Bat-Octoberfest - Batman (NES)

When discussing Souls-likes, one subject that is sometimes brought up is the runback. This is the part of the game where players run from a bonfire - or an equivalent checkpoint - to the last boss that defeated them, in the hopes of getting their revenge. Once a common occurrence in titles such as Demon's Souls & Dark Souls, runbacks have lately fallen out of favor, with more and more games placing checkpoints next to the boss arena. There are still some games that carry the torch, Hollow Knight: Silksong being one of them. I recognize the validity of the runback. The gauntlet just to get another shot at the boss creates a uniquely challenging experience. On the other hand, sometimes I just want another chance, without having to run past a minute or two's worth of obstacles. 

Batman or Batman: The Video Game as its sometimes called, immediately earned a reputation as being a beloved classic among NES fans. It's also an exceedingly rare example of a great licensed game. Seriously, anyone who was around for the 80s & 90s has played at least 10 pieces of junk, all based on their favorite comic or movie properties. Sunsoft's first foray into the Dark Knight's world would solidify them as one of the developers to watch during the NES era. Future titles such as Mr. Gimmick! and Battle Formula proved that they were one of the few who mastered Nintendo's venerable 8-bit hardware. 

I feel like anyone reading this piece knows exactly what I'm going to say next. Batman on the NES is a prime example of a runback game. Provided nothing goes wrong, a typical playthrough is going to take less than 30 minutes. However, I guarantee that it's actually going to take multiple hours, because several things will go wrong. The expectation is that much of your time will be spent retrying levels just to get another attempt at the boss. Continues are unlimited, but getting kicked back to the beginning of a level still hurts. Altogether, there are twelve levels; all packed with difficult platforming challenges and vicious enemies. Their combined efforts will wear you down, break your spirit, and leave you vulnerable to the outright mean bosses.

In spite of everything, this is one game that I could never consider unfair. For starters, the controls are perfect. Ooh yep, I just said the "p" word, and that's damn tough to justify. Nevertheless, it's an opinion I'm willing to stand by. Batman moves, turns, and jumps with the finesse that you'd expect from a comic book legend. He also manages to have one of the earliest and best examples of a wall-jump. There's a really satisfying grip to it that makes scaling walls a good time. Keep in mind though that every leap is a commitment. You won't have to worry about moving platforms or bottomless pits, but you usually won't be able to recover if you second-guess yourself mid-jump. 

An enemy only has to get this close for Batman's punch to hurt them.

When it comes to offensive options, our hero has more than enough to work with. Batarangs are great for dealing with anyone at mid-range. If there's someone that you really don't want to struggle with, just pull out the bat-rocketgun to destroy them from afar. The bat-discus costs the most ammo, but its speed and range make it the problem-solver. Of course, you'll be relying on the bat-punch most of all. A rapid series of fists will swiftly eliminate anything less than a boss. Punches also benefit from a surprisingly large hitbox, giving them plenty of reach. Defeated enemies drop necessities like ammo & health, but they can also drop Bs. Bs give you bonus points, which are useless in game where everything respawns, there's no time limit, and you won't get a 1up no matter how many points you score.

Reaching the boss of each stage is a test of endurance. Nothing you'll face can cause instant death, but you'd be surprised just how fast prolonged encounters or dangerous obstacles can whittle your 8 health points to 0. One thing that you can always count on is that there will be a bad guy waiting for you after a jump or when climbing a narrow corridor. On the plus side, fights with flying foes can be counted on one hand. Almost everyone else you'll face has both feet planted firmly on the ground. Still, their placement and frequency are enough to ensure that you'll have to play it safe to survive. Very few players can effortlessly jump and jab through every situation. 

Since you only get three lives - all of which you'll need for the next boss - staying alive is an essential part of the game. That quite often leads to times where you'll farm respawning enemies for health pickups. They aren't especially common and restore just one point apiece. There are enemy generators placed in many convenient locations throughout each level. You'll spot them easily since they're mounted on the ceiling and spit out odd explosive things when Batman gets close. The only issue is that due to the rarity of health pickups, you will most likely spend indeterminate amounts of time engaged in these farming sessions. I won't lie. This can get frustrating, especially if the enemy slides between Batman's punches and steals a bit of life away.

In light of all that I've said so far, the first stage of this game can be easily conquered by players of almost any skill level. That feeling of confidence will disappear soon afterwards, because stage 2 doesn't mess around. Electric coils and grinding gears sap health from anyone who executes a less-than immaculate jump. It'll take quite a lot of practice to get through this insanity without taking tons of damage. Don't worry though, because practice is the one thing you'll get plenty of. The second boss is a multi-phase battle that demands its players use every tool in Batman's kit. It's not likely that you'll destroy it on your first, second, or even third try. You know what happens after your third try comes up short: the runback.

All of the following stages operate on this same principle. You'll contend with countless ordeals over the course of the stage, struggle valiantly yet fruitlessly against the boss, and then do it all over again. After enough attempts, the runback will be committed to muscle memory, and you could very well ace it every time. That still leaves the boss, which is often designed around a specific approach. Learning and executing upon that approach is the quickest way to defeat them, but again it's not something that'll just occur to you during the battle. 

Keep in mind that above all else, this is still your game, and you can play it however you want. Save-states, game genie codes, guides, whatever works for you. I'm just going with what I believe to be the developer's intentions. They made a short yet fiendishly tough game that all but requires players to repeat stages until they've worked out a winning strategy for the boss that has eluded them for so long. It's brutal, yet also not unfairly so thanks to the unlimited continues and absence of instant death. I certainly won't complain about the controls, graphics, or music either; Top-class all around. They help to make that third or fourth climb through the final stage's clocktower a little less painful. 

No matter how you go about it, Batman: The Video Game remains a must-play for any fan of the NES. It's an expertly crafted adventure with a lot of depth and replay-value. The bosses and inevitable runbacks that'll ensue are pretty damn harsh, so be wary if you decide against any assistance. I could get nitpicky and ask that hearts replenish more than one health-point, if only to make farming sessions go by just a little quicker. Maybe that's not the idea, and I should embrace the runback instead of trying to avoid it. Oh well.