Batman: The Video Game

This article is about the 1989 NES game. For other video games, see List of video games featuring Batman.

1989 video game

Batman: The Video Game

North American cover art

Developer(s)| Sunsoft
Publisher(s)| Sunsoft
Designer(s)| Kazutomo Mori
Masayuki Takatsuji
Noriko Sakai
Tadashi Kojima
Yoshiaki Iwata
Programmer(s)| Keiichi Suzuki
Hiroaki Higashiya
Yuichi Ueda
Composer(s)| Naoki Kodaka
Noboyuki Hara
Platform(s)| NES
Release|

* JP: December 22, 1989
* NA: February 1990
* EU: September 14, 1990

Genre(s)| Platform
Mode(s)| Single-player

Batman: The Video Game is a video game developed by Sunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System featuring the DC Comics character Batman, loosely based on the 1989 film of the same name. The game is a platformer featuring five levels. Sunsoft developed three related games with the same title for the Game Boy, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, and PC Engine in 1990.

## Gameplay

[edit]

Batman being attacked by Heat Wave in the first stage

The game has a feature that was unusual in side-scrolling platform games at the time, largely to the NES itself. Unlike Sunsoft's Batman for the Mega Drive/Genesis, which features the grappling hook, Batman has the ability to do a wall jump. He is able to use three projectile weapons: the batarang, batdisk, and batpoon, which are powered by pellet cartridges.

Though officially tied to the 1989 film, the plot of the game bears very little resemblance. The stages in the game consists of the Gotham City Streets, Axis Chemical Plant, Gotham Sewers, Mysterious Laboratory, and the Gotham Cathedral Belltower. A number of notable DC Universe villains appear as low-level minions in the game, including Deadshot, KGBeast, Maxie Zeus, Heat Wave, Shakedown, and Nightslayer.

The bosses in the game are Killer Moth, a device known as the Machine Intelligence System, the Electrocutioner, a machine known as the Dual-Container Alarm, Firebug, and the Joker. The penultimate boss will be skipped in the continued play if the player reached the Joker previously, so the player can directly fight the Joker next time.

## Development

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2023)

|

The prototype version of the game had some significant differences, such as a 1UP icon and entirely different cutscenes. Originally, the game's final boss was Firebug, and there was no Joker boss. Instead, Batman is shown defeating the Joker in the ending cutscene. The art and dialogue were changed from the prototype to the final version to better reflect the look and events from the film.[1]

## Reception

[edit]

Reception

Review scoresPublication| Score

|

ACE| 890/1000[2]
AllGame| [3]
Computer and Video Games| 92%[4]
Electronic Gaming Monthly| 31/40[5]
Famitsu| 27/40[6]
Joystick| 90%[7]
Official Nintendo Magazine| 92%[8]
Player One| 95%[9]
Raze| 82%[10]
Total!| 81%[11]
Video Games (DE)| 63%[12]
Mean Machines| 87%[13]
Play Time| 74%[14]
Super Gamer| 91%[15]
AwardPublication| Award

|

Electronic Gaming Monthly (1989)| Best Movie to Game[16]

Batman: The Video Game garnered generally favorable reception from critics.[6][17][18][19] Electronic Gaming Monthly's four reviewers praised the intermission cutscenes, challenging bosses, and different weapons. While the graphics received praise for matching the film's mood, they felt it detracted from the game's overall appeal and added that its gameplay could get repetitive.[5] Computer and Video Games' Paul Rand lauded the presentation for its forbidding backgrounds, Batman's main sprite, and cutscenes. Rand also celebrated the game's soundscapes and frenetic gameplay.[4] ACE's Euguene Lacey praised the game's atmospheric audiovisual presentation and gameplay, but commented that its overall appeal depends largely on being a Batman fan and noted its difficulty.[2]

Joystick's Jean-Marc Demoly regarded the game as an excellent achievement on the NES, highlighting its dark graphics, sordid atmosphere, music, playability, and controls.[7] Player One's Patrick Giordano applauded the visuals for their gothic-esque look and animated sequences. Giordano also praised the game's soundtrack, audio effects, and controls, but noted its learning curve.[9] Raze found the game to be very good but considered the levels to be short.[10] Mean Machines' Matt Regan and Julian Rignall praised the game's presentation for its animated cutscenes, crisp visuals, addictive gameplay, and balanced difficulty, but saw the audio as the only shortcoming.[13] Video Games' Heinrich Lenhardt commended the game's thrilling music and said that the dark graphics have a certain charm, but emphasized that it will take some getting used to and criticized the cumbersome way of switching weapons.[12]

