In 1992, the dark knight of all Gotham, Batman, returned from the dark depths of Tim Burton's mind. A huge stream of film adaptations poured into the video game market. But Konami surpassed everyone, which managed to release three games from one film, and each of them became a real treasure for its platform. And if on NES and SNES it was bitmaps, then on PC it was a quest!!! On the one hand, this is not surprising - after all, hits from LucasArts and Sierra thundered in full; but on the other hand, Batman began to engage not only in massacre, but also returned to his canonical activity - detective investigations. Dress up as a bat, collect a set of gadgets, start the Batmobile - it's time to return to Gotham City!!!
Plot
The story told in the film is repeated here almost verbatim: the mysterious Penguin, aka Oswald Coblepot, appears in the city, abandoned by his parents because of his appearance and picked up by a flock of penguins, plots to become the new mayor of Gotham, using the Red Triangle circus to show the failure of the former mayor in the fight against crime. Along the way, Selina Kyle, having survived death (thanks to a pack of cats), finds her new self and becomes Catwoman. During the passage, an ardent fan of the film will pay attention to the presence of several deviations from the script: for example, we will have to meet with the seller of the fish store. Well, what did you want? A detective is a detective, you have to interview people.
Graphic arts
For a 1992 quest, the visual component here is excellent. Compare it to another adventure hit of the time - Indiana Jones and Fate of Atlantis - and you will understand everything. The streets of Gotham are empty, dark and mysterious, the feeling that it is as if someone is secretly watching you, the wind howls over the roofs, dim light lazily falls from the windows of the houses. Sometimes there is a feeling that the main character here is not Batman at all, but the city that he protects. Those who are familiar with the color schemes of Burton's films of those years will not be disappointed.
Gameplay
The gameplay here is divided into several parts. Investigation - we travel around the city on the Batmobile in search of evidence. Of course, they won’t let you steer - they will only show the car from the inside and let you choose a destination on the map that is displayed on the monitor. Did you find a clue? Excellent - we are heading to the Batcave to investigate the found object using the Batcomputer, which contains an evidence scanner, a database of characters, a disc player and a TV. According to the latter, we learn about the events in the city. Well, the last part of the gameplay is, surprisingly, the fight scenes. And here the first minus pops up in the game. You will not be allowed to wave your fists yourself - you are only here to choose the gadgets that Bats will use on your opponent.
Sometimes it's justified - for example, when you use a batball on the Red Triangle Circus Strong Man - and sometimes it's stupid when you have to jam with a batarang an opponent that the Dark Knight could deal with on his own. Pay attention to the time system: you are given a day to complete certain tasks in the investigation, and several in-game days to complete the entire game. The passage time will affect the ending, which, according to the good old Konami tradition, is several.
Management
You are a Man - a bat, and besides, a detective, so the developers think the same. Take the mouse in your right hand and perform actions that are standard for any quest.
Music
As soon as the game starts, the developers at Spirit of Discovery let us know that they were in awe of the original, as Denny Elfman's dark motives begin to caress our ears on the opening screen. I note that in no other game we will not hear the music from the film - here it will be with us from beginning to end. And even if it is not in CD-audio format, but without it there was no feeling of that same gloomy, oppressive Gothic atmosphere. This is the case when the music fits perfectly with the tone of the story itself. Of course, it's a pity that the game didn't get a CD release - it would only be a plus and increase its atmosphere.
Outcome
Batman Returns is a wonderful take on Tim Burton's pre-Christmas gothic tale. The minus, which turned out to be an unnecessary pseudo-fighting part here, did not spoil the overall picture of the game, and given that it was the first and last in the "quest" genre about the defender of Gotham, it does not make it too significant. It is recommended to play on cold winter evenings in order to feel the whole atmosphere of Gotham streets.