Batman Returns is a side scrolling beat ‘em up game, a very popular genre at the time. As you could guess from the title, it is based on the movie with the same name. It received positive reviews, although some felt that it could have been slightly more original.

The game places you in control of Batman as he tries to stop the Penguin from taking over Gotham City. Along the way, Catwoman shows up to try to hinder your progress. In all, it pretty much follows the movie’s script, but obviously adapted to fit a video game.

The graphics of Batman Returns are top notch; the characters are large, detailed, well animated and they fit in with the dark, gothic scenery. Although the music was also adapted from the film’s score, it can get a bit repetitive, but it does the best that it can to keep you immersed in the game. Even the short grunts that enemies make after they get punched add to the experience.

On the topic of gameplay, there isn’t much innovation and this is perhaps the source of the few complaints. It is a standard beat ‘em up in pretty much all aspects; most of the levels allow you to move freely in four directions, while a few only allow you to move back and forth. Each level ends with a fight against a unique boss with three or four special attacks. Batman has a few simple moves, like punches, roundhouse kicks and the classic batarang, along with a special sweep move that drains your health to compensate for its high power.

There are a few elements that make Batman Returns slightly less monotonous, such as using the grapple hook to swing from rooftop to rooftop and the famous batmobile level where you have to chase gang members and defeat them with a machine gun.

In the end, Batman Returns may not bring anything new to the beat ‘em up genre, but goes with the idea that simplicity is best and doesn’t attempt to fix what isn’t broken. It is still a very enjoyable and high quality game that should be tried. The fact that it has three difficulties also gives it extra replay value.

Batman Returns features:

Three difficulty settings, the hardest one awarding you with a special ending.
High quality graphics and sound.
Story inspired from the successful movie with the same name.