Batman Returns (Genesis) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Sega's 1992 licensed-based platform game for the Sega Genesis, Batman Returns.
Batman Returns was an amazing follow-up to, and just as classic as, the 1989 Batman film. And even more than the first film, the games that were based on it were of a pretty consistently high quality. It still wasn't common at that point to have a good game tie-in with a movie, let alone several (and Christmas-time ones are even rarer!). The NES, SNES, Genesis, Master System, Sega CD, and PC games were all different from one another, and were all pretty stellar. The Lynx one... umm... let's just exclude that one.
The Genesis game is the base for the Sega CD version, and both share the same platforming stages. The CD version nearly doubles the length of the game with sprite-scaled Batmobile combat stages, some fancy cutscene work, and a completely different CD soundtrack.
Sega's Batman Returns feels much different than the Konami games, and is much more a platformer than it is a beat 'em up. It relies pretty heavily on the grappling hook to get around some of the tricky gaps it throws at you, and you get a whole set of gadgets to launch at stuff.
It plays pretty well, though the controls have some awkward delays in them - for instance, when you land from a jump, you can't immediately turn around (there's an odd delay before it'll allow you to), which makes for some annoying moments of getting punched in the back of the head. The grappling hook controls can be tricky in their timing - the whole mechanic requires some definite practice before you find yourself not regularly falling into pits, and the entire game requires some serious focus and memorization. It's far from easy - it's not quite as hard as Batman on the NES, but it's not too far from it either. It makes you earn that ending.
Endings, I should say. There are two. When the credit roll begins, Catwoman appears, and you fight her behind the scrolling names. If you beat her, you get the good end. If she beats you (easy to have happen if you over-enthusiastically dropped your controller because you finally beat it), you get a much darker (yet far funnier) ending. I win the game with the good ending, and show the bad one at 33:10.
The game looks alright - the art style is fantastic, and all of the enemies fit the scenery pretty well. For me, what makes this game sit closer to ugly than not is the color scheme. It looks gross. I mean, I get that Batman stuff should be all dark and moody, but when working with a low number of colors, how does green and purple get chosen? There are about a gazillion different palette choices that wouldn't have drawn such attention to the massive amount of dithering going on. It looks messy and a bit snarly. I have no doubt that it would've looked great on a machine with better color, but here, it's pretty eww. The sound, on the other hand, is really well done. I loved the moody music - it suits the game much better than the Sega CD version's music does (even though it still had a phenomenal soundtrack), and the FM synth drives pretty hard throughout.
Overall, it's a really fun, super difficult game. If you are looking for a challenge, this is a great option, and it has the nice holiday theme to it. It's not as good as the SNES classic, but this is still pretty damned good.
Happy holidays, everyone!
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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[@elwoodjacobs4353]

This wins my award for World's Gloomiest Batman game. The graphics are dark, the music is dark, the tone is dark, everything is dreary in this game, which does match the mood of the movie, but even still, the Nintendo versions were cheerier than this. Not a bad game though, just really hard.

[@loringbush1455]

Yes I still remember playing this on my Sega Genesis! Very dark and it reminded me of the Gargoyles animated series!

[@byrongrimsley500]

I think this game has one of the greatest soundtracks ever I love the songs that play during each map and then the boss song Batman walking with a pep in his step like he's Mr Big badass

[@clkgtr12]

it does man

[@GBGxBlockGod]

By far one of the hardest Batman games I’ve ever played in my life!!! Music was dope though I could never get past the first stage but my brother damn near beat this until our sega got to hot 😂

[@mjh3881]

This game was so hard that my Mom threw it out because I would CRY

[@BBrolic]

Good times 😂

[@Darkshark201]

I know the feeling but again like i wrote before it’s a Japanese port lol it was known to be harder

[@DarkFortressPictures_Official]

Really? I thought it was fairly easy.

