Dave and Grant's AMAZINGLY THOROUGH Batman: The Video Game Walkthrough
Version 1.00.06 (2/2/2000)
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Contents
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-What's New?
-Basic Strategies
-Enemies
-THE WALKTHROUGH
-Final Comments
-Frequently Asked Questions
-Copyright notice
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WHAT'S NEW?
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Nothing is new. This is our very first version of the Walkthrough. If
we revise this in the future, rest assured that we will fill this
section with what is new. Until then, move on to the next section.
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BASIC STRATEGIES
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Batman: The Video Game can be a tough game. Actually, unless you know
what you are doing, you probably aren't going to get very far.
However, there are a few ways that you can make yourself a more
complete Batman: The Video Game player. First of all, read this
wlakthrough. Second of all, practice makes perfect. Finally, check
out the following survival tips. So anyway, here are a few tips for
survival.
TIP 1, FRANTIC PUNCHING: You don't need to use weapons too much in
this game, because punching is really usefull. When you punch enemies,
press the B button as fast as you can so as to avoid the inconvenience
of having to time your attacks.
TIP 2, WALL JUMPING: Learn this and perfect it. Get really good at
wall jumping. Learn the intricacies of jumping in this game.
Especially wall jumping. Did we mention wall jumping is important?
TIP 3, FLASHING ENEMIES: When enemies are flashing from your attack,
they can't normally hit you. Use this to your advantage, especially on
some of the bosses, as you will see in the walkthrough.
TIP 4, WEAPON USE: You don't really need to use weapons too often.
Yeah, there are some places where using weapons are advantageous, but
you should really not waste them. See, there are a few places where
you NEED weapons (especially bosses)so don't waste them. Also,
pressing start to switch weapons is just annoying.
TIP 5, JUMP, PUNCH, LAND COMBO: There are many places with enemies on
small ledges that you must land on. You might think that it is a good
idea to use a weapon to kill the enemy and proceed with jumping. That
is an OK idea sometimes, but there are many situations (see level 5)
where you can't kill an enemy before coming to the ledge. So what do
you do? Simple. OK, not simple. Anyway, you jump toward the ledge in
question, aiming your jump so that you land close to the edge. As you
land, frantically punch. The combination of the frantic punching and
flashing enemy should make your landing soft and comfortable.
TIP 6, ITEM FARMS: There are enemies in this game that reside on the
cieling and drop walking mines. These may appear to be dangerous and
can be. In reality, these enemies are GREAT. The mines they drop can
be frantically punched and give you all kinds of goodies (well, only
three different things...more on that later)
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ENEMIES
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Running grunts: The run at you, sometimes commiting suicide by falling
into gears, spikes, etc.
Spike cars: They look like little remote control cars with moving
spikes. They speed up when you are at their precise altitude.
Fire guys: They crouch and shoot flames at you in a predictable
manner.
Shooting guys: Shoot. Pause. Repeat. That's about all they do.
Bullets can be jumped over OR ducked uner.
Mines: They move towards you and explode when under/on you.
Flying jetpack guys: There are only two of these guys, found in 1-2.
It's all about using the triple shot and ducking to kill them.
The Ninja: There is only one of them, found in level 1-2. He may or
may not actually attack you, we don't know because we have always gone
up to him and punched him, ADD style, until he was dead. If left to
his own devices, he may try to do crazy things like jump and swing a
sword at you. Just kill him quickly.
Claw Guys: They walk really slowly, sort of resemble the Predator, and
swing a claw at you. Just punch them as fast as you can. Not to be
confused with Super Claw Guys, found in level 4-3.
Claw/Arm Machine: These little machines extend their claw/arms in a
predictable pattern. 1:2:1:2...
Item Farms: Explained in Basic Strategies section.
Crazy Jumping Guys: First found in level 3-1. EXTREMELY difficult to
kill, they jump around and pummle you. There is a trick to killing
them. If you inch forward so that they barely appear on the screen,
you can attck them before they can move. Cheap, but you have to do
this.
Huge Tanks of Doom: These big metallic monstrosities shoot at you and
move back and forth. See the walkthrough section for specific tips on
how to kill them.
