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Gotta hand it
to Konami - they know how to make some good games. There haven't been
an impressive number of good Batman titles, but both Batman and Robin
and this game (also both made by the big K) are among the best of
any system. Holding true to the Batman sequel, Batman Returns has
you following Penguin and Catwoman through a standard beat-em-up sidescroller
based on scenes in the film.
Batman fan or
not, if you like the brawling games you're gonna like this one. His
Batliness fights through seven stages, each with multiple sub-areas,
and spends plenty of time thrashing members of the Penguin's circus
gang. This means that there's not a whole lot of variety in the enemies
- everyone you fight is some variation of a clown, be it "bike
clown" to "bazooka clown" and everything in between
- but there's still enough variation to keep from being too boring.
As with all other brawlers, your foes are great in number and weak
in skill. They'll take more than a few punches, and are a lot of trouble
if they gang up on you, but generally serve as fist fodder over skilled
adversaries.
Bosses are a little
more difficult, and generally are either the Penguin or Catwoman.
They each run through predictable patterns and have their "cheap
attack while invulnerable" move, but though certainly challenging,
neither are impossible to defeat.
Batman's
moves are among some of the most interesting in the genre. He
is certainly badass, no matter how many enemies are attacking
him on the screen. He's got his standard combo triggered automatically
by repeatedly pressing the attack button, and he's got his usual
jump kicks and "power spin that kills enemies but drains
energy" trick. But the very best of the best are definitely
unique. If you grab an enemy, you have the option to slam them
to the ground - or my favorite - throw them into the background,
breaking windows, benches, or whatever you throw them into. Unlike
Death and Return of Superman, which also allows you to kick enemies
to the proverbial background curb, there aren't as many destructible
items in the environment - but make no mistake, it's still a nice
feature. Another great signature move is the ability to grab two
enemies on either side of you and smash their heads together,
usually knocking out both. Fantastic looking, and actually useful
too. |
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Of course Batman
without his tools is just a wimp named Bruce Wayne in a funny suit.
You don't see as many Bat-tools as you might hope for, but the classics
do make an appearance. In most levels, pressing A will chuck your
Batarang straight ahead, doing no damage but stunning enemies and
knocking down bosses or bikers. A few other levels trade your A button
for Batty's grappling gun and replace your punches and kicks with
infinite Batarangs. There's usually no real reason for this trade
off except variation, though it happens most usually when you're fighting
aerial bosses. You'll also get to drive the Batmobile for a short
level, and chase bikers and cars off the road.
Check
out the nifty shadows.
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The
graphics in the game are extremely impressive. The movie's sets
are recreated very well, and the winter setting is convincingly
portrayed. Batman himself looks large and menacing, and strides
with animated viciousness. All of his pseudo-kungfoolery is also
well-animated, from his moves to the pain his foes receive in
spades. There are also a few areas that look especially nice,
such as the large Christmas tree in the first area complete with
blinking lights, and an amazing boss fight with realistic shadows
affecting the brightness of your characters as they move. It doesn't
sound like much but it looks very nice, and somewhat realtime
shadows were certainly new for the SNES era. |
The sound and the
graphics are also top notch. The music has been taken from the movie's
soundtrack and reproduced faithfully. The punches, kicks, and other
general effects are pretty much what you'd expect, but still sound
very nice. Controls do exactly what you tell them to and it's easy
to pull off Batman's assorted moves.
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Though
it's a great brawler on its own, it stands to get a little repetitive
based on the simple fact that you can only pile drive a clown
into the pavement so many times before it's just routine. That's
where the little details of the game come in to save the day.
As lame as it sounds, the world feels alive around you and there
are enough little things to keep you interested. Snow and confetti
fall in the early scenes, adding to the environment. Panicked
citizens flee past you as you fight, and there's even a woman
trapped by a clown biker spinning doughnuts around her. My favorite
by far is the juggling clown who drops his pins clattering to
the ground when you hit him. It's such a small, but satisfying
touch.
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"Nobody,
and I mean nobody juggles on MY watch!"
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-reviewed 1/23/02 - game copyright 1993 Konami
Entertaining arcade port. Worth your time.
Somewhat short. No final battle with Catwoman?
Batman Returns on MobyGames
Batman Returns (film) on IMDb
Gameplay video on YouTube
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