The Game Gear edition of Batman Returns was a fine game. I suppose that it could've been more ambitious. A few more stages and an additional, more difficult route likely could have catapulted it to a top-tier experience for Sega's 8-bit handheld. There's only so much time I can divulge to the "what could have been". In an era with so much licensed junk, a solid if unspectacular product can still be considered a win. Now I'm looking at the Genesis game. More ambitious? Yeah. More content? Certainly. Better? No. In the end, this is just my take, but a game that is simple yet dependable usually wins out over one that tries to push the envelope but continually falls on its face.
I don't want to be too reductive or dismissive of this attempt at a 16-bit Batman Returns, but it starts off on the backfoot with a rather confusing first stage. The general idea behind navigating each stage is to go right, but starting off on a roof-top with no clear direction isn't great. The indistinct, often muddy visuals don't do an effective job of signaling where the player should and shouldn't go. Then there's the second stage, which seems to resemble a building that is tilted to one side. A neat concept, but its execution is claustrophobic. Traps are oddly difficult to get around, resulting in an unnecessarily large amount of damage. Also, though the bat-hook is an essential tool for getting around, it's never 100% clear when it can be used. There was a section in stage 2 where I was stuck in a spike trap simply because I couldn't find whatever it is my bat-hook was supposed to latch on to in order to escape. Stage 3 hides pits behind foreground objects, and that's just plain rude game-design.
All that needs to be said about the combat is that every time I saw an enemy, an audible sigh escaped my lips. Fights are unpleasant at best. Unless I'm tossing batarangs or some other armament with limited ammo, my adversary is usually the first to land a hit. It's almost as if getting punched in the face is all part of Batman's prep-time. There probably should've been more restoratives in each stage. The final section of stage 3 requires the Caped Crusader to scurry up a series of small platforms while gargoyles leap on him. A courtesy heart would've been greatly appreciated before the fight with Penguin directly afterwards, but that didn't happen. Maybe I have to blame myself for expecting something that occurs in 98% of other action-platformers.
Yes, one could argue that I ought to try "getting gud", but I'm just trying to adapt to the game's flow, which apparently consists of getting tagged by an enemy or projectile that I didn't see coming until it was too late. Also, "too late" can mean the second someone is onscreen. It's all the more reason not to shame players who chooses to set Batman up with a stock of 7 lives before starting the game. Shoot, I did it and I don't care what anyone thinks. One additional perk of stocking up is that I feel less guilty about the fact that enemies don't respawn when Batman dies. What's probably most aggravating about the messy combat is that it's a waste of some imaginative enemies. There are fire jugglers who disappear under their hat to move around, kung fu clowns, clowns jumping out of mirrors, and of course gargoyles. However, just when I'm about to praise the game for its good ideas, it'll throw something obnoxious at me like exploding lights.
While batarangs can and should be used against common enemies, you'll want to hang onto your rare sub-weapons for the bosses. Homing batarangs are especially useful against The Penguin and his flying umbrella. Searching each stage for extra ammunition pays off, though it also means putting up with the dreary graphics and messy everything else for an extended period of time. Plus, I don't know what to think about the game coming up with new and funny ways of messing with me. One time, while walking across a train, a platform sprung out and bashed Batman. It felt like one of those "Ha Ha! You played our game, idiot!" pranks that got old decades ago. Oh, and of course the final act is packed with icy floors, instant-death pits, projectile-flinging goons, and holes that kick you back to the beginning. Isn't that hilarious?
Eventually, Batman Returns on the Sega Genesis will end, but not before it takes a piece out of you that you might not be able to get back so easily. There are interesting sights, if you can actually see them through all the depressing despondent dreariness. Stages are designed to be either needlessly complex or just hallways full of baddies. It's difficult, but only due to poor balance and scenarios custom-designed to steal lives. The section where Batman has to escape a rolling ball comes immediately to mind. Then there's the finale, which is just endless misery. Although I persevered, all I got out of it were more memories that I'd prefer to live without.
No thanks.
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