Sideways Moving, Rail Riding, Wheelie Things of Pain: Don't ask me,
you find them in 4-3. Just read the walkthrough with the specifics on
these things.
Super Claw Guys: Not to be confused with claw guys. Very similar to
their namesakes, but take approximately 14 hours to kill. Found at the
end of 4-3.
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WALKTHROUGH
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LEVEL 1
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-Level 1-1
Pretty straightforward. Just punch the running grunts and the little
spike cars. The fire guys shoot in a predictable pattern. Run in and
punch them after they shoot. The moving mines are easy, just get them
to come at you and jump straight up when they get close.
-Level 1-2
When you arrive at the part with the vertical tunnel and the fire guys,
wall jump up the hole (the fire guys are just annoying). At the top,
duck next to one of the pillars and use the triple shot to kill the
flying guys. Fall down the hole and run up to the ninja and punch him
to death before he moves.
-Level 1 boss
Stand at the first line on the left and equip the batarang. Wait, move
slightly to avoid his shots, and use the batarang when he swoops down.
Don't move too far from your original position. It is a safe spot.
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LEVEL 2
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-Level 2-1
The claw guys are easy and slow, just punch them like the running guys.
Watch out for falling acid. It hurts you and slows you down a little
bit. At the second pool of acid, you can skip some of the level.
Stand on the first platform and wall jump off of a platform to the
right. Now there is a tricky claw guy on a small platform...use the
batarang on him. More fire guys...easy.
Soon, you get an acid pit with two platforms on the left and a long
jump over acid. You can actually jump over this acid. Fall off the
side of the top platform and wall jump off of the right side of the
platforms. Kill the next fire guy with a batarang. Watch out for the
mine that is right before the exit.
-Level 2-2
After running all the way to the right, move up to the next level. You
can wall jump up through the first opening to skip some of the level.
The next platform to the right has a moving mine on it. Wall jump off
of the platform to get the mine moving, wall jump back on to the
platform; this should keep you from hitting the mine.
Use the batarang on the claw machine, then jump onto the platform with
the spike car and punch it.
The next section is a series of platforms up a vertical shaft. Wall
jump up the left side to start. Don't touch any of the electricity and
be careful punching the claw guys.
At the top of the shaft, there is a tricky jump to get over some
electricity. Fall off the platform and wall jump off the bottom of the
platform. Jump lightly or you will hit the electricity above you.
There is a similar jump next, but you can catch the platform low and do
a full jump.
Finally, there is a third jump like the previous two. Treat this jump
the same as the last one, but wait for the running guy to fall into the
electricity before going on, or you will get hit.
-Level 2-3
Go down the vertical shaft. Here, you will see the first of what we
affectionately call item farms. It looks like a machine that drops
explosive mines, but don't worry. The mines come down in groups of
three. Punch them and grab your bountiful booty. Watch out for the
moving mines here. Also, the gun guys can be tricky if you are an
idiot. Duck under their bullets and punch them.
When you fall onto the conveyor belt, immediately run to the right.
You can't go through the gears if you were thinking that. You will
die. Trust us, just go to the right.
You meet up with the notorious gray fire guy next. He is just like the
rest, only gray. beware of his fire of doom.
Another item farm followed by a gray fire guy. Make sure you time the
jump with the fire guy well, or you will be in some trouble. Jump high
and angle yourself so that you can fall between the gears. Next, you
come to a fork in the road. Take the low road. It's easier and brings
you to a favorable side of an item farm where you can restock yourself.
In fact, make sure you are full on EVERYTHING here...you need a LOT of
stuff for the boss. (Sidenote: Did we mention those gears hurt you?)
After the item farm, walk off to the left. Keep walking until you fall
off and angle yourself so that you fall without hitting gears.
Next, another tricky jump. There are two conveyor belts over a row of
gears. Fall off of the right side of the first conveyor belt and wall
jump off of the right side, over to the second conveyor belt. Hey,
it's a tough jump. Don't ask us how you can wall jump off a moving
conveyor belt, just do it.
-Level 2 boss
Jump and duck to dodge the bullets on the bottom. Duck and shoot your
rocket gun to take out both cannons at the same time. Next, do a
tricky wall jump to get onto the small ledge next to the force field.