[@Bloodreign1]

@@Darkshark201 This wasn't a Japanese made game, it was western developed, and in those days western devs didn't believe in difficulty curves, instead opting for strange difficulty spikes in their games. A majority of Japanese made games tended to be fairer on difficulty, introducing something new to you over time, and expecting you to learn it until the game teaches you something else, and the cycle would begin anew.

[@josechavez7530]

So many years I would have little glimpse of memories of this game! The music and gameplay was perfect! Out of all the games I played as a child, this one was my favorite

[@KevTheGalaxybender]

My favorite part is the opening when the princess dies and he jumps down. The music is very fitting and sad

[@toddlindsay8846]

He didn’t jump down, he glides down. Also this game is the cartridge part for Sega CD. The rest is driving games

[@bmorebread8993]

My favorite video game soundtrack of all time!!

[@Sandlot1992]

I remember playing this game at a certain age, but it was hard!

[@Nyfancam01]

That intro is soooo sick!!!! Loved this game as a kid (I was born in 89) my brother was good at it! Fun stuff

[@pab1381]

God I miss the Sega genesis games. They were great. This game, Batman Forever, Jurassic Park, and Power Rangers were the only games I played on it.

[@Slavik07]

Jurassic Park was a fun game. I remember there was great soundtrack there too.

[@NintendoComplete]

Sega's take on Batman Returns, while not quite as awesome of a game as the SNES version was, is still a really high quality platformer with some great music and some incredibly tough game play.

[@Dorian_Scott]

NintendoComplete, I think you should play Earthbound (or Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back Subbed Play through) What do you think?🙂

[@pab1381]

I loved the Sega ones. This game and Batman Forever were my favorites. Same with the old Sega genesis Power Rangers game.

[@Vectormantudeoz]

Dile eso a Sega lord X jajaj

[@darksidebluez5966]

Sega's was way better

[@someonejust5062]

Did you know in 20:17 while being chase with that giant ball you can jump and use the grappling hook 🪝 on the ceiling and hang just for 1 second so the ball can land first instead of being chase from it

[@chrispeplinski7306]

I loved this game as a kid

[@grongy6122]

Like Home Alone 2, Batman Returns for Sega Genesis looks like it was made for Master System because of strange color scheme. Actually MS got its own version of Batman Returns, pretty good platformer with music by Yuzo Koshiro. Game Gear version is almost the same, but with drawn cutscenes and ability to choose a weapon.

[@GameN3rdz]

MS? 🤔

[@camulodunon]

Honestly this has better color depth than most master system games.

[@camulodunon]

@@GameN3rdz master system.

[@MrDtae33]

Realizing I never made it last act 2 as a child 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@OswaldMiyake35]

Good Work of Sega by doing this Movie Tie-In.

[@subteeninhumansamuraiamphi5019]

This looks and definitely sounds a lot like the X-men game for sega

[@KevTheGalaxybender]

Yep. Same sounds effects. Enemy death dead giveaway

[@homejonny9326]

Thanks for the info...I was about to search for sega genesis titles with similar atmosphere as Batman Returns

[@kyokitagawa7977]

Absolutely!

[@solarflare9078]

They both used GEMS

[@tonyse18]

I remember how hard this game was when I was a little kid. Beating it was a huge achievement.

[@bsaintnyc]

this game was hard af in the 90s

[@youngbull2503]

I remember beating this game along time ago it was fun

[@CarozQH]

...Why is the sound effect for defeating enemies a guitar twang?!?!

[@A.Tips.306]

LMFAO

[@ggary04]

Because it’s a classic genesis sound effect🤣

[@DJeimaXe]

It is a budget sound driver. There is not enough ROM storage for imimenting better sounds to make the cartridge cheaper for publish. And that it was the programmers bad choice of sound. The same developers from the X-Men Genesis. This Batman game has never made it over to the east coast in the 90's.

[@DJeimaXe]

They don't have enough money to mass production this game cartridge for sale.

