Batman
1989 · Platform / Action · NES
Overview
Batman (1989) for the NES is Sunsoft's take on the Tim Burton film: a demanding action platformer built on wall-jumping, with a celebrated soundtrack.
Deep Dive
Sunsoft's Batman takes the film as a starting point and builds its own game: Batman fights through Gotham's streets, a chemical plant, sewers and the cathedral to face the Joker. Its signature move is the wall jump, kicking off one surface to reach the next, and ammunition powers the Batarang, Batdisk and spear gun. Tight, demanding controls and Naoki Kodaka's music made it one of the most respected licensed games of its era. It is a different game from Ocean's home-computer adaptation of the film.
Developer Story
Batman for the NES was developed by Sunsoft in 1989, timed to the Tim Burton film release. Unlike most licensed games of the era, Sunsoft's Batman was genuinely well-designed — tight controls, excellent wall-jumping mechanics, and a superb soundtrack. The game bore only superficial resemblance to the film but stood on its own merits as one of the best NES action games of 1989.
Did You Know?
- Sunsoft's Batman is regularly cited as one of the best licensed games ever made — it succeeded as a game first, with the licence secondary.
- The wall-jump mechanic — bouncing between walls to climb sheer surfaces — was more sophisticated than most contemporary platformers.
- Sunsoft's soundtrack, composed by Naoki Kodaka, is considered among the finest on the NES.
- The game bore minimal resemblance to the film — Sunsoft created an original Batman story rather than adapting the movie's plot.
Sources & further reading
- Batman (1989 video game) — Wikipedia