Use your rocket gun to shoot through the falling beams into the blue
eye thing on the left. Finally, watch out for the blue eye thing on
the right and drop down to the conveyor belt. Immediately after it
shoots, wall jump up to it and punch it, then drop back down to the
conveyor belt as FAST AS YOU CAN because you will get shot. After you
punch that blue eye to death, you are done.
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LEVEL 3
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-Level 3-1
For this whole level, inch slowly over until you see these crazy
jumping guys, they won't attack you if they aren't fully on the screen.
Shoot them with your triple shot. After you kill the second jumping
guy, jump into the middle of the mines, then jump up to dodge them.
The fans will hurt you. Don't touch them. Time your jump to land on
the ledge with the fire guy and punch him to death. Then use the
batarang on the next guy. To get across the fans in the water, jump
off other right side of the pipe onto the little block. Make sure
you're still inching forward looking for the jumping guys. At the
final item farm, fall to and jump off the right side to land on the
little ledge. Then, just try to get out of the level before you take
too much damage.
-Level 3-2
Fall to the left at the first hole. Fall to the right on the second
drop. Then fall off the ledge but jump when you land in order to dodge
the mine. Hold right on the next drop. Watch out though, you actually
have to fight it out with one of the jumping things. Make sure you're
still inching forward. At the next screen up, there is an item farm
all the way to the left. Wall jump up the top of the right side.
-Level 3-3
Drop down next to the ledge with the two mines, then jump back up to
avoid them. For the next part, just run ADD style until you get inside
the tank, then just punch it 'til it's dead. You should only lose one
or two bars of energy. Don't try to fight it with weapons or
something, because it WILL shoot you in the face. Then, on the next
level of ledges, inch forward until you see the tank. Then go back to
the right a little. You may have to experiment with the distances a
little, but you should be able to get it to magically disappear. But
if for some reason this doesn't work, we recomend running ADD style up
to the tank, getting inside of it and punching 'til it dies. Use the
batarang to kill the fire guy and spike car on the ledge to the left.
Continue up. Kill the fire guy on the ledge with your gun. Then shoot
the mine after it with the gun. Fill up your weapons and/or health as
necessary at the item farm. Wall jump up the right side. When you get
to the fire guy, stand on the ledge below him and wall jump off the
left wall and land on his ledge, then of course punch the hell out of
him. As with anything that moves in this game, the fans in the wall
WILL hurt you and you WILL fall down. Use the doubling back technique
to get it to disappear. Or resort to the ADD punching.
-Level 3 Boss
This boss can be tricky if you don't know what you're doing or if you
try to use weapons. Immediately wall jump up to the left platform.
When he jumps at you, jump to the left wall and wall jump back onto the
platform. DO NOT under any circumstances leave the platform, other
than to wall jump. If he lands under you and is facing the wall he
will jump up after shooting. This is your chance, you can stand in the
middle of the ledge and punch him once or twice while he is in the air.
Then, when he faces to the right, he will jump to the right. You must
jump to the wall to avoid him hitting you. Then, he will be on the
other side. Wait for him to face you. He will shoot, then jump at you
again. Dodge him with the wall jump and continue punching him. Don't
use weapons, you'll probably just die.
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LEVEL 4
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-Level 4-1
Yay, more crazy jumping guys. Because of this, proceed with caution so
you can catch them with the triple shot. When you come to the first
item farm after a mine, you may have to dodge the item farm bombs while
killing the first jumping guy with your triple shot. Use the item farm
to refill yourself then proceed.
You immediately come to another item farm. Don't try to use it, just
jump down into the little pit with the spike cars before you get
killed. Kill the spike cars, then think about using the item farm if
you have fast thumbs. Move to the right, kile green fire guys and move
past item farm three. More running guys, some spiked cars. When you
get to the next fire guy, inch slowly ahead and kill the jumping guy.
Make sure you inch forward because there is another one before you
leave the board.