[@somethingoriginal1707]

Typical GEMS driver nonsense

[@Zzzzz_Zzzzzz______]

The clown in the mirror creeped me out as a kid lol.

[@dunndolo]

I found this game a little too difficult so I never was able to beat it. I loved the first stage music so restarting didn’t bother me too much. 😂

[@h.martinez3424]

I didnt know how to beat the final boss as a kid. Now I know that I have to destroy the air conditioner after “killing” the penguin.

[@Zzzzz_Zzzzzz______]

I like the laugh what the clowns do before they jump out the mirrors at you lol.

[@tristanwolske8201]

Everything about this game is both haunting and beautiful!!

[@Greg_Games]

This game is so.... Purple 💜

[@TheBruise25]

14:06 I'm getting serious "30 Seconds to Mars" vibes. lol

[@bgasman]

I like this game, but it was hard to play this game!

[@SamuelBlack84]

Oh, the memories! My family used to go to car boot sales on Sundays and if I was lucky I came home with one or two Mega Drive games I would play after school

[@akashthadani22]

0:45 banger, when i was a kid i was always fixed on how the walking animation matched the music

[@SG-cm7zq]

Personally here 8:54 is where I thought the walking animation matched the music. Clearly at some parts where you walked uninterrupted for some time.

[@Ihsyed786]

Such a great game for its time. The intro is very soothing even though you see the girl die in the intro

[@GPWT-video]

the music in this game is very cool

[@3rd-Wave_Rebel]

Back in the old days when Nintendo and Sega produced a license property of the same game but with different gaming mechanics! Gamers who owned two consoles can buy the same game and to enjoy the different gaming experience at the same time! Nowadays, the same game released by different gaming console share the exact same version of that game.

[@damin9913]

I still enjoy batman returns for the Sega genesis!

[@someonejust5062]

Till this day I can beat this game 3 times in one sitting am I the only person that knows in the mall when Penguin drop that ball chasing you down the escalator you can easily avoid it by using the grapling hook on the ceiling as soon as you drop down the first hole

[@Deathlikesensation]

This was by far the best Batman Game in the retro era. It was so dark and grim, and the music was amazing. Difficulty was insane! I did manage to beat it ONCE though.

[@bmorebread8993]

Yea catwoman used to kick my ass somethin serious lol bomb ass music tho

[@vgaoct91]

Looks I need more practice w/the platforming parts when I play the SCD version of this game.

[@SevenTailedWolf72]

I always liked the intro.

[@mikedski9698]

Gotham City's Greatest Hero Is At It Again! BATMAN RETURNS! On Sega Genesis!

[@Nbjk01]

so who else remembers cat woman getting eaten by stray cats in the end??? cause that's what it looked like lol

[@jokerswank6082]

That was the only inaccuracy since Catwoman doesn't die in the movie and the stray cat thing of course happened much earlier after being knocked out of the window by schreck which basically turned her into Catwoman

[@elkantheheroguy]

I'm watching this to see how Batman games were and there were better than most of the new ones

[@NintendoComplete]

The Sunsoft and Konami ones were definitely the best.

[@izhasanzi527]

on my god my memory

[@thehumbleone1983]

I love and enjoyed playing as a kid back in the days but it was hard for me than but none the less I still like it 👍

[@therealseanw.stewart2071]

This is no SNES version of Batman Returns (The one I grew up with, thank God), but I like this one too, anyway! Looks pretty nice, albeit the graphics look a bit too dark.

[@h.martinez3424]

Tim burton Batman is Dark.

[@DeitrichDavis]

There is an snes version lol

[@mylovemachine]

@@DeitrichDavis It was different though. Its a side scrolling beat em up. Decent game.

[@camulodunon]

Call me crazy but I prefer this over the SNES game. That game is honestly a bit monotonous imo.

