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BATMAN RETURNS FOR THE NES FAQ
Copyright 2003 Michael Tyler
Created by: Reptile
E-mail:
[email protected]
Created on: 7/4/02
Version: 3.41
===================================================================
|--- TABLE OF CONTENTS --- |
===================================================================
I..................................................The Story So Far
II.........................................Introduction to the Game
III....................................................The Pick-ups
IV.....................................................The Controls
V........................................................Enemy List
VI..................................................The Walkthrough
VII...................................................Password List
VIII.................................................Special Thanks
IX.......................................................In Closing
X.......................................................FAQ History
XI............................................Copyright Information
=======================================================================
|-I.---------------------- THE STORY SO FAR --------------------------|
=======================================================================
The city of Gotham prepares for the holiday season, as they always
have, with the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The newly declared
"ice princess" prepares to flip the switch just as soon as the mayor
finishes his speech. The mayor hopes this event will uplift the
spirits of Gotham City, which has been plagued with recent inner city
crime. This year, the mayor has invited Max Shreck, a prominent
businessman, to say a few quick words. Just as he prepares to speak, a
commotion erupts behind the crowd. A huge gift-box mysteriously rolls
into the plaza. It sits quietly for just a second, then, an explosion
of masked people erupts from the box. It is the Red Triangle Circus
Gang, terrorizing the citizens with machine guns, explosives, flame
throwers, and all-out-madness. The police know of only one man that
can help them... BATMAN.
=======================================================================
|-II.------------------ INTRODUCTION TO THE GAME ---------------------|
=======================================================================
You play this side-scroller as Batman, the hero of Gotham City. You
run through, and over, Gotham City trying to reach Catwoman and the
Penguin. On your way, many different very, very angry circus
performers will try to stand in your way.
The game consists of 6 stages. Each stage is split into two or three
areas. The last area of each stage is where you must fight a mini-boss
to move on to the next stage.
You have a health meter at the bottom of the screen (the one marked HP)
that tells you how much health Batman has left. It holds 32 bars.
Each time you get hurt, you will lose some of those bars. When those
are gone, you are dead. You can pick up extra-life boxes throughout
the game. Those boxes hold an extra 32 bars of life for you.
Underneath your life bar is the life bar of your enemy. Hitting or
kicking them will take their bars of life away. Once all of their bars
are gone the enemy is defeated.
Some mini-boss's life meters will have yellow bars and not lose any
bars when they are hit. If you hit them enough, the meter will change
to green bars and you will be able to see the damage you are
inflicting.
Throughout the game, you will receive points for inflicting damage on
enemies and collecting power-ups. For every 10,000 points you earn,
your life bar will be completely restored
Every time you run out of life, you will go to a screen that shows you
your password and gives you the option to continue. You have an
unlimited amount of continues, but each time you choose to continue
they clear away the points you have earned so far. When you first turn
the game on, you are asked to "start" or "password". If you go into
"password" you can use passwords you have earned earlier to start where
you left off last. You cannot return straight to a boss. The game
will start you in the area directly before the boss.
=======================================================================
|-III.----------------------- THE PICK-UPS ---------------------------|
=======================================================================
=-Small Heart-=
Gives you 8 life bars when you pick it up.
=-Large Heart-=
Gives you 16 life bars when you pick it up.
=-Life box-=
Gives you an extra life, is used automatically when your
life bars are all gone
=-Batarang-=
Gives you 4 batarangs. You can hold a maximum of nine.
=-Test tube-=
It will take half of Catwoman's life away. It is used
automatically when you reach her.
=-Batdisc-=
Gives you 3 discs. (In Batmobile area only)
=-Coin-=
Gives you bonus points. (In Batskiboat area only)
=======================================================================
|-IV.------------------------ THE CONTROLS ---------------------------|
=======================================================================
Here are the basic controls for the game.
"A" button makes Batman jump. Also makes Batmobile fire discs.
"B" button punches. Also makes Batmobile fire machine guns.
Down + "A" button does a sliding kick
Down + "B" button does a guard.
"A" + "B" button does a cape slash
Pressing "B" while in mid-jump will do a flying kick.
The most useful of Batman's moves is probably his flying kick. It
keeps you moving, so you are less likely to be attacked. The guard
move is very useless. It only blocks attacks from the direction you
are blocking. Even when you do block, you will still take damage, just
not as much. When fighting the most difficult enemies, the cape slash
is the most powerful weapon Batman has. But, he will lose one life bar
each time he cape slashes.