Play Time's Rainer Rosshirt found the game to be highly playable and gave positive remarks for its audiovisual department.[14] Total!'s Andy Dyer expressed admiration for the game's atmospheric backgrounds and gameplay but remarked that the soundscapes were not its best aspect.[11] Nintendo Magazine System (Official Nintendo Magazine) rated it as a first-class title and considered its gameplay to be addictive, but highlighted the high level of difficulty.[8] Super Gamer labelled it as one of the best platform games released on the NES, stating that the graphics captured the atmosphere and feel of Batman.[15] AllGame's Brett Alan Weiss called it "one of the best superhero games for the NES".[3] In a retrospective outlook, Hardcore Gaming 101's Chris Rasa highlighted its visuals, responsive controls, level design, and soundtrack, writing that "Sunsoft's first attempt at a Batman game remains its best".[1]

### Sales and accolades

[edit]

According to Famitsu, Batman sold approximately 78,437 copies during its lifetime in Japan.[20] In 1989, EGM gave it their "Best Movie to Game" award.[16] In the years after its release, it has been celebrated as one of the best games on the NES.[21][22][23][24] Furthermore, it is also listed among the best Batman games.[25][26][27] In 2009, IGN placed the title on their "Top 100 NES Games" list at #33, citing its gameplay and high difficulty.[21] In 2014, Digital Trends named it one of the fifty best games for the NES, although the publication noted storyline changes from the film on which it was based.[22] In 2022, Destructoid identified it as one of the ten best games for the NES, opining that it was better designed than Ninja Gaiden but highlighted its difficult nature.[23] In 2023, Den of Geek listed it as one of the fifteen best NES games based on movies and TV shows.[28]

## Game Boy version

[edit]

Main article: Batman: The Video Game (Game Boy video game)

The Game Boy title holds an aggregate score of 78.75% on GameRankings.[29] It features Batman attacking with a gun and is arguably the least related title to the film. The Game Boy version of the game sold over 500,000 copies by December 1990.[30]

## Genesis version

[edit]

Main article: Batman (Sega Genesis video game)

A title for Mega Drive/Genesis was also developed by Sunsoft. Unlike the NES version, its plot has more similarities to that of the film.

## PC Engine version

[edit]

Main article: Batman (PC Engine video game)