[@ryandiggs750]

I definitely enjoyed the SNES version and also the soundtrack on it

[@joeyjo-joshabadu9636]

This game reminds me a lot of the first Castlevania on the NES. Its really dark, its really grimy, and it can be really cheap at times, but theres just something about it lol

[@MartianBuddy]

I could never get passed 13:06 when I was 5

[@Altegore]

Same, lol, it was so frustrating...

[@kate_cooper]

Took me a few years of on and off playing to get past that part. But once I finally figured it out it was easy. Never got past the sewer level though, I always lost too many lives in the circus.

[@GPWT-video]

I am also trying to pass this game now)))

[@capatthis]

i beat the first stage when i was a kid but i was stuck on the second stage lol

[@Nirv_99]

Snes version is way better has that dark music feeling too when you play.

[@Sean-me4fv]

How the heck do you know where to jump to when you can't see where you are going to land?

[@izhasanzi527]

batman returns

[@Wolfdragon92584]

This was included in a bundle of games I got back in the day (sellers in the Penny Saver would sell them in that format). It's not a bad game, but it has so many cheap hits, and the collision detection is suspect. The music ranges between fairly good and abrasive, and the sound effects are on the lower end of quality. The stages and gadgets are the best aspects of the game.

[@m.k.b.3880]

Developed by Acme interactive, Sega CD version= Malibu

[@LEXRAPS]

This game was insanely difficult

[@mauriziopuddu4734]

Good graphic, but in the box, with multiple languages, including Italian, there is the phrase "hit your enemies with the Batmobile". But in the Sega Genesis version there's no stage with the Batmobile.

[@Darkshark201]

If I am correct, check the details this is a Japanese port and it’s known between this and adventures of Batman and robin sega as the hardest games in Batman series

[@davidpaulson6005]

Trust me this game was not easy to be beat but I beat it at least I mean at least 10 or 15 times in my childhood when I stay at my uncle's house playing it that's when I was like 6 or 7 years old

[@ObiWanShinobi85]

I got to the penguin fight at the end and never completed it

[@joeyjo-joshabadu9636]

17:09 Wow!

[@chrissawyer1484]

I have been spoiled by the Sega CD music.

[@Jac2Mac]

To me, Batman Returns for the Genesis would have worked better if it was made by Sega of Japan in the style of Golden Axe or even developed by Wolf Team in the style of El Viento.

[@eugenehill7165]

28:50 kitty 🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈 meow catwoman defeated

[@northernstar5941]

the ending where the cats eat catwoman is creepy as fuck

[@carlosguerrero1956]

I remember the intro song being different

[@MetalReaper7]

You might be thinking of the SNES version

[@dereklarner6298]

What happens at the end if you let Catwoman beat you?

[@marcusredwine9918]

😂 how do we go down a staircase Batman? I’m pretty sure it’s not going butt first in a slide.

[@chumline577]

I never got very far in this game

[@WorldIsOnReanimatedSWV]

What If Sega CD Verison?

[@rahmspinat]

Game was creepy af

[@byrongrimsley500]

I used to love this game but it was hard as shit and I couldn't beat it until 20 years later when I got it on my computer with cheats🤡🤡🤡🤣😂

[@b.a.p.2731]

I used to play this but never beat it, does it really end like this? What a depressing end. Falls to her death, sad music plays, the end? Not very satisfying for the amount of hours you put in. At least give me a couple still frames like MK

[@ahmed_ragab451ragab5]

Sega version is more dark than snes version

[@ryandiggs750]

Yeah this version is more an platformer and the SNES version is an beat em up game

[@alexanderdahoola8188]

How come they made Catwoman in this game a villain whereas in the movie she was an anti-heroine, and how come here Batman confronts and kills her but in the movie, he risks his life to save her, despite her misdeeds?

[@jaykansher87]

She was part in penguin murdering the snow princess she blew up a department store… kidnapping and murder at the end yeah… It’s safe today this cat woman was a villain…

[@jokerswank6082]

The end was probably the biggest inaccuracy here. Not to mention the stray cat thing actually revitalized her and happened when Schreck knocked her out of a window

[@RocMegamanX]

If it wasn't for the fact that this was supposed to be dark, 32:10-32:20 would freak people out.

