RETRO REVIEW: BATMAN RETURNS (SNES, 1993) The Bat. The Cat. The Penguin. The SNES Game.

Batman Returns is a classic 16-bit sidescrolling beat ’em up where players assume the role of the Dark Knight as he attempts to murder hundreds of criminals before the Penguin steals Christmas. This was one of those games that I wanted more than anything as kid. But since I was never given Nintendo related gifts outside of my birthday and the occasionally stellar report card, unfortunately it was one of many to slip through the cracks.

Well I’ve been an adult for a while now and obviously scored a copy at the first opportunity many years ago so here’s what I think about it!

Back during the SNES/Genesis days third party developer Konami was on fire, cranking out high quality video games left and right. In addition to the Castlevania and Contra franchises, there were also a solid handful of titles based on licensed properties. Games featuring characters from Tiny Toons and the Ninja Turtles were some of the best of the generation, with fantastic graphics, sound and controls that still hold up to this day. And this all applies to their take on Tim Burton’s 1992 blockbuster sequel as well: It looks great, sounds great, plays great, is incredibly shallow, mind-numbingly repetitious and a lot of fun.

If you’ve ever played a Final Fight game in your life then you know exactly what to expect here. You walk across the screen from left to right, level to level administering every existing flavor of pain on Earth to anyone in sight. It sounds simplistic and it is but the beat ‘em up genre has always had a straightforward visceral appeal that is hard to deny. And while Batman Returns is a blatant clone of the dozens of entries in this genre that precede it, there’s one critically appealing difference it has going for it that none of the others can offer:

You’re BATMAN.

As stated before, the video/audio experience Konami delivered here is incredibly appealing. Even if old Bats himself comes off looking a bit, shall we say…”Afflecky.” The animation, color scheme and faithfulness to the production design of the movie (Bo Welch) are all incredibly top notch, making for a more than pleasant atmosphere with which to beat up circus performers and leather clad workplace bullying survivors within an inch of their lives to.

The controls are also airtight with great sound effects, offering a pleasing “crunch” to every punch and kick. And the soundtrack captures Danny Elfman’s score quite well! Batman Returns also makes the small but highly appreciated effort of including a pretty neat looking Mode-7 Batmobile stage. This addition really goes a long way toward mixing things up for a moment, offering a welcome touch of variety to all of the fist to face combat. How nice of it.

Additionally, the game does a really fine job of following the general plotline and locations established in the movie via both digitized stills and in game cinematic moments. Look! There’s that annoying ice princess who’s just a few moments away from painting the pavement of Gotham City’s streets. I mean, I guess you could complain that there isn’t a level that lets you tear your house apart and sew your own leather Catwoman costume from scratch, but who hasn’t already done that in real life?

From the attract screen on to the final battle, this game has got to be a candidate for one of the most faithful adaptations ever, truly coming close to feeling like you’re just straight up playing the movie. I bet you didn’t expect to see the Duck-boat thing that the Penguin pilots around below included but there it is!

Man, WB really set Burton loose with this one.

If I had to complain about anything, it’s that these types of game are the most fun when experienced alongside a friend as a two player experience. But since Robin wouldn’t be introduced until the next film, it’s pretty forgivable. They could have included a second quest with a playable Catwoman or something but that’s a real nitpick right there.

Overall, I’m pretty fond of this game and am yapping about it because we are now resting comfortably in the loving arms of the Christmas season. Batman Returns is a movie that I…uh, return to every December and thanks to Konami, have a great game to play alongside with watching the movie each year.