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Batman: The Video Game (Game Boy video game)

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Batman: The Video Game
Developer(s)Sunsoft
Publisher(s)Sunsoft
Director(s)Cho Musou
Designer(s)Kazutomo Mori
Kenichi Abe
Masashige Furihata
Rieko Sakai
Tadashi Kojima
Programmer(s)Akihiro Asada
Composer(s)Naoki Kodaka
Nobuyuki Hara
Shinichi Seya
Platform(s)Game Boy
Release
  • JP: April 13, 1990
  • NA: June 1990
  • EU: 1990
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

Batman: The Video Game is a 1990 action video game developed and published by Sunsoft for the Game Boy. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is inspired by the Warner Bros.'s 1989 film of the same name. In the main storyline, Batman must face the Joker. The Game Boy version was developed by most of the same staff at Sunsoft which had previously worked on the Nintendo Entertainment System adaptation based on the 1989 film. It was produced by Cho Musou, while soundtrack was composed by Naoki Kodaka, Nobuyuki Hara, and Shinichi Seya. The game garnered generally favorable reception from critics and retrospective commentarists.

Gameplay

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Gameplay screenshot

Batman: The Video Game on the Game Boy is an action game.[1][2][3][4]

Development and release

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Batman: The Video Game on the Game Boy was developed by most of the same staff at Sunsoft which had previously worked on the Nintendo Entertainment System adaptation based on Warner Bros.'s 1989 film of the same name.[4][5] The Game Boy version was directed by Cho Musou, with Akihiro "Lucky" Asada, Yuichi "Zap.Yuichi" Ueda, and a staff member only known by the pseudonym of "Aka" acting as co-programmers under direction of Hiroaki "Hiro-Kun" Higashiya.[6] Kazutomo "Kaz" Mori, Kenichi "Abe Kun" Abe, Masashige "M.F" Furihata, Rieko "Rie" Sakai, Tadashi Kojima, and a staffer under the pseudonym "Aki" served as co-designers.[6] The soundtrack was composed by Naoki Kodaka, Nobuyuki Hara, and Shinichi "About.SS" Seya.[4][6] Batman was first released in Japan on April 13, 1990, then in North America on June, and later in Europe that same year.[7][8][citation needed]

Reception

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Batman: The Video Game on the Game Boy garnered generally favorable reception from critics.[1][18][19][20][21] ACE's Eugene Lacey found the game addictive, citing the variety of levels and Super Mario Land-style gameplay, but noted its difficulty.[9] Power Play's Volker Weitz thought the game was a fun combination of Super Mario Bros.-esque platforming and shooting, and praised its graphics and upbeat audio.[17] Aktueller Software Markt's Hans-Joachim Amann felt the game's overall audiovisual department was very good for Game Boy standards, and commended the game's simple but precise controls.[10]

Electronic Gaming Monthly's four reviewers gave the game positive remarks for its visuals, challenging gameplay, soundtrack, and intermission cutscenes.[11] Player One's Cyril Drevet regarded it as one of the best Game Boy titles, lauding its music, gameplay, graphics, and mixture of platforming and shooter stages.[2] The Games Machine's Richard Eddy labelled it as an enjoyable and addictive game, praising the combination of platform and shoot 'em up genres as its strongest feature.[12] A writer for Zero celebrated the game's addictive gameplay and audiovisual presentation.[14]

Mean Machines' Matt Regan and Julian Rignall found it reminiscent of Super Mario Land but nevertheless recommended the game for its addictive playability, distinctive stages, and variety of weapons.[15] Video Games' Michael Hengst highlighted the game's music, controls, well-designed stages, and enemy patterns, but felt that it was graphically not on par with titles like Gargoyle's Quest.[3] Total!'s Andy Dyer gave the game favorable remarks for its graphical presentation, soundscapes, and smooth controls, but criticized its high difficulty and long stages.[13] Megablast's Max Magenauer wrote that "the tricky but very fair level design and the optimal two-button controls make the game still a pleasure today".[16] By December 1990, the game sold over 500,000 copies.[22]