=======================================================================
|-V.----------------------- THE ENEMY LIST ---------------------------|
=======================================================================
Almost every enemy comes in two varieties, red\orange and green\blue.
The green\blue version of each enemy is always stronger, faster, and
more aggressive.
=-Clown-=
Just the basic foot solider, he is the weakest of enemies. About 7
punches will take him out. These guys usually appear three on a screen
at once, so they can corner you and attack at once. The green variety
can do flying kicks, while the red ones can only walk up to you and
punch.
=-Clown Gunmen-=
Just like the normal clowns, except these clowns have weak pistols.
They don't appear in the game much. They only fire after running to
one side of the screen. So you should try to kill them before they get
there. The maximum number that can be on screen at once is two. They
do not come in a green\blue variety.
=-Stiltsman-=
These guys also only come in a red version. They are just really tall
clowns, with only average strength. They can charge at you
unexpectedly, and their kicks are sometimes difficult to avoid. Flying
or sliding kicks are you best weapon. You can do some damage
with your grappling hook too, but you have to be right under them hit
him. So you risk getting hurt.
=-Chubby and Tubby-=
Two big fat clowns that always appear together. They are one of the
most difficult enemies to beat. You can't hurt them when they are
rolling at you, and they will try and keep you between them. As usual
flying kicks are your best attack here.
=-Sword-Swallowers-=
Just another variation on the basic clown, these guys have little
knives that they jump at you and slash with them. They can move
suddenly so watch them. These guys are pretty easy, so any kind of
attack can take them out.
=-Skull Riders-=
Guys with huge skull masks that can ride motorcycles. Sometimes they
will ride back and forth across the screen and sometimes they will ride
off the screen, then ride back on to the screen faster than usual to
try and run you down. Flying kicks are really the only way to hurt
them. Exactly three kicks will stop them. These guys have no
green\blue version.
=-Midget Clowns-=
Up to three can appear at once, these guys can jump a long distance to
attack you. They can gang up on you if you don't keep moving.
=-Bazooka Midgets-=
Although they look exactly like the midget clowns, they fight
completely differently. These guys will run to the side of the screen
and fire their bazookas in bursts that can take a significant amount of
life away. So just like the clown gunmen, try to finish them before
they reach the sides.
=-Fire-Breathers-=
These guys are very annoying and can really take you life away. Like
most enemies with shooting weapons, They fire from the sides of the
screen, but they can also hit you when you get too close to them.
These guys can do so much damage, I like to just cape them a couple of
times and move on. You'll lose some life but not as much as you might
lose by just punching and kicking.
=-Knife Ladies-=
Or "ladies of the knife" as I call them, these girls can be pretty
challenging opponents. They can throw knives at you and also do a
slide attack move that is very similar to yours. As you progress in
the game, they'll use their knives more and more. One of the best
moves against them is the slide attack. Flying kicks are useful too.
-=Tumblers-=
By far, the most annoying characters in this game. The will not stop
flipping for very long, so you have to attack when you get the chance.
The easiest way to take them out is to let them flip right next to you
and then just punch them out.
=======================================================================
|-VI.---------------------- THE WALKTHROUGH --------------------------|
=======================================================================
=-=-=-=Stage 1-1=-=-=-=
Obviously this being the first area in the game, it is the easiest.
Mostly just the basic clowns (read about them in the enemy list above.)
You will run into clown gunmen and stiltsman, who will always appear in
pairs in this area. You get the pick-ups in this area by kicking or
punching the big gift boxes. Both the first and the second gift boxes
contain one small heart each. You probably won't even need them. Make
sure you do not use any of your batarangs on the enemies, because you
will need them for the mini-boss. That rule applies to every stage in
the game.
Password: Y433 43 53B3 73
=-=-=-=Stage 1-2=-=-=-=
Here is your first mini-boss, the Tattooed Strongman. When I first got
the game, it took me some time to beat him because I was making it to
complicated. All you do is first, jump straight up to avoid his
rolling barrel, then immediately start throwing your five batarangs you
saved for him. He will still be walking towards you, when he gets
close just stand your ground and start punching. You will take some
damage, but he will always die before he finishes you. Trying to jump
around just results in weak hits on him, and strong hits on you. When
he is dead, you should get a life box, probably the only one you will
receive during the game.
