Batman (1989 Ocean video game)

Batman
Developer(s) Ocean Software
Publisher(s) Ocean Software
Platform(s) Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, ZX Spectrum
Release 1989
Genre(s) Action adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Batman (also known as Batman: The Movie)[1] is an action video game developed and published by Ocean Software based on the 1989 film of the same name. It was released in 1989 for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX and ZX Spectrum.[2]

Gameplay

The game consists of five stages based on events from the movie. Each stage has a time limit and a health gauge (represented by Batman's face turning into the Joker's), with Batman losing a life if he runs out of either. The levels have varying gameplay:

  • The first stage sees players controlling Batman as he navigates the Axis Chemical Plant to confront Jack Napier, leading to the incident in which he becomes The Joker. In this level, the game features side-scrolling gameplay, in which Batman can use his Batarangs to defeat enemies or and his grapple gun to reach higher platforms and swing across gaps.
  • In the second level, Batman rides in his Batmobile where he must dodge traffic and use a grapple to swing around corners to avoid running into the police.
  • The third level is a Mastermind-like puzzle section in which Batman must identify various components for Smilex, the deadly chemical Joker has put into the market.
  • The fourth level takes place during Joker's parade, in which Batman must use the Batwing to cut away balloons filled with poisonous gas without hitting the balloons themselves.
  • Finally, the fifth level, which reprises the gameplay of the first level, sees Batman make his way to the top of Gotham Cathedral to finally confront Joker.

Release

Batman Pack

Commodore UK reached an agreement with Ocean Software to bundle the game with Amiga 500 computers.[3] Between October 1989 and September 1990, A500 machines were sold in the United Kingdom in Batman-themed boxes containing the game and The NewZealand Story, as well as F/A-18 Interceptor and Deluxe Paint II, both contributed by Electronic Arts. With an initial commission of 10,000 units, a total of 186,000 were sold at the end of the run, making it the most successful Amiga bundle ever sold by Commodore.[4]

Reception

The game was number 1 in the Spectrum charts for February 1990[5] and was awarded Game of the Year in Crash magazine.[6] Computer Gaming World recommended the Amiga version to action fans, but reported that the Commodore 64 version was too buggy.[7]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/c64/data/930776.html
  2. ↑ Batman: The Movie at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
  3. ↑ "A500 'Batman Pack'". Amiga History Guide. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  4. ↑ "A bundle of dreams". Everything Amiga. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  5. ↑ "Issue 50, February 1990". The Your Sinclair Rock 'n' Roll Years. Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
  6. ↑ http://www.crashonline.org.uk/75/awards.htm
  7. ↑ Wilson, David M. (May 1990). "Wait 'Til They Get A Load Of This!". Computer Gaming World. p. 57. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
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