Batman for the PC Engine is an action-puzzle game, developed by Sunsoft and released in 1990 only in Japan. For unknown reasons the game was never released in North America for the TurboGrafx-16. There originally was a side scrolling action Batman like the other console versions, but it got canceled at some point and was replaced with what became the released product.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Rasa, Chris (December 12, 2014). "Batman: The Video Game (NES)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 2018-03-16. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
2. ^ a b Lacey, Eugene (August 1990). "Screentest (Consoles) - Coming for Consoles: Batman — Holy Nintendo, the Caped Crusader is back". ACE. No. 35\. EMAP. p. 59.
3. ^ a b Weiss, Brett Alan (1998). "Batman: The Video Game (Nintendo Entertainment System) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
4. ^ a b Rand, Paul (June 1990). "Nintendo - Mean Machines: Batman". Computer and Video Games. No. 103\. EMAP. pp. 100–101.
5. ^ a b Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; Stockhausen, Jim (April 1990). "Review Crew: Batman (NES)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 9\. Sendai Publishing. p. 10.
6. ^ a b "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: バットマン". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 91–92. ASCII Corporation. January 5–19, 1990. p. 18.
7. ^ a b Demoly, Jean-Marc (September 1990). "Console News - Nintendo NES: Batman". Joystick (in French). No. 8\. Sipress. p. 112.
8. ^ a b "Nintendo Magazine System Game Index: 8-Bit NES". Nintendo Magazine System. No. 1\. EMAP. October 1992. pp. 104–109.
9. ^ a b Giordano, Patrick (October 1990). "Tests de Jeu - Nintendo: Batman". Player One [fr] (in French). No. 2\. Média Système Édition [fr]. pp. 28–29.+[fr]&rft.atitle=Tests+de+Jeu+-+Nintendo:+Batman&rft.issue=2&rft.pages=28-29&rft.date=1990-10&rft.aulast=Giordano&rft.aufirst=Patrick&rft_id=https://archive.org/details/playerone-magazine-002/page/n27/mode/2up&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Batman:+The+Video+Game" class="Z3988">
10. ^ a b "Reviews: Batman (Nintendo)". Raze. No. 1\. Newsfield. November 1990. p. 41.
11. ^ a b Dyer, Andy (January 1992). "NES Reviews: Batman". Total!. No. 1\. Future Publishing. pp. 20–21.
12. ^ a b Lenhardt, Heinrich (March 1991). "Test: Gotham City Bei Nacht - Batman (NES)". Video Games [de] (in German). No. 3\. Markt & Technik. p. 33.+[de]&rft.atitle=Test:+Gotham+City+Bei+Nacht+-+Batman+(NES)&rft.issue=3&rft.pages=33&rft.date=1991-03&rft.aulast=Lenhardt&rft.aufirst=Heinrich&rft_id=https://archive.org/details/video-games-de-1991-03/page/n32/mode/1up&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Batman:+The+Video+Game" class="Z3988">
13. ^ a b Regan, Matt; Rignall, Julian (December 1990). "Nintendo Review: Batman". Mean Machines. No. 3\. EMAP. pp. 78–79.
14. ^ a b Rosshirt, Rainer (January 1992). "Konsolen Spiele: Batman (Nintendo)". Play Time [de] (in German). No. 8\. Computec. p. 78\. Archived from the original on 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-15.+[de]&rft.atitle=Konsolen+Spiele:+Batman+(Nintendo)&rft.issue=8&rft.pages=78&rft.date=1992-01&rft.aulast=Rosshirt&rft.aufirst=Rainer&rft_id=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File:PlayTime_DE_1992-01.pdf&page;=78&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Batman:+The+Video+Game" class="Z3988">
15. ^ a b "A-Z of Games - Nintendo Games Index: NES". Super Gamer. No. 1\. Paragon Publishing. April 1994. pp. 124–125.
16. ^ a b "Best and Worst of 1989". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 5\. Sendai Publishing. December 1989. pp. 17–24.
17. ^ Huyghues-Lacour, Alain (October 1990). "Rolling Softs: Batman (Console Nintendo, cartouche Sunsoft)". Tilt (in French). No. 82\. Editions Mondiales S.A. [fr]. p. 92.
18. ^ "Le Cahier des Consoles - Nintendo: Batman". Amstar Informatique [fr] (in French). No. 52\. Soracom Editions. December 1990.+[fr]&rft.atitle=Le+Cahier+des+Consoles+-+Nintendo:+Batman&rft.issue=52&rft.date=1990-12&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Batman:+The+Video+Game" class="Z3988">
19. ^ "Sistema Nintendo: Batman". VideoGame [pt] (in Portuguese). No. 1\. Editora Sigla. March 1991. p. 17.+[pt]&rft.atitle=Sistema+Nintendo:+Batman&rft.issue=1&rft.pages=17&rft.date=1991-03&rft_id=https://archive.org/details/VideoGame_Ano_1_Numero_01_1991_Sigla_Editora_BR_pt_Video_News_Numero_102A_Edicao_Especial/page/n15/mode/1up&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Batman:+The+Video+Game" class="Z3988">
20. ^ "Game Search". Game Data Library. Archived from the original on 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
21. ^ a b "Top 100 NES Games - 33. Batman: The Video Game". IGN. IGN Entertainment. 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-10-23. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
22. ^ a b "The 50 best NES games of all time". Digital Trends. Designtechnica Corporation. June 28, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-06-30. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
23. ^ a b "Top 10 best NES games of all time, ranked". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. December 17, 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-01-04. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
24. ^ "Best NES Games Of All Time". GameSpot. Red Ventures. October 27, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
25. ^ "The best Batman games of all time, ranked". Digital Trends. Designtechnica Corporation. August 2, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
26. ^ "Best Batman Games On Nintendo Systems". Nintendo Life. Hookshot Media. March 4, 2022. p. 3\. Archived from the original on 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
27. ^ "The Best and Worst Batman Games Ever". PCMag. Ziff Davis. October 20, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-10-26. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
28. ^ "15 Best NES Games Based On Movies and TV Shows". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. July 3, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
29. ^ "Batman: The Video Game for Game Boy on GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
30. ^ Ridenour, Debbie (December 5, 1990). "New game out for Christmas". The Advocate. p. 11. Retrieved December 27, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.

## External links

[edit]

* 1980s portal
* Japan portal
* Video games portal

* Batman: The Video Game at MobyGames

* v
* t
* e

Batman (1989–97)

Films|

* Batman (1989)
* Batman Returns (1992)
* Batman Forever (1995)
* Batman & Robin (1997)

| DC Extended Universe|

* The Flash (2023)
* Batgirl (unreleased)

|

Other media|

* Batman OnStar commercials (2000–02)
* Batman '89 (2021–present)
* Batman: Resurrection (2024)

Characters|

* Bruce Wayne / Batman
* Jack Napier / Joker
* Selina Kyle / Catwoman
* Barry Allen / Flash

Music|

| Batman|

* Batman: Original Motion Picture Score (1989)
* Batman (1989)
* "Batdance"
* "Partyman"
* "The Arms of Orion"
* "Scandalous!"
* "The Future"

|

Batman Returns|

* Batman Returns: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)
* "Face to Face"

Batman Forever|

* Batman Forever: Original Motion Picture Score Album (1995)
* Batman Forever: Music from the Motion Picture (1995)
* "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me"
* "Kiss from a Rose"
* "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game"
* "Nobody Lives Without Love"
* "Smash It Up"
* "The Riddler"
* "The Passenger"