-Level 4-2
There are some really tough jumps here. Basically, PERFECT the
technique of wall jumping and punching in the air while you land next
to an enemy. If you are quick, you can kill the enemy as you land. Do
some falling wall jumps to get over the moving gears...remember, just
fall off of the right side of the ledge and wall jump as you are
falling. It can be done easily with some practice. There are fire
guys all over the place, just punch right as you are landing to kill
them. THE MOVING GEARS HURT YOU.
After a bunch of flame guys and moving gears, you come to an item farm
dropping its bombs onto a platform of moving gears. This is one of the
few instances of an item farm that DOES NOT help you. Just jump by it.
Take the hit if you have to and can afford it. If you catch the bottom
of the ledge to the left and use the right amount of power as you wall
jump, you can actually get by without getting hit.
-Level 4-3
This level is cute, because you flagrantly see the exit as you
start...but no, you will not be exiting any time soon. When you fall
through the first hole, you come to a ledge with some crazy thing
flying back and forth. Stand you ground and punch frantically.
Somehow, you won't get hit. Continue on down and try not to get hit by
the electric beams. Don't worry about timing, the beams are random as
far as we can tell. Just take the hit and use the item farm to fill
up. Personally, I just move as fast as I can through this section, all
the way to the bottom. You will only get hit twice, and you can use
the item farm to refill yourself at the bottom. Fun stuff.
After the second item farm, jump onto the first ledge and jump straight
up to avoid the mine. The fire is MOVING, so it will hurt you. Don't
fall in the fire, m'kay? Use weapons as needed to kill enemies on the
small platforms.
Next, you get to some really small conveyor belt ledges and a bunch of
large platforms that shoot electric beams. Carefully wall jump up the
left side and get on top of the platform on the far left to start.
While squatting on the second platform, use your triple shot to kill
the spike car up ahead. Fall straight off the second platform, land on
the small conveyor belt ledge, jump over to the second conveyor belt
and wall jump on top of the next large platform (NOTE: these jumps
must be done quickly, so that you do not fall off of the conveyor
belts). You can go over the fifth platform. Repeat the quick jumping
procedure to get on to solid ground.
As you move up the steps, there are fire guys, spike cars, and the big
annoying tanks. Duck on the second step and use triple shot to kill
the tanks as needed. At the very top, there is an item farm off to the
left. Get on the platform with the item farm and inch over to the
left. As soon as you see the claw guy, start shooting your rocket gun.
he takes a lot of hits. Use your batarang on the second claw guy and
take advantage of the final item farm to totally fill up before the
boss.
-Level 4 Boss
Run, jump up the middle, and stand on the middle platform. Duck and
punch as the blocks move up...the blocks will pass harmlessly through
you as long as you are punching them. When you get a chance, jump back
down to the floor as they move to the side to avoid their shots, then
as they come towards you, get back up onto the middle platform and
commence with ducking and punching. Repeat this procedure until one of
them dies. The other one goes spastic, but this is where it gets easy.
Fall down, run all the way to the left and stand on the tiny ledge.
You are invincible on the little ledge. Drop down and shoot the block
when it is away from you, then retreat back onto the safe spot on the
ledge. Repeat until it is dead.
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LEVEL 5
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-Level 5-1
As previously stated, anything moving kills you...the gears WILL hurt
you. Avoid them.
This board is really hard. Time your wall jumps beautifully to get by
the gears. Always remember to punch as you land to kill the flame
guys. Don't be afraid to use your batarang to kill out of reach flame
guys.
You get a a part where you have to wall jump up a small shaft and kill
two flame guys that are standing on their own small platforms. Wall
jump and punch to kill the first flame guy, then use your batarang on
the second one. Drop off and wall jump off the ledge you were standing
on to make it to the ledge with the first item farm. Restock yourself.
