The Adventures of Batman & Robin (Genesis) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Sega's 1995 licensed-based run-and-gun shooter for the Sega Genesis, The Adventures of Batman and Robin.
The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega Genesis is, unlike the SNES, Sega CD, Game Boy and Game Gear games based on the license, a Contra/Gunstar Heroes-style shooter. And while it is very good, opinions on this Genesis cart tend to be far more polarizing than those of the universally lauded Konami SNES game.
Mr. Freeze is threatening to use his powers against Gotham City, and so Batman or Robin (or both through simultaneous co-op play) set out to do battle. The game is comprised of four main stages, and each is capped by a major villain - Mad Hatter, The Joker (and Harley), Two Face, and of course Mr. Freeze himself.
From the very outset, The Adventures of Batman and Robin is intent on letting you know that it's not playing around with you. Right from stage one, the game constantly floods the screen with bad guys, and until you get a feel for the flow of the game, they will overwhelm you again and again. Thankfully the heroes control quite smoothly - you can fire in eight directions, jump kick down or to the side, and hang and attack from ledges - these are quite necessary in order to avoid being slaughtered. The controls are responsive and feel natural, but you'll have to master them if you hope to clear even stage 1-1. There are a few stages where the game play changes itself up by becoming shoot 'em up, but they're pretty much the same as the fighting stages, just without the ground.
You get three different choices for weapons, and firepower is upgraded by picking up different color bat icons. Each weapons has a power shot that can be fired off by letting the bar next to your life gauge fill before attacking. This adds a good element of strategy to the fights, even if many of them are so frantically paced that you'll forget about the charge shot in-fight.
The game is difficult, no question, but I don't find it anywhere near as difficult as many people make it out to be. It takes some skill and practice, but it's far easier than the NES Batman game was, and it's not as demanding nor punishing as Contra: Hard Corps' gameplay. There are many people that say that Batman & Robin is too hard, and though I'd agree that at least a difficulty option would've been nice, it's simply not a game designed with the novice player in mind. I do have to question the wisdom of releasing a game like this as a licensed product for a kids' cartoon, though.
The graphics and sound are absolutely superb for the Genesis. It manages to be colorful despite the grim backdrops, and the sprites, though a bit small and lacking in detail, are all well animated. Tons of bullets, explosions, and bodies fly around the screen at once with nary a hiccup in the framerate, and there are some wicked special effects at play - just check out the first stage's pseudo-3D building fronts, the robot scanner effects in stage 4, and those bosses. My jaw about broke the floor the first time I ever got to the Mad Hatter fight.
The soundtrack is a love it or hate it affair. It's a true marvel to hear the Genesis produce such an odd, industrial dance mix and it thumps hard. There aren't any melodies to speak of, but it's always pretty driving and urgent. It accompanies the action well, but I wouldn't listen to it outside of the game. Some people love the music, others hate it - I like it well enough in-game, but I don't think it's Jesper Kyd's best work by a long shot.
I really like the game, but to me, it doesn't feel like Batman. It feels more like a game that the license was tacked onto, unlike the phenomenal SNES game. If you want a good run-and-gun shooter, you can't go wrong here, but I can't help but prefer the Nintendo version. This one just doesn't have the personality to draw me in in the same way.
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games.

[@strydom666]

Every level is like a tech demo, the game looks shockingly good. The coders must've been magicians. Sounds great too.

[@roberthanthonymartinezrive7383]

Actually, you're not wrong. Most of, if not all of the programmers of this title were involved in the Demoscene and one of them actually worked on the Zelda CD-i titles...i shit you not...

[@strydom666]

KGRAMR That's very interesting. Many of these crazy good coders grew up in the C64/Amiga Demoscene. Jon Burton who coded Mickey Mania, Sonic R, Toy Story etc has a youtube channel called GameHut where he shows his Amiga demos and coding secrets, it's very interesting and worth a look. I guess Zelda CD-i is graphically good for the system, I guess lol Was surprised to find out recently that the music of Wand of Gamelon is pretty good.

[@NintendoComplete]

KGRAMR No kidding, I had no idea. That really explains a whole lot! The scensters, not Zelda, although those games were fairly impressive considering how inadequate the Cd-i's hardware was for traditional console-style games.

