Retro Review: The Adventures of Batman and Robin

My first retro review will be about a classic game I enjoyed when I first got a SEGA Genesis. Batman is my favorite DC character and unfortunately his games have always been hit or miss over the years with many bad and some good. The Adventures of Batman and Robin was released on SNES, Genesis, and SEGA CD. However, each game was significantly different on each console. I'm going to focus on the SEGA Genesis version and maybe in the future update this review regarding the other versions or do separate reviews of other games. All the games are based off the animated series but there are some differences. I will point out the SEGA CD version consists of levels involving chase sequences for flight and driving and FMV curtscenes from a "lost episode" from the animated series. The SNES version is an action-adventure platformer as well but has a different look and visual style. They all contain classic villains from the animated series as well.

The Adventures of Batman and Robin is a classic side scrolling 16-bit beat-'em up action title. You can choose from two characters: Batman and Robin. It can be played with 1 or 2 players. The gameplay is very similar to other beat-'em up titles like Final Fight, Streets of Rage, Turtles in Time, etc. You fight enemies that come you way until you get to the end of level then fight a boss. The classic villains like The Joker, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, Harley Quinn are all here. I really enjoyed the run and gun gameplay mechanics. The Genesis version is easily my favorite version of the three followed by SNES and SEGA CD.

Pros:

-Classic beat-'em up gamplay with 2-players
-Impressive special effects on Genesis
-Music by Jesper Kyd is impressive really sets the mood and atmosphere for levels and boss battles one of my favorite soundtracks from 16-bit era


Cons:

-Very challenging, difficult
-Flight levels slightly long

Verdict: If you like Batman and have a SEGA Genesis pick up this classic gem. It is worth every penny and can be found nowadays for less than $5. Overall, I would rate it a 4 out of 5. It's a very solid game with some difficulty in later levels of the game.