This game is originally titled “Batman: The Video Game.” It was developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Hence it is commonly referred to as Batman NES.
The game is loosely based on the 1989 movie titled “Batman.” The movie starred Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson in the titular roles of Batman and Joker, respectively.
The game was also released on Gameboy. But the Batman NES version is the best-known version of the game.
The game is considered to be a classic video game because it was the first time Batman has ever been a video game. Typically movies as video games are just cash grabs, but this is one of the rare exceptions that was done well.
Storyline
The story starts when Jack Napier falls into the vat of chemicals and becomes the Joker. He has used the DDID gas in Gotham to wreak havoc.
The story is loosely based upon the Batman film but has significant changes as well. The final boss is the Joker as in the movie. But the initial draft of the game had Firebug as the big baddie.
But the final boss is changed to Joker. Other notable changes include new dialogues and additional cutscenes to better reflect the game’s relation to the movie.
Gameplay
The gameplay featured was in 2-D and featured some innovations for the time. Instead of the normal grappling hook, Batman is able to jump on walls.
The game also featured Batarang, Batdisk, and Bat-speargun as the character’s arsenal.
The game was divided into five stages. Each stage representing a different location.
Gotham City Streets
The first stage is set in the streets of Gotham city. Batman is investigating the spread of the DDID gas. This leads him to City Hall, where he needs to defeat the Killer Moth to proceed to the next level.
The AXIS Factory
The second level is set in the Axis chemical factory. It is this factory that Batman needs to explore to get to the origin of the Nerve gas. Batman faces the “Machine Intelligence System” in this stage.
Underground Sewers
After destroying the factory and stopping the Nerve gas production, Batman gets caught in a trap laid down by the Joker. As a result, Batman is cornered inside the underground conduits and must find a way out of the sewers. And On his exit, Batman faces the Electrocutioner.
Laboratory Ruins
After dealing with the Electrocutioner, Batman heads to another of The Joker’s hideout. In the process of tracking the Joker down, Batman must destroy the “Dual Container Alarm” to proceed to the next level.
Gotham Cathedral BellTower
The final stage is the Gotham Cathedral Belltower. Batman faces Joker in this location for the final fight. Batman faces Firebug first and then fights the Joker in this location.
Villains
There were numerous villains in the game. The villains are divided into two tiers.
Tier 2 Villains
A number of DC villains are featured as level two bosses in the game. The likes of Deadshot are introduced as second-tier bosses. Other villains include KG Beast, Nightslayer, Javelin, and many more.
Tier 1 Villains
The final bosses of each stage were Killer Moth, Machine Intelligence System, The Electrocutioner, Dual Container Alarm, Firebug, and The Joker.
Joker
Joker is Batman’s primary antagonist in the movie. And he is retained as the final boss for the game. Considering that Joker is the arch-nemesis of Batman. A final fight between them at the end of the game is an amazing end to an excellent game.
Reception
The NES version of the game was the most well-received edition of the game. And The ranking of the Batman NES was the highest among other gaming consoles. The NES version is also considered one of the most difficult games to be available on the platform.
It’s not until Arkham Knight came out that a Batman game had surpassed the NES version. It took many years and many different systems, including Sega, Super Nintendo, N64, Playstation, and Dreamcast. That is sad!
The Gameboy version was the lowest ranked edition of the game.
Conclusion of The Batman NES Game
This game is a classic masterpiece of the Nintendo gaming console. Due to the popularity of the Batman movie, high expectations were attached to the game.
And the game delivered on its promise of an entertaining and unique gameplay. It did so, by using all the facilities at the creator’s disposal. The creators also experimented with the storyline to make it more interesting.
The game had new features like wall jumping. It added to overall enhanced gameplay. The users accepted the Game very well and critics also loved it.
The game is written down as one the best games to be ever produced and created for that era.
Â
Â
