Batman - The Video Game (GB)

SIX PART BATMAN: THE MOVIE (1989) SPECIAL, part 3.

Not a very interesting title screen, but I'm liking the music.

Batman spies on Commissioner Gordon being told that Jack is at the Axis Chemical Plant.

Then he whips out his pistol and starts blowing criminals away. Seriously, Batman's only weapon in this is a pistol and he shoots to kill.

Fortunately enemies only take a single hit to kill, and they're only pacing back and forth so it's not difficult to get behind one and shoot them before they shoot me. Though I have to be careful because I can only have one bullet on screen at once.

No wait, I was wrong. It seems that he's actually firing from his mouth. Also, I like how he bobs up and down when he walks, but his ears stay perfectly level.

I could have tried to jump up those mysterious floating blocks but it's too late now. The screen has scrolled past the blocks I'd need to get up there, and the game won't let me backtrack.

Level two, inside the Axis Chemical Plant, and now I'm being attacked by bouncing robot tanks! Fantastic music though.

I keep seeing those black and white blocks everywhere, but I've got no idea what they're for. I can jump on them as a platform, but they seem very out of place to just be part of the level.

I accidentally shot a black block... it had a power up in it! A gun power up in fact, so now I can shoot through walls! It seems that every white block is empty, but every black block has stuff in.

I just wish I'd known this back on level one, maybe I'd be doing better.

Damn, I fell down a bottomless pit! It seems that there are more of them in Gotham than you'd think.

Well, I'm back at the start of level one again. My score is reset and my gun power up is... still active! I can still fire through walls!

This really helps take some of the sting away from having to replay the level, because each time I come back stronger.

Crap, moving platforms. I wish there was a cape glide power up because I always seem to misjudge my jumps slightly, and I don't really feel like replaying the entire stage again from the start.

Hey, it's an extra life! And there's no way I'm stupid enough to try to collect it.

Crap, it's a boss battle against Jack Napier. And the guy is huge!

Fortunately I've collected the batarang power up. Now I fire batarangs instead of bullets, so I can fire at him, jump over his head, and the batarangs will fly back and hit him again. It'd be easier though if he'd have the decency to stop jumping as well.

And Jack falls in the acid with a splash.

Okay, that's really creepy.

Level 2, and they're dropping... things on my head. Seriously I have no idea what those things are meant to be. It would be much easier to dodge them if the streets of Gotham city didn't consist of pillars over an endless chasm.

Very cunning. That power up there will actually reduce the amount of bullets I can have on screen, so I'm going to have to try to jump over it.

I've made it inside Flugalheim Museum. No Prince music, but I think I can live without it.

This level has multiple paths, but as far as I can tell none of them are wrong. I can go one way, collect the power ups, die, and then go a different path and collect different power ups.

And I could use all the power ups I can get, because enemies are taking more shots to kill.

Hey, I'm driving the Batmobile?

Uh... no, this is the Batwing. Well that's still good, it'll be change of pace.

Damn, they are not screwing around on this level. Planes fly in from both directions, missiles fly up, helicopters come overhead and fill the screen with bombs... all at the same time.

A boss fight, already? Okay, I can take this guy.

And then I can go and rest.

Oh crap, the next stage is more shoot 'em up action, with even more stuff going on.

Right, I've reached the second boss. Fortunately I've learned that I can fire backwards now, so I'm going to kick his ass.

Shit! Immediately after the second boss, there's a third boss, and he's brought friends, and he fires bullets that fly out then split into more bullets!

Okay, this might take a while.


MUCH LATER.

The Joker finds it hilarious that it took me so many tries to finish that level.

Damn, what the hell are these things? Where does the Joker get these ridiculous toys?

Stage 4-2 doesn't stop moving, ever. Not even when I'm about to do a jump and I need a second to position myself so that I don't collide with the ceiling, lose my momentum, and fall helplessly into the chasm below.

I have to land on the platform with a gun on it? Can't I have a chance to shoot and blow the gun up first?

This level seems to have really ramped up the difficulty. I hate it when I have a time limit, it screws up my decision making and can causes me to make stupid mistakes over and over again. And over and over and over and over.

I fall down the bottomless pit and I'm back to the start of the stage, I do it 4 times and I'm back to the start of the level. I've got infinite continues but I'm not sure it's going to be enough because now I'm miserable and demoralised.


But yeah it's still a good game, one of the best Batman games I've played so far actually.

Part 1: Batman: The Movie (Amiga)
Part 2: Batman - The Video Game (NES)
Part 4: Batman - The Video Game (Genesis/Mega Drive)
Part 5: Batman (TurboGrafx-16)
Part 6: Batman (Arcade)