Retrospective commentary for Batman on the Game Boy has been mostly favorable.[4][23][24][25] AllGame's Jonathan Sutyak felt the game did not make effective use of the Batman license, stating that having Batman using a gun was not a good idea.[23] Nintendo Life's Dave Frear found the game fun to play, commending its detailed cutscenes, music, responsive controls, and inclusion of the Batwing segments.[24] Jeuxvideo.com's Leobiwan gave the game positive remarks for its graphics, simple gameplay, and audio, but faulted its short lifespan and overall scenario.[25] Hardcore Gaming 101's Chris Rasa said that "for an early Game Boy platformer, it's pretty fun. While the sprites are amusingly tiny, the action is pretty fast and smooth compared to contemporaries like The Castlevania Adventure".[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Le Cahier des Consoles - Game Boy: Batman". Amstar Informatique [fr] (in French). No. 49. Soracom Editions. September 1990. p. 37.
  2. ^ a b c Drevet, Cyril (September 1991). "Tests de Jeux - Game Boy: Batman". Player One [fr] (in French). No. 12. Média Système Édition [fr]. pp. 60–61.
  3. ^ a b c Hengst, Michael (February 1991). "Test: Klein, Stark, Schwarz - Batman (Game Boy)". Video Games [de] (in German). No. 2. Markt & Technik. p. 64.
  4. ^ a b c d e Rasa, Chris (December 21, 2014). "Batman: The Video Game (Game Boy)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  5. ^ "Special Feature - Batman: The Making of Batman". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. No. 15. Larry Flynt Publications. March 1990. pp. 40–44.
  6. ^ a b c Sunsoft (April 13, 1990). Batman: The Video Game (Game Boy). Sunsoft. Level/area: Staff.
  7. ^ "Super Soft Hot Information - Game Boy (ゲームボーイ)". Micom BASIC Magazine [ja] (in Japanese). No. 95. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation [ja]. May 1990. pp. 242–243.
  8. ^ "Game Boy (original) Games" (PDF). Nintendo. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  9. ^ a b Lacey, Eugene (August 1990). "Screentest (Consoles) - Coming for Consoles: Batman - the Movie — Gotham City's Gameboy romp". ACE. No. 35. EMAP. p. 58.
  10. ^ a b Amann, Hans-Joachim (August–September 1990). "Denk-Mal: Gameboy-News". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). No. 44. Tronic Verlag. p. 82.
  11. ^ a b Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; Williams, Ken (September 1990). "Review Crew: Batman (Game Boy)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 14. Sendai Publishing. p. 20.
  12. ^ a b Eddy, Richard (September 1990). "Boot-Up: Boy! It's Here! (and that's official!) - Boy Friends". The Games Machine. No. 34. Newsfield. p. 17.
  13. ^ a b Dyer, Andy (January 1992). "Game Boy Reviews: Batman". Total!. No. 1. Future Publishing. p. 73.
  14. ^ a b "Console Action - Review: Batman (Game Boy)". Zero. No. 11. Dennis Publishing. September 1990. p. 75.
  15. ^ a b Regan, Matt; Rignall, Julian (December 1990). "Gameboy Round-Up: Batman". Mean Machines. No. 3. EMAP. pp. 84–85.
  16. ^ a b Magenauer, Max (November 4, 1992). "Nintendo – Game Boy: Batman". Megablast (Joker Extra) (in German). No. 1. Joker-Verlag. p. 78. Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  17. ^ a b Weitz, Volker (August 1990). "Power Test Videospiele: Batman (Game Boy)". Power Play [de] (in German). No. 29. Markt & Technik. p. 130.
  18. ^ Demoly, Jean-Marc (October 1990). "Console News - Gameboy: Batman". Joystick (in French). No. 9. Sipress. p. 90.
  19. ^ Müller, Christian (December 1991). "Konsolen Spiele: Batman (Gameboy)". Play Time [de] (in German). No. 7. Computec. p. 75. Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  20. ^ "Batman (Game Boy)". Nintendomagasinet (in Swedish). No. 14. Atlantic Förlags AB. May 1993. p. 15.
  21. ^ "A-Z of Games - Nintendo Games Index: Game Boy". Super Gamer. No. 1. Paragon Publishing. April 1994. pp. 125–126.
  22. ^ Ridenour, Debbie (December 5, 1990). "New game out for Christmas". The Advocate. p. 11. Archived from the original on 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2021-12-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b Sutyak, Jonathan (1998). "Batman: The Video Game (Game Boy) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  24. ^ a b Frear, Dave (August 3, 2010). "Batman: The Video Game (Game Boy) Review". Nintendo Life. Nlife Ltd. Archived from the original on 2012-12-29. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  25. ^ a b Leobiwan (March 18, 2011). "Test de Batman: The Video Game sur Gameboy par jeuxvideo.com". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Archived from the original on 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
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