=-=-=-=Stage 2-1=-=-=-=
Actually a very simple area, just be sure to get the power-ups from the
fire hydrants. The 1st one gives you 4 batarangs, and the 2nd and 3rd
one give you one small heart each. The most difficult enemy in this
area will be the fire-eaters, luckily they only appear one-at-a-time
for now. Just cape them and move on.
Password: D957 65 849B 55
=-=-=-=Stage 2-2=-=-=-=
You will find the power-ups here inside the eyes of the cat's heads
hanging from the ceiling. Access them by using your grappling hook.
The 1st eye almost always contains nothing, if there is anything in it,
it will be a small heart. The 2nd contains a small heart, and the 3rd
contains either a large heart, or the test tube. The test tube will
take down Catwoman's life by half as soon as you arrive to fight. (in
stage 2-3) Be careful of enemies appearing suddenly from the curtains
in the background. About where you reach the 3rd eye, two fire-eaters
will come to life from statues in the background. After you kill him,
you will move to a vertical shaft that you have to climb. Stand
directly under the pink area of the floor above you and press "B" and
UP, with the grappling hook selected, to shoot up. Not anything that
strains your mind. After you finish the shaft, you will find an area
where part of the floor is blue. You can't step on that area, and must
jump to the white squares to cross. As soon as you land on the second
square, one clown gunmen will appear on each side of you, just punch'em
a few times each and move on. Soon you'll find yourself avoiding bombs
being dropped from a toy helicopter. Just stand under them and fire
the grappling hook to blow them up with one shot. The second and third
helicopters are a little harder to hit. After that you will use the
same grappling hook technique as before in just one more vertical
shaft, shouldn't be a problem
Password: ZD7! 87 XX9X 28
=-=-=-=Stage 2-3=-=-=-=
The 2nd mini-boss, the Catwoman. As you always should, you should have
saved your batarangs for her, so use them. Make sure you don't throw
them too fast, or some might miss her. After you throw those, just
attack her like any normal enemy by using flying kicks and punches.
When she is close to being defeated, she will pull out the whip. It
sounds like fun, but it's really not. She whips it quickly and
unexpectedly, so flying kicks are pretty much your only option. When
you take away all of her life, she will just run away. Don't ask me
why Batman just lets her run right past her.
=-=-=-=Stage 3-1=-=-=-=
Introducing the "ladies of the knife". From now on, they will be one
of your most challenging enemies. As I said above, slide and flying
kicks are your best weapons against them. In this area, the power-ups
are in the chandeliers in special rooms. To get to these rooms, use
the grappling hook underneath any open windows, then use it again
underneath the chandeliers. Make sure you go into every window, because
if you don't the level will be extended. That is because you have to
exit this stage by going into one of the rooms. In the 1st "hidden
room" you will find a few enemies to kill and a large heart in the
chandelier. Just make sure you get the heart before you kill all the
clowns in the room, or the game will take you out before you get a
chance. After you kill the last one, you will see a little bit of the
story typed out on the bottom of the screen. In the 2nd "hidden room",
a couple of fire-eaters to beat, and a large heart in the light above.
In the 3rd room, there are a few clowns to fight and you catch a quick
glimpse of the Catwoman as she runs off with the ice princess, ending
this area.
Password: X95! 65 BB51 66
=-=-=-=Stage 3-2=-=-=-=
Okay in case you didn't notice why you were dying, you are standing on
a slanted roof. If you don't move up every so often, you'll fall off
and lose some life. This is a pretty short area, so there are no
power-ups to be found. The only challenging opponent here is the skull
rider, because you might focus on pulling off your flying kicks and not
getting hit, and then forget about not falling off the roof. Try to
hoard your life because you'll need it for the next area.
Password: 8117 61 77D3 23
=-=-=-=Stage 3-3=-=-=-=
Well this is something new, if you noticed in the title card for Stage
3-3, you will fight the Swordsman and the Tattooed Strongman. You
won't fight them at the same time on the screen, you will just fight
one after you defeat the other. On your first fight with the
Swordsman, you will probably either lose or not have enough life for
the Tattooed Strongman. It is not because the Swordsman is hard, it is
just that you have to get his rhythm down. Once you get his attacks
timed down, do a flying kick at him, then punch him a couple of times,
then jump back away. If you get this technique down, you can defeat
him with little or no life loss. Don't waste your batarangs on him
though. Now comes the big man, once again, the Tattooed Strongman.
