Batman: The Animated Series (video game)
A Game Boy platformer based on the animated series.
Batman: The Animated Series is a 1993 platformer video game for the Game Boy, developed and published by Konami and based on the television series of the same name. Players control Batman or Robin through side-scrolling levels, facing villains such as Joker and Mr. Freeze. It was the third Batman game for the Game Boy, following two titles from Sunsoft.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Konami
- Series
- Batman
- Platforms
- Game Boy
- Released
- November 1993
- Genre
- Platformer
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Batman: The Animated Series is a single-player side-scrolling platformer. The player can switch between Batman and Robin, each with unique abilities: Batman uses a grappling hook to scale heights, Robin walks across ceilings, and both can perform wall jumps. Bat-shaped power-ups grant a small supply of batarangs for ranged attacks. A health meter at the bottom of the screen shows damage taken; heart-shaped power-ups restore lost health. Depleting the health meter costs a life, and continues can be used. The number of continues and difficulty level are adjustable before starting. The game has six levels, each ending with a boss fight against a villain such as the Riddler or Penguin. Level stories include preventing Joker from sending exploding teddy bears, stopping a pact between Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze, rescuing Harvey Dent from Poison Ivy, and a final battle against Joker.
Development
By 1993, cartoon and comic book characters had become popular licensed properties for video games, with developers using 16-bit graphics and multimedia technology. This led to ports and original games for handhelds. Batman: The Animated Series is based on the television series of the same name. Its music borrows cues from Danny Elfman's Batman film music and the animated series; when approaching a boss, the music shifts to a faster, more tension-building piece. It was the third Batman game for the Game Boy, following Sunsoft's Batman: The Video Game (1990) and Batman: Return of the Joker (1992). Konami published the game in November 1993.
Release and reception
Reviewers in video game magazines complimented the graphics, noting that the look and feel of the cartoon were captured well, with detailed backgrounds conveying a dark, rainy city atmosphere. One reviewer noted little blur compared to other Game Boy games, though another said the game lacked the drama of the television series, feeling less like running through Gotham with Batman. The difficulty was described as moderate by Aktueller Software Markt, while Nintendo Power found most enemies unchallenging and Total! said the game was quite easy. Nintendo Power praised the controls as excellent, but GamePro described them as requiring patience. Music received mixed responses: Joypad called it superb, while GamePro and Electronic Games grew tired of the continuous use of the Batman Theme, with Electronic Games noting the piece was low-key and mid-tempo rather than suitable for an action game. Joypad found the game better than the second Batman Game Boy title but not surpassing the first. Total! felt it was too similar to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games. Bill Kunkel described it as one of the year's strongest Game Boy entries.
More in Konami Games of the 1990s
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