[@ImAllOuttaBubblegum]

Anyone else get stupid RAID Shadow Legends commercials before EVERY SINGLE KZbin VIDEO?!?!

[@KevTheGalaxybender]

I use ad blockers good sir

[@songoku9348]

My god the SNES version shits all over the genesis version.

[@mikemcgannvoiceover]

I always thought it was interesting that the Genesis game for the first movie looked and sounded better than this one. Different studios, but it almost seems like a step backward though it came out after.

[@DarKKnightt07]

The only Batman game where Batman wore a purple suit lol

[@user-dm9bf5rp2j]

You’re forgetting the NES game based on the 89 movie

[@Bloodreign1]

The lack of colors really hurts this game, but by no means is it the worst Batman game ever created. That (dis)honor goes to Batman Forever, which is an atrocious game. That one makes this one seem like a masterpiece.

[@homejonny9326]

In my case i did like the dark atmosphere color pallete of this game, though If you wish you can increase tv brightness a bit

[@Silanda]

Yeah. I appreciate the atmospheric tone they were going for but the colours just don't blend well enough with the limited palette available. Everything ends up looking grainy.

[@dwyurr]

this game was hard as shit as a child

[@marcotauil1616]

Batman 🦇 kkkkkkkkkl

[@Avrelivs_Gold]

I f-cking hated this After the amazing first game, this looked (but mostly sounded) like a joke 8:11 is peak genesis sound

[@RalphWiggum.1]

This compared to the SNES version lmao!

[@jgrillo638]

SNES version is 100% superior

[@haroldkennedy3233]

Snes was better

[@mihodv129]

go FULL HD!!!, это гавно качество

[@sobesons]

Worst Batman game ever?

[@Bloodreign1]

No, that honor goes to Batman Forever.

[@h.martinez3424]

De los mejores. Batman, batman returns y el de batman y robin de la serie animada, todos eran buenos en sega y nintendo. El único malo fue batman forever para mega drive y snes.

[@TZER0]

@@Bloodreign1 Batman Forever is not even close. Batman and Robin on PS1. Look it up. It’s terrible.

[@jaykansher87]

@@TZER0 yeah both of those was pains takenly bad lmao

[@arianimalrightsireland339]

Did anyone play or see Batman capedcrusader on C-64 brilliant retro classic

[@alfonzoloyagonzalez]

Harlequins? Gargoyles attacking you? Cathedrals? Batman in purple suit? Is this game really based on the movie Batman Returns? I do not think so. In the movie there are no big-headed Bozo-style clowns or statues that attack you with gears. This game with its monstrous script changes sucks, as well as boring and pointless.

[@h.martinez3424]

Pues claro que está basado en Batman Returns de Tim burton con algunos añadidos, como es normal... hay que ser bastante poco inteligente para decir lo que dices. El juego era muy bueno en su época. Un verdadero reto que te enganchaba.

[@jaykansher87]

@@h.martinez3424 hermano usa el traductor de google…

[@kate_cooper]

The gear statues are actually in the film, but they’re just statues, they don’t do anything.

[@algo2957]

lol this is wack compared to the snes version tbh. all those fart sounds too lmfao

[@tiny2gunz927]

Never understood why people said Sega was better MK1 and 2 look way better on SNES then on Genesis i have this game on SNES looks cleaner 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@algo2957]

@tiny2gunz927 it was game dependent. Some Sega ports were better, some snes ports were better. It depended on how the games played to the consoles' strengths. Like Sega was generally better for fast arcade games because it had a better cpu, whereas snes was usually better for visuals. Of course it also boils down to developers too and the game they make. Like batman returns on snes and genesis were actually different games which shared the same name rather than ports of each other. In this case Konami made a much better game on the snes.