Holy good game, Batman!

Here's my review from last Friday's Irish Times...

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Anyone who thinks that Batman has been taking himself too seriously lately will be happy to play Batman: The Brave and the Bold. This is the groovy Batman of Adam West’s era, the Batman who wears light-blue tights and says lines like “Catwoman’s got the upper claw!”

With colourful graphics and a snazzy score (all surf guitars and brazen brass), this is an enjoyable, humorous, though conventional side-scrolling action game. As Batman, you jump, grapple and punch your way out of various scrapes and altercations with numerous villains (familiar and obscure). But you also play as different DC characters, alternating between Batman and whichever colleague he has on a mission. Each superhero is more old-school than the last: Plastic Man is like Mr Fantastic from Fantastic 4 – all shape-changing and elastic limbs; Aquaman (sporting a new, flattering beard!) is amphibious and can summon fish to help him (natch); Red Tornado is a robot who can levitate; Blue Beetle can fly, and so on.


While not as famous as Marvel Comics, DC has a huge stable of superheroes and villains, many of whom are bizarre and dated, such as Clock King and Gentleman Ghost. The developers use this to their advantage, and have embraced the kitsch, eccentric Batman of the 1960s with wit and imagination. Consequently, the storylines are rather absurd (in one adventure Batman is turned into an ape!) and superpowers are extraordinary.

Graphically it resembles the old Batman comics (no Frank Miller gothic visuals here) crossed with the recent cartoon incarnation – a perfect fit for the relatively limited Nintendo consoles and a sharp contrast to the recent Arkham Asylum.

As for the gameplay, it could be more taxing, but it’s undeniably fun. Side-scrolling platform and combat make up most of it, but there is some variety, including a lively flying sequence and also a handful of basic puzzles.

I only wish the difficulty level was more variable, because it’s really not challenging and it’s a little short. Still, this should prove entertaining for any gamers, but especially to young and new Bat-fans. If you only play one game this year in which a superhero is transformed into a big ape and then punches a shark in the face, make it this one.