Batman Returns Walkthrought
Step by step, then. Batman Returns on the NES — yep, that very Batman Returns — won’t let you just mash punch on the road through Gotham; you’ll be dealing with crafty set pieces and slippery boss patterns. We’ll show where to turn, when to ease off, and when to pull the Batarang. For core moves, hit /gameplay/, and for story context, head to /history/.
Gotham Plaza and the Back Alleys
From the very first screens, don’t sprint ahead: circus bruisers arrive in packs while flamethrower punks cover from a distance. Pick off ranged threats first — a well-timed Batarang cleanly interrupts the pyro right as he reaches for his “dragon’s breath.” Shop windows and crates sometimes stash useful pickups — scoop up bat emblems so you don’t run dry on special weapons before bosses. At intersections, look up: balconies and ledges with obvious lips are your grappling playground. Hook, pull up, sail over the crowd — then clear the screen from the safety of the high ground.
Before the first big hall, brace for a run of choke points: doors with popping jugglers, knives from blind corners, and bomb-tossing clowns. Don’t park in the doorway — two steps in, strike, one step back. On stairways, finish foes on the same level: standing just a bit higher, a low punch reliably stuffs the club clown’s windup. Use cover here: lampposts and pillars “eat” enemy knives while you slip in a step or two and punish the whiff.
Rooftops: First Run‑in with Catwoman
Up top, the city turns vertical. Classic collapsing ledges return: don’t land on block edges with a dark rim — they crumble half a second later. The worst is the “checkerboard” of water heaters and ad boxes: you won’t squeeze through without the grapple. Only latch onto the bright beams overhead — miss and you’ll drop into the gap between buildings. Climbing toward the drainpipes, keep the Batarang primed — acrobats pop from hatches and love to smack you mid-jump.
Boss: Catwoman. She’s got two key tools — a long, straight whip lash and a wall hop with a kick-out. Don’t try to trade into the whip: hold mid-range, wait for the tell and whistle, half-step back, then tag her with two quick strikes during recovery and disengage. When she hits the wall, don’t stand under the diagonal: meet her descent with a Batarang to break the animation and earn a free hit. Three or four clean cycles make her “lose altitude,” and from there you can finish in rhythm. Whatever you do, don’t corner her, or she’ll loop “whip–whip–rebound,” which is rough to escape without taking damage.
Industrial Zone and Warehouse Carousels
Next up: tight interiors with all the joys of a conveyor line. Belts feed you toward spikes, presses sync with the wall lamps. Move during the “quiet” between flashes: one lamp — press goes up, two — press comes down, with about two steps of safe air time. In narrow corridors, enemies love to “stream” from both sides. Don’t get sandwiched: grapple to the upper beam and you’ll pop out behind the right-hand spawn. In the tall shop floor, you’ll hit three hanging platforms: pull up to the middle first, then left, back to middle, and only then right to the exit. A straight leap from left to right dumps you onto spikes — save those lives for the bosses.
Mini-boss here: the hammer clown. He telegraphs a heavy swing with a clear pause and always tries to close on a straight line. Bait the hammer down, short roll forward under the arm, two hits to the back, hop out. If he goes airborne, a Batarang during lift-off reliably knocks him off course. Three clean loops open the path.
Sewers and Penguin’s Gadgets
The sewers in Batman Returns love slip-ups on slick platforms. The water won’t kill you, but it will shove you — correct with a jump at the current’s peak or you’ll get swept into the spikes beneath the catwalks. On long stretches, hug the top edge: below, wind-up penguins patrol on timers. Don’t “tank” them — snipe with a Batarang from range so the blast won’t tag you. In vertical shafts, watch the steam vents: rhythm goes “short — long — pause.” Jump on the long one, or the puff will bounce you back and break your climb chain.
Before the exit, there’s a hall with two levels of catwalks and corner turrets. Delete the turrets first. The best window is right after the right one fires: step in, strike, step back, while the left shot slams into the catwalk post. Don’t get greedy — one or two hits, then out. From the center, your grapple reaches the overhead beams, and from up there you can comfortably clean up the remaining “circus” crew.
Finale: Penguin’s Lair
The closing stretch of Batman Returns is a string of rooms with zero margin for error. First, corridors with accordion spike walls: keep pace with the wall lamps, just like the factory presses, only with a tighter window. Then a long gallery of umbrella turrets firing in a fan. Stand just below mid-screen — the fan sails over you and you get a window for three hits on the stand. After each broken stand, a pair of mechanical penguins rolls in from the wings — meet them with a Batarang and don’t let them close the gap.
Boss: The Penguin. Phase one — umbrella machine gun. He fires short straight bursts and likes to bait jumps with a spray of crackling rounds. Don’t bite: step in as a burst ends, two hits, step out. Phase two — bomb scatter and slide: he zigs and zags while leaving a trail. Walk a diagonal to his tail, avoid the blasts, and stick a combo in as he turns into the next zig. Final phase — overhead fan shots and a low umbrella sweep. Hold mid-range, hop the lowest petals of the fan, and hit after the animation “dips.” Try to save specials for phase three: a couple of clutch Batarangs delete the scariest moments and open an extra punish window.
If you reached this point low on health, don’t hesitate to replay the stretch via the stage password: this game lets you jump back to a scene without rerunning the whole route — just jot down the combo on the results screen. For a “Batman Returns NES playthrough,” it’s a lifesaver: the finale is unforgiving but fair — count the rhythm, remember the grapple, and don’t waste Batarangs on trash mobs before a boss. Boss tactics here are simple: wait it out, hit in short bursts, and reset to a safe spot.