matches the source material well enough.
I also like how there always seems to be an extra frame of animation in everything Batman
does.
When in the air, there are a couple of frames as the knees are tucked.
Same goes for jumping, with a quick frame where Batman builds momentum.
Even the enemies are well animated.
That isn't to say every level is a looker, and the game occasionally looks bland, but
the dark tone of the film is carried throughout the adventure and I find it quite appealing.
The highlight however, has to be the music.
The compositions are lengthy, the melodies are catchy, and the synthesized instruments
sound rich and warm.
There is a little bit of Genesis twang here and there, but nothing here is grating in
the slightest and Batman: The Video Game is one of the better third party soundtracks
found on the Sega hardware.
So, with all of that out of the way, we arrive back to the question asked at the beginning
of the video, is Batman: The Video Game still good?
First, I am not going to compare this to the NES classic, or the Game Boy game which I
enjoy quite a bit.
I simply want to look at the game as it is, regardless of how it stacks up to the others.
On the surface, there is a lot to like with Batman: The Video Game.
The game is true enough to the source material, like using set pieces from the film and does
a decent job mixing in the enemy design from the movie with some new creations.
The variety is nice as well, with plenty of action, some platforming, and two different
vehicles to drive.
Combine this with some above average visuals and an outstanding soundtrack, and Batman:
The Video Game makes a good first impression.
However, as I continued to make my way through the game, I wasn't finding the actual gameplay
all that compelling, and after the new car smell wore off, I found Batman: The Video
Game to be completely lacking in depth.
As I noted, the hit detection on the enemies is inconsistent.
Sometimes taking one punch, other times two and the jump attacks are spotty at times.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Many of the enemies are randomly generated.
There are two areas where this is an issue.
At the Axis Chemical Plant, the game teaches the player to jump on crates to avoid sliding
enemies.
It's a theme that gets reinforced throughout the level.
But because the enemy drops are random, sometimes they spawn before making it to the next crate.
Your instincts say jump, but you hit your head, drop to the ground, and take damage.
You'll later learn to try and leg whip them, but this is often easier said than done.
Things get worse in the Flugelheim Museum.
The player has to run underneath the falling chandeliers, and must also stop and duck under,
or jump over, incoming fire.
Once there are two or three enemies on the screen, the player is forced to take damage.
The enemy fire is independent of the chandelier drops or each other, and there are no patterns
to learn to reach success.
It just feels sloppy.
Other times, this random style does work: when there are two different levels to maneuver
through, and no timing based obstacles to avoid.
Here, the player has enough room to dodge the randomness, and the gameplay is a lot
more engaging as a result.
But the issues with the enemies don't stop there.
Some enemies are static, meaning they will be in the same spot, every time, no matter
what.
This is obviously a good thing, as the designers put thought into how enemies interact with
the environment.
This creates timing elements where the player has to plan an attack, which I like.
It also forces the player to utilize different attacks, like using the batarang instead a
jump attack or melee attack.
These are bright spots in Batman: The Video Game, but are sadly few and far between.
Sometimes these static enemies are not thoughtfully placed.
Here, these axe throwing guys will quickly mow down Batman while the player needs to
deal with a moving horizontal platform, along with a vertical platform.
To make matters worse, everything respawns.
If you fall down, you'll have to refight all of the previous enemies you took out.
Even stranger, power-ups respawn.
Be it extra batarangs or extra lives.
There are two instances I found where I could max out my life counter due to this feature.
First is in the Flugelheim Museum.
Simply backtrack down this tower section, and repeatedly collect life power-ups until
you reach 9.
Later on are three lives in the cathedral.
You do have to fall down a platform to collect them, and because you respawn right where
you dropped off, you can keep falling until you have a full stock of lives again.
Perhaps the developers intended this as a reward for attentive players, but I suspect
not.
You can choose to have 3, 5, or 7 lives per continue in the option screen, but the respawning
extra lives negates this entirely.
Speaking of continues, Batman: The Video Game does have them.
They are not unlimited, but there are more than enough for a gamer of average skill to
finish the game without much of an issue.
Normally I like a healthy continue system in my retro game, but as Batman: The Video
Game is both short, clocking in at 30 minutes or so and not terrible difficult, I'm not
sure it really matters either way.
Finally, I should dive into the two vehicle stages.
As I continued to play through these I began to notice some easy patterns.
In the Batmobile stage, almost every enemy can only fire forwards for example.
Therefore, if you stay at the same spot on the screen, you can quickly defeat what is
directly in front of you, and ignore the other enemies.
Not every enemy works this way, but the more complex enemies only show up one at a time,
making them easier to manage.
Still, ignoring a majority of the enemies isn't satisfying.
The Batwing level is even worse.
I noticed the Batwing would take minimal damage when crashing into an enemy.
I assume half a health point.
This is in stark contrast to getting hit with a projectile, which will zap away many heatlh
points.
Next, I realized little happens in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
I then combined these two facts and learned I could camp out in the upper right side of
the screen with little resistance.
Sure you'll get crashed into a couple of times, but there is basically no penalty.
The screen can be filled with enemies, and it really doesn't matter.
There is a trend of thoughtless enemy behavior through the entire adventure, and I can't
help but feel Sunsoft didn't put enough attention and care into one of the most crucial elements
of a side scrolling action game: the action!
Now I don't want to be too hard on the game because it isn't awful.
The jumping is a bit stiff, but the platforms are placed in ways perfectly fitted to the
limitations.
In fact, there is virtually nothing frustrating about this game at all, and no controller
throwing moment is ever presented.
There are even little things I really dig, like how the helicopters are lit from below
as they fly over Gotham City., or the sound of a swinging sword.
The bosses even have life bars, which is always a welcome touch.
And I like how Joker and Vicki Vale are seen in the background of this boss fight.
Sunsoft's attention to detail with the presentation is great, but I really wish this level of
care was put into the actual gameplay.
This lack of care can lead me to no other conclusion, Batman: The Video Game for the
Sega Genesis is not very good.
The enemy design is just too lousy.
Now I'm all for pattern recognition, and being rewarded for learning enemy behavior and exploiting
weaknesses.
The problem is exploiting enemy weaknesses doesn't take any skill in Batman: The Video
Game.
This fundamental flaw makes for an experience lacking any sort of engagement and therefore,
virtually no satisfaction for completing tasks and reaching goals.
The only saving grace is the game isn't broken, but even the amazing soundtrack can't mask
the fact Batman: The Video Game is at worst boring and at best, a below average, shallow,
side scroller.
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