This guy has more moves than the first Tattooed Strongman, so be
careful. He will throw a barrel at you again (I guess from his secret
barrel stash that all circus strongmen have) so just jump over that.
Then, use your batarangs. Now, you can't just stand and punch him like
the last guy, because he will pick you up and throw you. This guy
takes flying kicks and a little luck to defeat. There is now special
trick to beating him, just keep moving. If you're quick, you can get
in a couple of capes and then jump away. When you finish him, the
Penguin will waddle up and knock the Ice Princess off the roof with
some bats. And so ends Stage 3...
=-=-=-=Stage 4-1=-=-=-=
Now we come to what I think is the best area in the entire game, the
chase. This is the only time you will drive the Batmobile, so savor
the moment. It is pretty hard to die here, since this level was put in
basically just for fun. Don't worry about where you shoot, since
everything on the road is an enemy. The only special weapon at your
disposal is something called a batdisc. Your batdisc should be used to
destroy either helicopters or explosive balloons, since they cannot be
destroyed with your machine guns. When you shoot, or ram, a vehicle
make sure none of the occupants land on your car. If they do they will
suck energy from. If one does land one you, just run into stuff until
he falls off. The power-ups in this game are in the form of F's for
extra disc and hearts for extra life. Near the end you will catch up
to the train and you car will shrink a little bit. Now you will also
need to watch out for exploding balloons and huge fireballs. When the
big fireball on the back of the train begins to flash, move away from
it or you will get hurt. It is the second easiest level in the game.
Password: 1D7Z X7 Y!52 X9
=-=-=-=Stage 4-2=-=-=-=
In this area you will face mostly tumblers, plus some clowns and fire-
breathers. The power-ups in this area are stored in easy to see gift
boxes. There are two in this area, and they both contain large hearts.
Watch out for being ganged up on, especially by the tumblers, who may
appear three on screen at once. A lot of your life can be drained by
the fire-breathers, so just cape them to death as soon as they appear.
Not much else can be said...
Password: 2D7* X7 Y966 *9
=-=-=-=Stage 4-3=-=-=-=
Presenting, the Organ Grinder, this guy can be one of the most
difficult bosses in the game. He only has three attacks, a flying
charge at you, shooting little balls out of his organ, or just a basic
punch. The balls he shoots at you can be dodged easily after a little
practice, but his flying charge is difficult to move away from. So the
best thing to do is never stop moving. You can use a few cape slashes
to improve your odds, but not too many. You will need all the life you
can get. If you start stage 4-2 off of a continue, you should hit you
10,000 points mark about halfway through the fight. The little boost
of health you'll get will be a big help.
=-=-=-=Stage 5-1=-=-=-=
Once again, your most challenging opponents will be the knife ladies.
For some reason they can be more aggressive fighters here than in any
other stage. They will also be more likely to use their knives. There
are two places to get power-ups here. The first is a garbage can you
will find on the sidewalk. It contains 4 batarangs. The next location
is under the table that you find when you first walk into the building.
This table contains a large heart. Be on the lookout for enemies
suddenly jumping through the windows to get at you. They will mostly
be knife ladies and tumblers.
Password: *95* !5 X34D 28
=-=-=-=Stage 5-2=-=-=-=
Now you come to the mini-boss for stage 5, the Penguin's Ducky.
Probably now more than any other stage, you really need to save all of
your nine batarangs for this mini-boss. After you use all of those,
all you can use to hurt him now are flying kicks. At first, attack the
stick that attaches the duck to the wheel base. When the duck is
siting right on the base, start kicking it in the face. Make sure not
to get stuck behind it. That's the worst place you can be, because it
will hurt you every time it rolls back. When it stops rolling back and
forth, its only attack is to shoot green balls out of the duck's eyes.
=-=-=-=Stage 6-1=-=-=-=
This is the easiest stage in the game, as it was just made to break up
the monotony a little. You are just supposed to pick up as many coins
and hearts as possible. The coins give you points and the hearts give
you life. There's not any kind of strategy that you need here, just
pick up the pick-ups.
=-=-=-=Stage 6-2=-=-=-=
In here, you will run into almost every enemy you have seen before,
some appearing three on screen at once. This time, the power-ups are
inside the seals. You don't get them like other power-ups, you have to
defeat all of the enemies on that screen for the seal to let it drop.
The 1st seal contains a large heart, the 2nd seal contains a large
heart, and the 3rd seal usually contains a large heart. I say usually
because, if you die and continue enough times in stage 6-2, the game
will take pity on you and give you another lifebox. Not much else to
say except read the enemy list for extra help.