After the item farm, you have to make some crazy wall jumps up another
shaft. Start off on the right side, as the left side is filled with
gears. You have to time your wall jumps to make it past the claw/arm
machines. The claw/arm machines move in a predictable pattern. Their
arm shoots out once, there is pause, shoots out twice, another
pause...then back to once, twice, etc. When you get to a part where
there are gears hanging above you and gears below you, just drop down
into the gears, take the hit, then jump out. You can actually fall off
of the ledge you are standing on and wall jump to the left to avoid the
spikes, but it is nearly impossible to do. Just take the hit, trust
us. You can actually make some of these hard jumps depening on where
the lower gears are situated. Just use your judgement. Repeat this
process all the way to the top, until you get to the spike car. Kill
the spike car. As you are standing on the ledge where the spike car
was, you can do one of two thing. Your first option is to simply drop
down into the gears, take the hit, and wall jump up onto the high
platform on the left. Your other, more impossible option, is to try to
be a ninja and jump directly onto the high platform on the left from
where you are standing. That is ideal, but nine times out of ten, you
will not make it and be hit mulitple times. Finally, there is a item
farm at the top. It is hard to get to, but you need to refill
COMPLETELY before the boss.
-Level 5 Boss
As you enter the final room, switch to the batarang. Stay in the far
left corner. Attack vigorously to get him to jump away from you. Then
he will throw a fireball at you. Jump over it. Then he will jump back
to the far right of the screen to throw another fireball. Jump over
it. Then he will jump within batarang range. As you land from your
jump, throw a batarang in his face. You should hit him multiple times.
Then he will jump back to the far right and throw another fireball.
Dodge it and attack him. If you mess up, he may do the jump to the
middle of the screen. But don't worry, you can still jump over the
fireball if you time it right. Sometimes he gets really mad and gets
in your face and pummels you, just keep throwing batarangs to get him
into the jumping rythm again. Keep this up 'til he dies.
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JOKER
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Wow. Get ready to get killed. As soon as the battle starts, run at
him and jump if he shoots his gun. Also remember to switch to the
batarang. Stand so that the end of the gun is right at your chest and
unload on him with batarangs. If he shoots, it will go through you as
long as you're close enough. However, if you get to close, he will hit
you with his lightning attack. Mimic his every move to make sure that
you stay right at the end of his gun. If you are hitting him enough,
he'll run right through you without hitting you when he switches sides.
Make sure you get over there and stay at the end of his gun. Stay at
the end of his gun at all times and unload your batarangs and hopefully
you'll stay alive long enough to kill him. If you die, don't worry,
continue (you can continue as much as you want), beat level 5-1 again,
and this time you won't have to fight that stupid pre-boss again. So
keep playing 5-1 and the Joker over and over until you get good enough
to kill him, or just get lucky.
But wait, it's all about making sure that you use up the rest of your
weaponry on the Joker's dead body before you get too close to him and
beat the game and it cuts into the little movie thing! Funny stuff.
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FINAL COMMENTS
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Batman: The Video Game is not easy, so don't feel bad if you have a lot
of trouble with it. It took us nearly an entire day to beat it, but
after years of throwing it down in disgust.
Grant initially thought that beating Batman: The Video Game was
something of a fantasy. One day, while sitting in his room with him
and his roommate Kerry (see FAQ) I decided to beat Batman: The Video
Game. The date was January 22, 2000...nearly 11 years after the release
date. Of course, it did not take 10 years of playing the game to beat
it. It took us 10 years to gain the patience and will power to sit
through the game and uncover its itricacies.
When all was said and done, we beat the game twice that day. It was an
incredible rush. Now we can beat the game in well under 30 minutes.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS by Kerry Hood and Dave Mellert
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First, a few questions on the more trivial aspects of the game...
Q: Why is Batman purple? He was blue in the old TV show and comic book,
black and gray in the cartoon, and black as night in the motion picture
(aside of the hideous Schumacher films). I don't understand and it's
destroying my unsmirched image of the Caped Crusader.
A: Granted the NES had a wonderously extensive color palatte, rivalling
that of the Playstation AND the N64, (actually it barely surpasses the
gameboy color) a black Batman would blend too much into the background
and thus confuse the mind of the game player.
Q: I always seem to accumulate these small purple boxes with a "B" in
them. What do these wondrous pick-ups give you?
A: These purple boxes have been thought of as Batman Bonuses, giving
you more points to your score. What that actually does, no one could
tell you. You might get more points but that doesn't matter at all
because I don't think you get any free "Batmen" (or is it Batmans?). I
personally think the programmers put these things in there to piss you
off when you are trying to accumulate hearts, weapon power-ups, or a
combination of the two. If this answer does not satiate your desire for
the use of the "B's", you can write a letter to the Sunsoft Corporation
and maybe somebody is still alive to tell you what the hell they are
there for.
