The massive popularity of the Batman movie can really be seen in the thought and care that was put into this game. The aesthetics are well-done and everything from graphics to the music is made to reproduce the same kind of gothic vibe the movie had. I can say that I enjoyed myself with this one.

On gameplay-wise, this is clearly a product of it's time. It's a NES-platformer that seems to be padding the gametime with challenge. It's not as painfully difficult than some other platformers released on the system, but the difficulty ramps up pretty fast during the last two levels. Especially the last one has some tricky and specific jumps you need to perform accurately or you can kiss your health goodbye. The only saving here grace is the generous amount of pickups the enemies drop.

Platforming itself is generally well done. Sure, there are some jumps that require pixel-perfect execution, but performing them is actually not too hard once you figure out what you need to do. The controls perform smoothly and the character's movement is consistent. My only gripe here is that jumping while holding d-pad locks you into that jump, but that's not too much of a hindrance. By the fourth level you've gotten a good idea how it all works and can perform jumps you didn't even realize are possible.

With the platforming requiring so much skill, the bosses themselves feel almost ridiculously easy in comparison. They often have pretty well telegraphed attacks and Batman's weapons seem to damage them pretty good. Only the last two bosses gave me any actual trouble.

My final thoughts are that it's a NES-era platformer. It can get pretty challenging, but clearing the challenge feels immensely satisfying. This game really makes you feel like Batman.