For the first minute of Batman: Vengeance, I thought that I was going to be in for a real treat. Batman's hilarious running animation was the proverbial red carpet being rolled out, inviting me to another abysmal disaster the likes of which I haven't seen since a day or two ago. Yes, please! Give me another unquestionably awful take on the bat-formula so I can pretend to be much cleverer than I actually am. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, this isn't the case. Ubisoft Montreal delivered a functional product. It's a complete experience that juggles multiple styles of gameplay, neither excelling nor faltering at any of them. A bland yet competent game that 20+ years ago you could've gifted to your child, and they wouldn't secretly despise you for it.
Since the game starts off as a side-scrolling action-platformer, I should give a rundown on the basics. Controlling the Dark Knight is pretty effortless. Besides looking awkward, his stiff animations aren't detrimental in any way. Players of any skill level will pick up on the basics immediately, leaping over chasms and punching out everyone who tries to start trouble. Expect to hear from Alfred a couple times via tutorial call-ins. To sum it up: use the glide to increase the distance of your jump and don't forget about the healing bat-sprays in your utility belt. One other detail to keep in mind is that the bat-hook is only for designated spots. An icon will appear in the corner letting you know when to use it. While there's less freedom of movement than in some of the more ambitious Batman games, I can't find too much to complain about. Everything works, and sometimes that's enough.
After some time spent on the rooftops of Gotham, players are introduced to the first of three Batmobile levels. It's just a matter of reaching the goal before time runs out. While I'd never admit to liking these levels, I don't hate them either. Players aren't required to become one with the vehicle to have any hope of reaching the end. There's actually enough time allotted for them to make a few mistakes. It can't be said enough how amazing it is that a few extra seconds are powerful enough to keep an entire game from becoming unpleasant.
Next up is the Batplane and... hang on. Batplane!? What happened to the Batwing? Have I seriously been getting the names mixed up all this time? Oh my gosh I am such a dolt! A literal moment's worth of research would've squared this question ages ago, yet... Never mind. Basically, Batplane levels are side-scrolling shmups of the most basic kind. Dodge bullets, destroy the enemy's weapons, and use a temporary shield whenever necessary. The intensity ramps up with each successive stage, and the Batplane clearly isn't built for Dodonpachi or even Life Force amounts of bullet-dodging. Still, it's not too bad. Just mind the buildings because colliding with them is instant death.
Robin, the other playable character, plays a unique role in this adventure. Rather than being a sprite-swap, his levels feature a top-down perspective as well as a greater emphasis on puzzle-solving. That means blocks to push (or pull) in order to create a path, navigating an RC car through narrow corridors, and memorizing passwords to bypass forcefields. There's even a little conveyor-belt action. It's a definite change of pace, but like everything else in the game, it works fine. There's clearly an "all-ages" approach to the difficulty here, and it's effective at keeping players moving steadily. It's definitely not like other handheld Batman games, which try to pad out the run-time through limited continues and excessive deaths.
This is, for all intends and purposes, the bulk of the game. Locales will change, introducing new enemy types and obstacles to contend with, but you'll adapt to them almost as instantly as you adapted to the basics in the earliest levels. Now, there are a couple of boss-fights sprinkled in, but they don't represent a massive shift in playstyle. Most are undone with a little problem-solving, while the final encounter just requires patience and a little bat-spray management. In spite of its 2001 release date, this almost seamless shifting between genres feels like a modern video game, something I'm of two minds about.
Let me be real here, I wouldn't have minded a little more friction, maybe even a bit of pain. Batman: Vengeance is like a comfortable pair of socks that could've used a pebble or two rolling around inside of them. Ubisoft Montreal juggled multiple game types and made them all work, and I certainly don't want to downplay that. My issue is that there isn't enough complexity or room to get creative. There's a part of me that misses the swinging mechanics in the otherwise brutal Return of the Joker for Game Boy. Give me opportunities where I can look stylish or fail miserably. The generous passwords and even mid-level checkpoints keep stress down to a minimum, so why not stretch those wings a little. Hmm... Maybe I'm broken and need a brick wall to run headfirst into just to feel something. Oh well! Point stands.
In fairness, there is additional content for those who completed the story and want an extra challenge. Advance Mode takes existing levels and adds a few twists. Now Batman will have to obtain three data discs and finish the level before time runs out. There also seems to be more enemies. It's not a bad way to extend the life of the game and give veterans something to chew on.
I went into Batman: Vengeance with every intention to hate it. Hell, I kind-of wanted it to hate me. Instead, this is a game that chooses to be friendly with its players. A Batman title that incorporates the Batmobile, Batplane, as well as two heroes with specialized skillsets could've been disastrous in any number of ways, but everything just plain works. I'm surprised, and a little impressed. Perhaps the developers should've gone further to create a truly um... "memorable" experience, but as a product intended for a wide audience, they got the job done.
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