Batman & Robin|

* Batman & Robin: Music from and Inspired by the "Batman & Robin" Motion Picture (1997)
* "The End Is the Beginning Is the End"
* "Look into My Eyes"
* "Gotham City"
* "Foolish Games"
* "Lazy Eye"
* "Poison Ivy"
* "Moaner"

Video games|

* Batman: The Movie
* Batman: The Video Game (1989–90)
* Game Boy
* Sega Genesis
* PC Engine
* arcade
* Batman Returns (1992)
* Lynx
* NES
* SNES
* Batman Forever (1995)
* arcade
* pinball
* Batman & Robin (1998)

Related|

* Batman & Robin: The Chiller
* Batmania

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Batman in film

Stand-alone films|

* Batman (1943 serial)
* Batman and Robin (1949 serial)

Adam West films|

* Batman (1966)
* Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)
* Batman vs. Two-Face (2017)

1989–1997 series|

| Films|

* Batman (1989)
* score
* soundtrack
* home computer game
* NES game
* Game Boy game
* Sega Genesis game
* PC Engine game
* arcade game
* Batman Returns (1992)
* soundtrack
* video game
* Batman Forever (1995)
* score
* soundtrack
* video game
* arcade game
* pinball game
* Batman & Robin (1997)
* soundtrack
* video game

|

Characters|

* Bruce Wayne
* Joker
* Penguin
* Catwoman

The Dark Knight trilogy|

| Films|

* Batman Begins (2005)
* soundtrack
* video game
* The Dark Knight (2008)
* soundtrack
* canceled video game
* The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
* soundtrack

|

Characters|

* Bruce Wayne
* Joker
* Rachel Dawes

DC Extended Universe|

| Films|

* Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
* soundtrack
* Suicide Squad
* Justice League
* Zack Snyder's Justice League
* The Flash
* Batgirl (unreleased)

|

Characters|

* Bruce Wayne
* Joker
* Harley Quinn

The Batman series|

* The Batman (2022)
* accolades
* soundtrack

Theatrical animated films|

* Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
* The Killing Joke (2016)
* The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
* soundtrack

Spin-off films|

* Catwoman (2004)
* video game
* Joker (2019)
* accolades
* soundtrack
* Birds of Prey (2020)
* soundtrack
* Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
* soundtrack
* Batgirl (unreleased)

Unofficial and fan films|

| Features|

* Batman Dracula
* Alyas Batman at Robin
* James Batman
* Batman Fights Dracula
* Fight Batman Fight!
* Alyas Batman en Robin

|

Shorts|

* Dead End
* Grayson
* World's Finest
* City of Scars
* Dying Is Easy

See also|

* Batman franchise
* List of Batman films cast members
* Batman OnStar commercials

* v
* t
* e

Batman video games

Lego series|

* Lego Batman: The Videogame
* Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
* Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

Arkham series|

* Arkham Asylum
* Arkham City
* Lockdown
* Arkham Origins
* Mobile
* Blackgate
* Arkham Knight
* Arkham VR
* Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
* Arkham Shadow

Telltale series|

* The Telltale Series
* The Enemy Within

Film-based|

* Batman (Ocean, 1989)
* Batman: The Video Game (NES, 1989)
* Batman: The Video Game (Game Boy, 1990)
* Batman (Mega Drive/Genesis, 1990)
* Batman (PC Engine, 1990)
* Batman (arcade, 1990)
* Batman Returns
* Batman Returns (Atari Lynx, 1992)
* Batman Returns (NES, 1993)
* Batman Returns (SNES, 1993)
* Batman Forever
* Batman Forever: The Arcade Game
* Batman & Robin
* Batman Begins
* The Dark Knight (canceled)

Animation-based|

* The Animated Series
* The Adventures of Batman & Robin
* Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
* Chaos in Gotham
* Gotham City Racer
* Vengeance
* Rise of Sin Tzu
* The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame

Other games|

* Batman (1986)
* The Caped Crusader
* Return of the Joker
* Dark Tomorrow
* DC Universe Online
* Gotham City Impostors
* Batman (2013)
* Gotham Knights
* MultiVersus

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Sunsoft

Franchises|

* Albert Odyssey
* Blaster Master
* Clock Tower
* Gimmick!
* Hebereke
* Ikki

Other games|

* Aero the Acro-Bat
* Aero the Acro-Bat 2
* Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel
* Astra Superstars
* Atlantis no Nazo
* Batman
* Fester's Quest
* Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors
* Gremlins 2: The New Batch
* Journey to Silius
* Lemmings
* Route-16
* Spy Hunter
* Super Fantasy Zone
* Trip World
* Waku Waku 7

Related|

* Naoki Kodaka

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

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