[@rivet6403]

They all were former demosceners on the Amiga 500 which has the same motorola 68k inside. And they were keen to the advantages and disadvantages on that computer so they knew well how to pull off amazing stuff. For example, The "Vectors" and "textured polygons" on a couple levels are actually not realtime. They are all pre-computed with all the possible angles stored in VRAM. That's why the levels with those effects don't have backgrounds that detailed or many enemies.

[@michaelromeo9567]

@@rivet6403 If it was pure pre rendered,backgrounds and enemies wouldn't be a problem cause it's woldn'tbe calculated in real time . Then it must be real time. That doesn't look like classic pre render technology but maybe I'm wrong Another blast processing prowess..?

[@InfinityVenom]

I never beat this game as a kid, but the soundtrack stayed with me after all these years, Jesper Kyd is a genius

[@Robomonkey101]

Same

[@brainrich1358]

I remember playing this game as a kid and how hard it was. But the music haunted me forever, and now I finally found it!

[@andreikamiKaze]

Yeah Bro , he did wonders with the Hitman series as well . That’s how i got to know about him. One of the best videogame soundtrack composers

[@LordVader1094]

@@andreikamiKaze Same! That seried have never been the same after they stopped hiring him to do the music

[@GaydolfShitler]

Same

[@SuperJumpReviews]

Soundtrack to this game is legendary. I'm a big fan of the snes soundchip but god damn, the genesis sure can bring it when they want to.

[@redpheonix1000]

Some incredible art can be created when the musicians are able to master the FM chip. You should also check out the soundtrack to a prototype Mega Drive game, Time Trax, composed by Tim Follin. Just make sure you listen to the 50Hz version, though.

[@netforce0]

yeah they def went above and beyond making the music for this

[@joeyjo-joshabadu9636]

The music for the first Batman game(based on the 1989 movie) on the Genesis is even better

[@thenonexistinghero]

@@joeyjo-joshabadu9636 Well, it's definitely more memorable. But I do think this one stands out far more as far as being a technical achievement goes.

[@ek1246]

This game was HELLA difficult, and the soundtrack, WOW.

[@rellsimon]

The soundtrack is bomb

[@jeremyjohnson8844]

It's nothing remarkable really...

[@thilo419]

Jesper kyd. The dude who composed assassin's creed ost

[@Bloodreign1]

@@jeremyjohnson8844 Especially considering how out of place it feels for a Batman game.

[@Thassodar]

That cat boss at 40:00 was a paaaain as a kid, but I knew I was pretty far in the game by the time I got there. Also the soundtrack needs to be remade, it's killer!

[@Sextus70]

@@Bloodreign1 I see I am not alone. Most of the tracks are pretty dope, but they sure feel like if it they are in the wrong setting. They sound more like something you would hear in a hardcore cyberpunk universe than Batman.

[@Foggen]

One of the most technically impressive Genesis games for sure. That parallax tho!

[@patchyluna]

I feel like the developers must have simultaneously loved and hated working on the Hatter stages. Loved because the entire theme let them go absolutely mad with the level concept, and hated because those effects were probably a nightmare to code.

[@grimmdanny]

In 2020 I still see this game as a masterpiece. I still can't believe the Genesis did this.

[@Khaled-Ali]

54:14 the music gave me chills. Epic soundtrack

[@toddlindsay8846]

That should be done on MJ’s “ Smooth Criminal “.

[@Zeeblud-Music]

That is one epic soundtrack holy shit.

[@dusathemaid]

Seriously, this track has no right of being this good.

If you take Contra:Hard Corps, mix it with Gunstar Heroes and finish it off with a Batman theme, you have this game. It's awesome.

[@mitu123Copper]

Yep, pretty much.

[@pablomartinez4265]

This game was the bomb! Cool soundtrack + great game experience + Batman = THE BEST!

[@sebastianricci4279]

Got this for $5 at a garage sale...and wow what amazing music! Love it!

