The Batman interactive Universe

 Holy gaming-career, Batman!

The caped crusader has long dominated the world of print and even swung onto a prominent place on our screens during his over half a century life patrolling the streets of fictional New York. (As in, a fictionalised version of New York. Not saying that New York itself is fictional. Although... have you ever actually been there...) In all that time I think it's safe to say that Batman has become one of the most well known Superhero's of all time- even with his lack of Superhero abilities like your Spider-Man or your Superman. The story of a man driven to the absolute extremes in order to protect his city from a system that just doesn't work, and a playboy billionaire with a deep brooding purpose behind his frivolous mask- it all contributes to a compelling fantasy that people apparently just can't get enough of. Which is probably why he is one of two superheroes with the most amount of representation in the gaming world, right along with Spider-Man. (Hard to say which one of them is more famous. I bet they swap that title year-to-year depending on what movie has come out.)

The very first such game is Batman '86, an MSX released title that follows the harrowing tail of Robin's kidnapping during his brief jaunt to fetch spare tires for the Batmobile. Wait, did I read that right? Yeah- that's apparently what happened- amazingly. (Jeez Dick really is a clutz, huh.) From there you have to collect the various parts of the Batmobile that are scattered across the Batcave over 150 screens in rudimentary single-colour isometric wandering with a curiously stout Batman facing off against what looks like the bad-guy cast from the original Scooby Doo run. Batman starts with no abilities and has to pick them up using his Batbag as he walks around basically patrolling ghosts and ghouls around gamings most overly large Batcave. (Seriously, what the hell does he store in 150 rooms?) And wow, this game already sounds like hell already- god, gaming's roots are not as glamorous as film's. Apparently despite the apparent 'story' there isn't a Robin Sprite in the game at all, and the only reason the boy wonder was declared 'kidnapped' is because the developers couldn't figure out a way to have the player's sprite swap between him and Batman. So you can find his presence on the cutting room floor. Also, no comment on which villain kidnapped Robin. Guess it's not important. Batman was glad to be rid of the little bugger.

Bat-fans would have to wait until 1988 for the next outing- Ocean Software's 'Batman: The Caped Crusader', and totally unrelated to that first game in all but topic. This game actually innovates in a pretty crucial way for more appropriately capturing the style of a comic hero adaptation. Namely, the game is rendered in sidescrolling 'panels' that emulate the printing pattern of a comic. Whatsmore, this game actually has some of Batman's rogue gallery to boast! Including Penguin on some dastardly plan to take over the world with his Robotic Penguins (Yeah, this was back in the time before anyone really knew what to do with the Penguin apparently) and Joker who has- wait a minute, kidnapped Robin? So it was him! There's an actual somewhat pleasing resemblance to the visage of Batman in this game, with the closer and high quality model and actual 50's-gangster goons being slapped around by his gloved fists. The actually in-use colour range does a solid job capturing the very comic book hues of greyish black and the blue coated cape. I even rate the angular mountainous silhouette of Gotham in the background of certain outdoor scenes, correctly depicting the domineering austerity of the gothic metropolis, always looming over scenes rather than just sitting pretty on the far horizon. Vastly improved effort. Top marks. At least visually. Computer Gaming World listed it as 29th in their worst games of all time list 1996- so perhaps it's not a perfect landing for old Batsy.

But then came the real effort. Just a year later, to coincide with a certain other Batman property. Ocean's third unrelated Batman published product- 1989's Batman. (Which, for differentiation, typically referred to as 'Batman: The Movie') This is meant to be a direct adaptation of Keaton and Nicholson's outings as Batman and the Joker and in typical Movie-game fashion- the resemblance is regulated largely to adapting various action scenes. There is a greater focus on variety, this time around, as though to try and capture success by sneaking in as many disparate gameplay genres as feasible. Side scrolling beat-em-up, bumper-hugging Batmobile chase, Batcomputer puzzler game, Batjet sky chase and a finale round off of side scrolling action again, this time against the Joker. This time, however, the visuals lose their appeal. Colour schemes of the Joker and Batman match their screen counterparts, but the actual ingame models themselves are tiny and less detailed than the '86 game! Colours have lost their comic book zeal, presumably in an effort to match the relatively muted movie hues, and the sidescrolling perspective is unappealingly flat. Gotham's backdrop losses it's character. Still, they must have done something right considering the game is called one of the 'best of the 80's' buy reputable magazine 'ZZap!'. (No, I've never heard of them either.) 

