Batman: Return of the Joker (NES)

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Description

The Joker lives again in SunSoft's sequel to their NES original. The Joker has somehow managed to escape from Arkham Asylum once again, and Batman must fight him across seven stages to restore peace to Gotham City.

Batman carries a gauntlet shooting basic bullets by default. This can be upgraded with weapon powerups located in boxes throughout the level, giving access to homing and energy weapons. Every upgrade weapon can be charged up for a secondary attack, different for each weapon. Batman also has a slide useful against most enemies and some bosses.

Boss fights introduce a system where life is measured by points instead of tick marks or bars. In these sections, Batman has significantly more health, and can take many more hits when rumbling with these stronger foes.

Levels include a snowy landscape, moving train, military base, and sewers. Two levels require you to run and dodge explosions while vehicles keep pace in the background. Some levels also have Batman activate a jetpack and play through a short side-scrolling shooter.

This game is one of the few Batman games that was not based directly on a movie or television series.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Alternate Titles

• "Dynamite Batman" -- Japanese NES title
• "Batman: Revenge of the Joker" -- Genesis title
• "Batman: O Retorno do Coringa" -- Brazilian NES title
• "ダイナマイトバットマン" -- Japanese NES title spelling

Part of the Following Groups

• Batman licensees
• DC comics licensees

User Reviews

Very impressive, but not flawless	Bregalad (969)
Frustrated with Batman: The Video Game's difficulty? Try this one...	chirinea (47006)
Great follow-up to a hard-to-follow act	Multimedia Mike (20636)

Critic Reviews

Joystick (French)	Dec, 1992	86 out of 100	86
Defunct Games	Jul 19, 2012	B	75
Play Time	Jun, 1992	73 out of 100	73
Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM)	Nov, 1991	29 out of 40	72
Classic-games.net	Dec 11, 2017	7 out of 10	70
Ultimate Nintendo: Guide to the NES Library	2016		60
Megablast	1993	59 out of 100	59
Game Zero	Jul, 1992	50.5 out of 100	50
Questicle.net	Feb, 2011	C-	42
The Video Game Critic	Dec 04, 2005	D	25

Forums

Topic	# Posts	Last Post
SNES version?	5	Shoddyan (14354) May 22, 2007

Trivia

Cancelled SNES port

An SNES port was nearly completed but ultimately not released, though the ROM is available. Interestingly, it seems to have been made separately from the Genesis version and uses different art assets.

Sounds

The short tune played during the "stage clear" screens was first used for the same purpose in the Genesis version of Batman: The Video Game.

Information also contributed by chirinea.

Related Web Sites

• Video review of Batman games (WARNING: Language) (The Angry Video Game Nerd, James Rolfe, reviews Batman-based games, including Batman: Return of the Joker on NES and Game Boy and Batman: Revenge of the Joker on Genesis.)