[@RubyInferno]

I played this masterpiece of a title over two decades ago when I was 8 years old & now I am 30. I NEVER forgot the sound-tracks or the gameplay - I was pleasantly surprised that the soundtracks are done by none other than the legendary Jesper Kyd, it made a lot of sense. I didn't know how much I loved synthesizers before I even knew what they are & these soundtracks are nothing less than synthesizer magic. Uff

[@CEOofWasrael]

I still have it. Just can’t find my sega😂

[@Elias991000]

This game shows it potential what the Genesis (Mega Drive in Japan) can do and it really shows that this game pushes it's hardware to limit

[@truxton701]

Mega Drive is it's name practically everywhere apart from North America. Mega Drive in Europe, Brazil, Australia, so on and so forth

[@diego2817]

Shinobi lll is the most tech game abs better Sega game

[@Agus_Lombax]

I beat this game many times and i never get bored,this game it's a absolutely MASTERPIECE.

[@BrawlTilUFall1017]

Same here! I loved it

[@RandomizationShow]

Alone? I suspected it was impossible without an inhumane dosage of crack

[@Agus_Lombax]

@@RandomizationShow alone,always.

[@DeathCluntch]

This game is pure Gold

[@SamArt6607]

Black and Gold

[@adammassacre1981]

For a 16 bit machine this looks and sounds fantastic!

[@NintendoComplete]

It doesn't have the personality of Konami's phenomenal SNES game, but the Genesis's Batman & Robin is a first-rate run-and-gun shooter and one helluva showpiece for the system.

[@showsjohn]

The better Batman and Robin game imo

[@robertbektas1810]

The Konami one looks ugly in places

[@teddybeer6206]

Ehhhhh I disagree. This looks, sounds and plays far better than the SNES version in my book.

[@joyasmusicales603]

The Genesis game is better. It had to be said and it was said.

[@Seiko180]

the SNES game feels more accurate to the Animated Series

[@chadcox2052]

Genesis really pushed the limits with this game graphics wise! Pretty much playing a ps1 game on the Genesis... Great game!

[@rae3859]

I love the music so much. I was terrible at this game when I was a kid.

[@vommir.]

Same never got really far lol!! To be fair games were super hard by default.

[@dudeross9120]

I bet if you told most folks today there was a Batman Contra-esque, almost bullet hell side-scroller with one of the best game soundtracks ever made they would think you were crazy. :P

[@mitu123Copper]

Lol yeah.

[@toddlindsay8846]

Or they would think that you’re completely asinine

[@danalong1237]

This game was released right around the time Batman Forever was released to theaters and Batman: The Animated Series moved to The WB as part of it’s Kids WB lineup.

[@Jy-xq2ew]

What was it on before the wb . fox?

[@danalong1237]

@@Jy-xq2ewYes! And now, it’s on Max!

[@Jy-xq2ew]

@@danalong1237 yes i saw . . before that happened i actually bought the entire seasons from walmart . . I've watched them all . . they will never make cartoons like that again

[@robertlombardo8437]

I remember this game from my childhood. Knowing now that the soundtrack is the work of Jesper Kyd makes perfect sense. It always combined so well with the scenery to create that perfect visceral sense of being Batman, fighting bad guys in the dark Gotham City night. The level that stands out as the perfect example of this feeling, a feeling which has stayed with me through nearly three decades, is the first. The Joker is celebrating his birthday by robbing the Gotham City Bank and lighting all the surrounding blocks on fire. The streets are crawling with his minions and you, the one and only Batman, have to take them on in brutal urban warfare as they smash and grab everything in sight.

[@toninhopavan2]

This is one of my favorite games of the genesis/mega drive. True masterpiece. It has everything: great graphics, sound, music, gameplay... and it runs very fast.

[@redmondpeters6221]

The opening music and the music of the first level of this game is just exquisitely BADASS 🤘

[@wakaitsu]

Best soundtrack in history of games. EVER. Every single track is marvelously good. And they did it on 8bit console! Modern "composers" can't get normal background music on PC, for crying out loud.

[@Angel-DJ-Gaming]

This is a 16-bit console, not an 8-bit one.

[@DerTypausBielefeld]

This game is such a masterpiece; and the only way to really know how it feels is to play for yourself how advanced and well designed it was. It feels like playing a movie, and it uses the full capacities of what the hardware was capable of, giving you even a 3-D impression. And the music is nothing but epic.

[@LadyVoldo]

Under The Mad Hatter's hat there was a 1-up.

[@MakavelithePrince96]

Yep.