Let's fast forward a snap to one of the most influential Batman games of all time- 2009's Batman Arkham Asylum; the game that changed action adventure titles. Before Arkham, there wasn't really any sort of unified gameplay ethos when it came to 3rd person action like there was for First Person shooters or tactical games. Arkham defined the combo/counter style of combat- a vision which embodied the martial supremacy of the Dark Knight like no other game had done before it. This Bruce was extracted right out of the world of the comic books, from the slick tall-eared style of his suit to the classic long-nose Batmobile design. The 3D world of the Asylum was cowled and gargoyled- pulling right from the very heart of Gothic sensibilities, all the major rogues gallery either made an appearance or cameoed to some significant degree. Detective fans had their investigation modes, lore fans had their satisfying data entries to browse through- there wasn't a single underserved Batman fan by the masterpiece that was Arkham. Not the Batman game we deserved, but the one the world needed.

And whilst we're on the road of talking about 'Influential Batman games' why not talk about one that might not have shaped gaming quite so thoroughly, but which surely changed the face of DC since it's inception. 2013's Injustice was a Fighting game developed by Mortal Kombat Developer Netherrealm, birthed off the high of 2008's Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Injustice tells an Elseworld story about an Evil Superman which has become the de-facto influence for practically all Superman movies thereon, entering the kind of revered status that 'Year One', 'The Killing Joke' and 'The Dark Knight Returns' has on Batman adapters. Injustice got a sequel, a freakin' IOS release, a comic run, an animated adaptation (which was bad) and even managed to shape the potential direction of Zack Snyder's DCEU for the three whole movies that was running for. All atop a pretty solid fighter with a forgiving barrier to entry. Who'd have thought Batman would find success in this genre?

But whilst we're here we might as well fast forward to the latest entry in the procession of Batman games, 2022's Gotham Knights. The only game to star the Bat family, but not the first to feature them. (That would probably go to Lego Batman, if I were to guess. Although they were all in 'Arkham Knight' too, if we're only accepting non-blocky appearances.) Gotham Knights sought to bring a more arcade-like non-online Live Service RPG style spin on the Dark Knight mythos. It didn't quite land, and left fans wishing this were just another Arkham game set in that playstyle and universe, rather than this considerably watered down imitation. The combat feels less impactful, the core narrative is unfocused and Gotham seems to have lost all of it's characteristic gothic leering and is just... some city somewhere. Of course, I personally think it's a failure is due to the fact that they forgot all about Kate Kane- can't have the Batfamily without Batwoman!

Batman is one of those few fictional characters with such an enduring charm that it brings people back to his cave time and time again to have a crack at adapting him. Whether in endless video games all trying to capture a different part of his allure, or the movies that forever refocus the character in adaptations of 'Year One', 'The Killing Joke' and 'The Dark Knight Returns'= the only three Batman comics that exist. Oh, and I guess there's also the TV series' that try their darndest to tell the story of everybody around Batman from Batwoman to the Birds of Prey to Penguin to even bloody Commissioner Gordon! Yeah, they made a Commissioner Gordon TV show, but still won't make a non-animated Batman one! Figure that one out! But we know they'll be a new Batman project in five years time, and a new reboot in ten years time- because if there's one thing we know about the caped crusader is that he always gets back up. Or wait, is that Spider-Man? Nope, I'm pretty sure it's Batman. Afterall, why do we fall?