Batman

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NTSC-U NTSC-J PAL
Batman
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sunsoft (Japan, US), Sega (Europe)
Developer: Sunsoft
Licensor: DC Comics
Sound driver: Sunsoft sound driver
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1990-07-27 ¥6,5006,500 T-15043 US 1991-06 $49.9949.99 15016 EU 1992-07 1044-50 PT 199x UK 1992-07 £39.9939.99 1044-50 SE (Rental) 199x AU 199x

Batman (バットマン), known in the United States as Batman: The Video Game, is a Sega Mega Drive action platform game developed by Sunsoft. Based on the titular 1989 film Batman, the game was first released in Japan, the United States, and Europe in July 1990, and was published by Sunsoft in all regions except Europe (where it was instead published by Sega).

Sunsoft released identically named Batman games for the NES, Game Boy and PC Engine that were also based on the 1989 film, but these games had different gameplay design.

Story

After witnessing his parents' brutal murder as a child, millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne fights crime in Gotham City disguised as Batman, a costumed hero who strikes fear into the hearts of evildoers. While stopping a raid at the Axis Chemical Factory, Batman knocks the gangster Jack Napier into a vat of chemicals. Napier is driven insane by his new deformed appearance and, calling himself "The Joker," seizes control of Gotham's criminal underworld.

Gameplay

The game is an action platformer played as the caped crusader Batman, who must battle the Joker's henchmen in each level and eventually put a stop to the Joker himself. Batman moves with and and crouches with . He jumps with . He cannot change direction while in midair. He can somersault by pressing again while holding or . He attacks enemies by punching them in close range with or kicking them with +. He can also punch in midair after jumping. Batman holds his arm up in a defensive posture if the player continues to hold after attacking (while either standing or crouching), which deflects enemy attacks without harming him. Batman is also equipped with Batarangs, which he throws with . He can throw Batarangs in the air or from a crouched position. Batarangs are ranged attacks that travel to the end of the screen and do more damage than punches and kicks, but they are limited in quantity.

Batman has a grappling hook, which can pull him up to certain platforms. He shoots the hook by pressing +. While continuing to hold , he jumps onto the platform after hooking by pressing . He can jump back down from a platform with +. If there is an enemy where Batman lands after jumping up or down a platform, the enemy is hit without damaging Batman.

There are also autoscrolling shooting segments played as Batman in the Batmobile or the Batwing. The Batmobile driving level is played on a pseudo-3D plane that allows some vertical movement. In these levels, the D-Pad moves the vehicle in any direction, fires the primary guns and fires the missiles, which automatically seek out enemies. Batman's Batarangs are exchanged for an equivalent number of missiles in these levels.

Batman's life is given by a bar in the status area at the bottom of the screen. He loses life as he takes damage from enemies. If he loses a life, he is revived in place with a brief period of invulnerability. He starts over with 5 Batarangs regardless of how many he held before. Batman's health and Batarang count are carried over from level to level. If the player runs out of lives, the game ends, but it can be continued from the start of the level. Each level ends with a boss encounter, during which the life of the enemy is shown by another bar above Batman's life bar.

Items

Items are found throughout the levels. Items repopulate after moving off screen and returning to their location, which can be exploited.

	Heart
	Fully replenishes Batman's life.
	Weapon
	Gives Batman five more Batarangs or (in the shooting segments) missiles.
	1-Up
	Gives the player an extra life.

Levels

	Gotham City Streets
	Axis Chemical Factory
	Flugelheim Museum
	Gotham City Streets 1
	Gotham City Streets 2
	In the Sky Over Gotham City
	Gotham Cathedral 1
	This level repeats most of the previous boss fights of the game.
	Gotham Cathedral 2

Production credits

• Main Program: Yoshitaka Kawabe
• Sub Program: Hiroaki Atsumi
• Background Design: Yoshiaki Iwata, Kazutomo Mori
• Character Design: Masayuki Aikawa, Yabu Chan
• Sub Design: Rieko Sakai, Akira
• Music: Naoki Kotaka
• Sound Program: Shinichi Seya
• Special Thanks: Hiroaki Higashiya, Kazuaki Okumura, A.T, Kazuyuki Sugiura, Masato Kawai, Kazumoto Kozawa, Hideo Yamamoto, Masaru Aoyanagi, Yumi Kurahashi, Noriko Ichikawa, Mihoko Okazaki, Hatsue Andoh, Yoshinori Homma, Kohichi Kitazumi, Jay Moon, Tomio Uchida
• Producer: Kiharu Yoshida

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Batman/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

FI advert (1992)

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #4: "April/May 1991" (1991-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Sega Visions (US) #5: "Summer 1991" (1991-xx-xx)
• Mega Play (US) #4: "May/June 1991" (1991-0x-xx)

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #6: "Fall 1991" (1991-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #27: "October 1991" (1991-xx-xx)

Print advert in Sega Force (SE) #1992-02: "2/92" (1992-11-19)
also published in:

• Sega Force (SE) #1993-01: "1/93" (1993-01-14)

Print advert in Pixel (GR) #96: "Fevrouários 1993" (1993-0x-xx)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 80 ACE (UK) 78 Ação Games (BR) 92 Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 93 Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 83 The Complete Guide to Sega (UK) 83 Console XS (UK) NTSC-J 82 Cool Gamer (RU) 60 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 80 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 70 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 60 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 96 Games-X (UK) 88 Famicom Hisshoubon (JP) NTSC-J 60 Hobby Consolas (ES) 92 Joypad (FR) PAL 87 Joystick (FR) 87 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 59 Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J 70 Mega Action (UK) 83 Mega Play (US) NTSC-U 78 MegaTech (UK) 83 MegaTech (UK) PAL 77 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 83 Player One (FR) 90 Power Play (DE) 73 Raze (UK) 79 Sega Power (UK) NTSC 50 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 80 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 85 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 82 Sega Force (SE) 75 Sega Force (UK) PAL 86 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 63 Supersonic (FR) 86 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 62 Video Games (DE) 71 Zero (UK) 81

	78
Based on 38 reviews

Batman

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, US (Alt Cover)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, PT
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, SE rental (HENT Black)
Cover

Mega Drive, AU

Technical information

Main article: Batman/Technical information.

References

Batman games for Sega systems / published by Sega
	Batman (1990) | Batman: Revenge of The Joker (1992) | Batman Returns (1992) | The Adventures of Batman & Robin (1995) | Justice League Task Force (1995) | Batman Forever (1995)
	Batman Returns (1992) | The Adventures of Batman & Robin (1995) | Batman Forever (1995)
	Batman Returns (1993)
	Batman Returns (1993) | The Adventures of Batman & Robin (1995)
	Batman (1991) | Batman Forever (1995)
	Batman Forever (1996) | Batman & Robin (unreleased)
	Gotham Knights (2022) | Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (2024)