[@MakavelithePrince96]

Liz...Negamoon lol 😂🤣

[@EuSouRCS]

This game is a timeless Masterpiece!

[@brasondenton401]

Man, that music was so nostalgic! I never got past the Joker stage as a kid so it was cool to see everything else.

[@BrawlTilUFall1017]

This 1000% was my favorite game! I killed this game a whole lot in high school! The soundtrack was awesome and graphics were too! It's a difficult game but I beat it so many times. My favorite stages were stage 2 overhead shooting and the Mad Hatter boss fight

[@craigf7313]

Wow first time I've seen this game. The soundtrack is absolutely stunning. Id certainly buy the soundtrack if available on CD or vinyl.

[@toddlindsay8846]

Oh yeah!!

[@arsalanhamidi2780]

The fact is, this isn't even a 32x 2D game, but it's way better than many of them! even includes 3D elements! stunning on many levels!

[@AdmiralLink]

I remember playing this game when I was in elementary school! My friend (lost touch) and I played this game everytime but we couldn't get to the 2nd part of the first stage (Elevator). Then when he forgot to take his game home (we used to live next door), I tried playing it and was able to get passed Joker's boss with only a few lives left. It was damn hard when I was a kid but eventually I understand the mechanics.

[@oscarzxn4067]

I think this game is not only the best looking game on the Genesis, or maybe the 16 bit era, but I also have not seen another 2D game with so many crazy effects without using polygons

[@Prizrak-hv6qk]

Definitely one of the most technically impressive. Toy Story is also insane on the Genesis and better than the SNES version. Panorama Cotton is crazy too in a very different way. Oh yeah, Red Zone is probably the absolute pinnace of what's possible on the Genesis.

[@arsalanhamidi2780]

@@Prizrak-hv6qk Indeed, and also Comix Zone!

[@LordChrome375]

Man, it's crazy how the boss themes for Harley and Joker at the start stuck with me for over 20 years!

[@siloquant]

I came here for awesome electronic nostalgic soundtracks. Thanks for making my childhood awesome. I'm still headbanging to this.

[@dsubversion]

Dope game sound track here 🎵 🎶

[@astriverofstrengthandknowledge]

The soundtrack in this game slapped me in the face the first time I played it. I was not expecting the music to go this hard.

[@fuctupkidmiles]

Me and my friends considered this game crazy hard (but also crazy good) back in the day. This video made it look, like it's pretty easy.

[@Crabomax]

This game is too hard! Beautiful but far too hard.

[@ethaonslaught]

Crabomax not as hard as the original nes. That one will make u cry

[@user-hk5vj3lf5t]

Batman nes at least fair with plaer. It isn't hard. And it has only one hard battle "fight with joker". Adventures of batman and robin maniacally difficult, unffair and uses broken beat'em up/run&gun mechanics.

[@Fredcat11]

Yeah, I didn't go far than that flying level at 20 minutes. Always died there back then.

[@davida6146]

Crabomax that’s why you needed a second player as Robin! I was that guy and my brother barely ever let me be Batman... to this day, I’m more comfortable being the sidekick lol

[@AllGamingStarred]

@@user-hk5vj3lf5t get the green powerups or orange if you can, then take advantage of enemy patterns and AI shortcomings (I.E in level 1, the robber always spawns right, so use the skull slightly before the explosion ends, Cheshire is a pushover if you have all green and stay in the middle, Joker battle goes left, right, then hops around etc)

[@Morningstar91939]

I used to play this game at my Grandma’s house. She had quite a few Genesis games, but this game and Sonic 2 were my favorites.

[@robgoins3672]

I am getting some real Contra hard corps vibe off this. Hell of a Batman game you got there!

[@Avrelivs_Gold]

loved to blast the sound via amp on saturday nights. no internet no youtube, just playing this game all night

[@dsubversion]

The simple 90's life ✌✌

[@jenniferpolicarpio858]

aylovexxx

[@TheJHPJr]

Com quase três décadas e esse jogo continua a me arrepiar. Obra prima!

[@powerhardy1]

This game was so underrated! Soundtrack A-1 AND it was two players!

[@creativechau]

that intro still gives me goosebumps

[@thechannelforeverything2170]

There's something about that intro song that just says "shit's about to go down". So perfect.