Q: What's the deal with the code on Gamesages website that gives you
infinite continues? Does that really work???
A: I don't know if it really works or not. The reason I don't know is
because I've never had to use it due to the fact that the game gives
you infinite continues anyways. If for some reason you do not have
infinite continues, you have a corrupt copy of the Batman game and you
should purchase a new one. Or you could write a heated letter to the
Sunsoft Corporation.
Q: Batman's run seems very slow. Is there any way to speed him up or is
he weighed down by that heavy, heavy suit?
A: Do not be confused game player!!! Batman is not running. He has a
very triumphant march to him. He does this to intimidate the enemies.
Since Batman is not stealthy in the game like he is in the comic book
and cartoon, the programmers decided to make him intimidating in
another form. That form: the triumphant march. You should be so jealous
that you cannot carry yourself in a similar manner.
Q: I'm confused by the irregularity of the Joker's appearance. At times
he appears to have a greenish hue to his skin. I don't remember this
from the movie at all. What's going on here?
A: Yes, well it appears that you have run into another limitation of
the NES color pallette. The Joker does in fact have a green tint to his
skin and at times you can be confused by the contours of the Joker's
face. I think that the programmers got carried away and thought they
could replicate the Joker's obscene gestures and facial contortions.
Apparently they were wrong. The green hue is a direct result of the bad
color programming. And yes in the segue following the end of the third
board, it appears the Joker has (gasp!) purple hair!!! If you were
smart and watched the movie you would know that the purple is the beret
he wears to the art museum. Rent it!!! (Do I look like I'm joking?) As
to the succeeding stage not resembling an art museum at all and
appearing to be a power plant or communications outpost, I suggest
writing a highly-placed letter to the Sunsoft Corporation.
Q: Where can I get coins in Batman? I've looked everywhere and I can't
seem to find them. I'm trying to get more free Batmans (or is it
Batmen)?
A: Are you on crack?!? There aren't any damn coins in Batman. This is
Batman not Mario. If you want coins, Batman the video game is not for
you.
Q: I found a free Batman in level 1-2. Are there any more in the game?
A: No you didn't. What you found was a way to piss me off by making
outlandish claims about a game we feel strongly about. I hereby banish
you from this site for all eternity.
Now, for the more serious side of the game...
Q: What sort of weapons can I use as the Caped Crusader?
A: There are three weapons you can use, the batarang, rocket gun, and
triple shot. These are great, but your most valuable weapons are your
fists. Use them wisely.
Q: Are there any secret areas in Batman: The Video Game?
A: None that we are aware of.
Q: I can't defeat (insert name of boss here). Are there any tricks?
A: We did our best at outlining ways of defeating the bosses in the
section titled WALKTHROUGH. If you are still having problems, remember
the following: all of the bosses have fairly predictable patterns.
Learn the patterns, and with a little practice, you should see that
every boss, including the joker, can be beat.
Q: Can you get to the top of the Bell Tower without getting hit?
A: The Bell Tower section of the game is perhaps the hardest section.
It involves tricky wall jumps, painful gears, and fire guys. For the
most part, you can avoid the gears, but there are a few spots where you
need to do something incredible: you have to wall jump off an
incredibly small wall, staying low enough to avoid hitting the gears on
top. Very hard. We recommend simply trying to have full energy going
into this section and taking hits in spots that are too hard to pass by
wall jumping. After all, there is an item farm right before the boss.
Q: Do I have to kill the boss before the Joker more than once?
A: No. Even if you die at the Joker and have to restart at 5-1, you
will be able to skip the level 5 boss and go straight to the Joker
after climbing the Bell Tower.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
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This document copyright 2000 David Mellert, Kerrick Hood, and Grant
Ogbu
Please do not reproduce this document unless it is reproduced in it's
enitirety. If you wish to publish excerpts of this document in any way
please contact the authors first.
CONTACT US AT: partying@umich.edu