[@33corsaire]

Honestly… just beating level 1 was an accomplishment

[@TheAdventuresofTNT]

the boss theme just randomly came to me today and I knew I had to look this game up. Amazing that everyone in the comment section has mentioned the music.

[@bohemias3740]

I remember this game when i was a kid i used to play it but get stress and angry and i could hardly play it to level 2. But this gameplay was so good like a pro he played .

[@hope4hiphop]

This is one of the best games ever. I still have it and my Sega

[@robertlevy4613]

This game was so damn good

[@wildbers]

MASTERPIECE FROM THE VERY FIRST BEGINNING.

[@CharlesAlexander0]

The days when joker was the first boss

[@phongstar751]

I remember playing this with my friends in the 90s. This one was way better than the one on SNES. We played the hell out of this and NBA Jams.

[@bgasman]

This game is still classic!

[@BiriBiri925]

I never beat this game as a kid. Insanely hard. Btw ost 10/10. Its Jesper Kyd.

[@Peter_Morris]

I can't get over the graphics on this game. It's like the Genesis was running in a hi-res mode or something. And that parallax on the first stage is really impressive!

[@vgaoct91]

Definitely one I'll check out... Though both this and the SNES version (from what I've seen) never have you go mano-a-mano against Two Face in person.

[@jungsuk888]

I remember playing this when I was 7 with my older bro.. now I’m 26 omg how time just passes!

[@therealseanw.stewart2071]

Wow, looks really cool! I never played this one, but I DO definitely remember growing up playing the SNES version! Which is also awesome. The scrolling effects are really cool, and remind me of a Treasure game! Plus, anything with Harley Quinn in it is awesome. ;)

[@TheMillenniumWitch]

I remember the Mad Hatter's face actually scared me when I was a kid.

[@DBoy2029]

41:00 The inspiration of the giant cat phase of Weimar Werman from Cuphead!

[@chadcox2052]

This game is awesome but i dont see how in the hell anyone could beat this without game genie cheats its hard as hell! That stage at the end of stage 2 where you flying is sooo long lol

[@jamesguinnup4569]

True GG is my best friend for this and playing Tommy Oliver Green Ranger in Sega Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

[@j2c09]

My brother and I played this for hours as kids...I don’t think we ever made it to Level 2. 🤦‍♂️

[@ibrahimimran6013]

Same but my brother was expert

[@jimmysgameplaysandreviews6377]

i remember having friends stay over night and we would play this and Jurassic park all weekend good times

[@warizoh]

Thanks a lot for this... I had tried playing this a few times and it was hard as hell. I didn't even know that you can shoot in several directions 😅 Definitely gonna try this again and I'll will be patient. I have listened to this soundtrack for quite a while and I am obsessed with it.

[@milleniumfrisbee]

Man me and my dad played this alot when I was a kid. One of the few times my dad played video games and part of why I play games today.

[@autohrap5884]

The fact someone did this? It needs more likes. I might have seen the second level live… that was it

[@daimonatkins3046]

I wish that someday WB and DC could have a classics video game collection where they could have this and other games from older consoles bundled together for a new generation of gamers and older fans/collectors who want to relive the experience

[@biancaarmstrong5097]

Hard challenging game but with the best kick ass soundtrack for the Sega Genesis. Seriously I listen to this outstanding soundtrack almost everyday cause it's so damn good.

[@ThePresentation010]

Then you'll definitely like the song: I'm not woman, I'm a god. By Haley

[@LeGronk]

always loved the sound design in this game.

[@joshuavandine8111]

This was the first Batman game I ever played and my favorite Sega game.

[@agustinusupandika4489]

after watched the batman this scores will fit just perfect..unbelievable

[@Cyrax4d]

I was a baby seeing this on Sega I’m 25 now lol

[@Antface26]

Me & my little brother use play this game for hours back in day..😎💪🏾..Goodtimes!😌🤗

[@EbenezerScroogeMcDuck]

freaking-A, the mad hatter level music!!

[@RetroRogue.]

My favorite soundtrack ever. Genesis was my first system and this my 2nd game behind Sonic. I have the soundtrack on my iPod it’s so damn good. Makes the game plus the dark theme greatest Batman game ever.

[@GawainSSB]

Wow the music sounds insanely good here, some of the sound quality is better than just about anything on Genesis, that boss theme for example. Doesnt even sound like the Genesis "soundscape" you hear in basically all other games. Graphics are insane too, much like Castlevania Bloodlines, really playing to the systems strengths.

[@theaccursedj.e.2723]

This game is hard AF.

[@neonrider2426]

Not really

[@stevencross8215]

My nine year old loves this game and also contra hard corps, he finished gun star heroes but this is crazy hard

[@edgonzalez32]

Till this day, still the hardest game I've ever played. My cousin and I have been playing since since, idk, pretty much when it came out? Since then we've only beaten it once.

[@SultanAlZaabi]

Boss battles and themes of this game were ahead of their time

[@bmshaven]

I often bring up this game in retro game difficulty conversations. Relentless is my word of choice. However, spending more and more time playing this and studying and learning the levels, I think the difficulty can be tamed. Some things to keep in mind: -The first boss is the cheapest and may be the hardest or at least the one where you need to be the most precise -Hearts are surprisingly plentiful but you need to work for them -The flying stage is the only level where you truly need muscle memory, the rest you just need to be quick and deliberate, even if a little sloppy -The problem is the game as a whole and the sum of all the relentless gameplay...most bosses are not terribly hard, and the levels vary in difficulty and length. I will say, even getting to the mad hatter stage, the game just feels so long and daunting.

[@abualia922]

40:40 seems like a lovely dancing music for the weekend 😂😂😂😂

[@TheNaturalPatHarris]

This game is so awesome but deranged in the difficulty department

[@user-hq6jh6zd8w]

me and my brother had beat this game in 1995 now I'm 39 years old

[@sammcclain7532]

Truthfully I'm just here for the banger soundtrack. It's hard to say Jesper Kyd has come a long way in videogame sound tracks when even in Sega Genesis days he was putting out incredibly creative soundtracks for tons of games!

[@diegocrusius]

masterpiece

[@stayoffmygrass5912]

Thanks for this this game was amazing

[@mothmanssignificantother6281]

Literally has me in fucking tears. Game SLAPS of COURSE but oh my god I nearly cried when going through. I just wanted to see Jervis, I was not ready to get my ass handed to me time and time again.

[@toddlindsay8846]

Jervis is known as Mad Hatter

[@CarozQH]

I always though the SNES game was very generic and run-of-the-mill licensed game fare, the Megadrive game on the other hand looks and plays like something the development team put a lot of effort in (which is fitting when you consider that Clockwork Tortoise only ever developed this game and its Mega-CD counterpart!)

[@tartuffethesprywonderdog5883]

Yeah, the SNES one is soo boring and slow.

[@thehumbleone1983]

also i want to say that was some nice gameplay you really played a good game

[@NintendoComplete]

Thanks! :)

[@lucastillery]

I played this game so many times!!!

[@mothtolias]

eat your heart out, super nintendo!

[@dirty_lemons7963]

@arbereshe It was on the SNES in a sense, although much like games such as Shadowrun it isn't *really* the same game except in name only. Different developers, play style etc. Both were actually very good for their respective console though! (And Batman had such a terrible reputation in general for the SNES)

[@Bloodreign1]

@@dirty_lemons7963 I'd say outside of Batman Forever, which is on the Genesis, and just as awful as the SNES version, the Caped Crusader had a pretty good run on the SNES and the NES (and even the Gameboy), and a nice run on the Genesis, outside of the very muddy looking Batman Returns, and Forever, and the meh Batman Revenge of the Joker.

[@camulodunon]

@@Bloodreign1 I actually like Batman Returns on the Genesis. The colors are rough but overall I dig the games artstyle and as much as some people can hate the gameplay I can easily get past the enemy patterns and grapple mechanics. I also love the music even though the instrumentation is rough. Overall a very nice game IMO, despite a lot of people's disdain for it.

[@jamielrobinson9504]

13:03 Dope beat!

[@liquidlobster]

Superb Game! So intelligently and entertainingly designed. I play it myself today, but i completely lack the skills :)

[@pixelmentia]

Just finding out about this game. Playing it on my Sony Trinitron and it looks and sounds far better than any other Genesis game I’ve seen. True programming wizardry.