Password: 2D75 XZ Y868 *B
=-=-=-=Stage 6-3=-=-=-=
Finally, we meet the final-boss, the Penguin. As you always should,
hold the batarangs for this guy. Just make sure when you throw them
that he is not blocking with his umbrella. He will fire his machine
gun every now and then, which can do considerable damage. The best
thing to do is a flying kick at him, that way you will jump over the
bullets and hurt him too. His most common attack is to fly around
above you and drop bombs three at a time. When he does that wait until
between bomb attacks, hit him with your grappling hook, then slide kick
away before you get hit by his bombs. You should avoid using cape
slashes because he will block most of them anyway. Once you get his
rhythm down, all you'll need is a little luck and a lot of life.
(If you can win the game without using any continues, which is next to
impossible, you will see an extended ending. I've seen it and it is
nothing special, but still just something extra.)
=======================================================================
|-VII.-------------------- THE PASSWORD LIST -------------------------|
=======================================================================
Here are the passwords to all of the stages, excluding boss stages.
You may find passwords online that take you straight to the mini-
bosses, but those passwords also make you invincible for the rest of
the game. (If you consider that a bad thing...)
Stage 1-1: Y433 43 53B3 73
Stage 2-1: D957 65 849B 55
Stage 2-2: ZD7! 87 XX9X 28
Stage 3-1: X95! 65 BB51 66
Stage 3-2: 8117 61 77D3 23
Stage 4-1: 1D7Z X7 Y!52 X9
Stage 4-2: 2D7* X7 Y966 *9
Stage 5-1: *95* !5 X34D 28
Stage 6-1: (coming as soon as I figure out how to die in here)
Stage 6-2: 2D75 XZ Y868 *B
=======================================================================
|-VIII.--------------------- SPECIAL THANKS --------------------------|
=======================================================================
Thank you Batman Returns instruction manual for help on the item list
and story.
Thank you IGN for hosting this on your site, www.IGN.com
Thank you CjayC for hosting this, and all of my other FAQs, guides, and
codes on your site www.GameFAQs.com
Thank YOU for reading this guide, I hoped it helped you out.
=======================================================================
|-IX.------------------------ IN CLOSING -----------------------------|
=======================================================================
My e-mail address is at the top of this document, please tell me if you
see this FAQ anywhere else except on either www.GameFAQs.com or
www.IGN.com
Also, please tell me if any information in this FAQ is incorrect or if
you have any information about this game that I don't cover in this
FAQ. If I use your information, you will be given credit in the
"Special Thanks" section.
=======================================================================
|-X.------------------------- FAQ HISTORY ----------------------------|
=======================================================================
July 15, 2002- I fixed the formatting problems that made it difficult
to read. I also added the update history to keep track of what has
been changed and when. I call this fixed FAQ version 2.0
August 15, 2002- I added the passwords to the end of each stage
walkthrough as well as listing them all in a list near the end. I also
added a nice little drawing at the top. This is now version 3.0
September 02, 2002- I changed my e-mail address. Nothing major, so this
is just version 3.1
December 6, 2002- I changed the format a little bit, hopefully it is
now a little easier to read. I call this FAQ version 3.2
December 17, 2002- Just made another little format change. I call this
FAQ version 3.3
December 20, 2002- One more small format change. I call this FAQ
version 3.4
December 21, 2002- I'm still working on the format. I changed the stage
headings a little bit and I added some more spaces. Hopefully these
changes should make the guide easier to read. I call this FAQ version
3.41
December 29, 2002- Sorry, just another format change. I have been doing
so many of these, I'm not even going to change the version number. This
is still FAQ version 3.41
January 20, 2003- With advice from "phoenix 1911", I changed the format
again. This is still FAQ version 3.41
May 6, 2003- I cleaned this guide up a little, as well as adding my
writing signature to the bottom. I'm still gonna call this one FAQ
version 3.41
June 12, 2003- The website www.IGN.com can now host this guide.
=======================================================================
|-XI.------------------- COPYRIGHT INFORMATION -----------------------|
=======================================================================
Since I, Michael Tyler (Reptile) wrote this document, it is protected
by copyright law. I do not allow anyone else to distribute this for
any reason. As of now, I allow only www.GameFAQs.com and www.IGN.com to
publicly display this document on their websites. If you want to put
this on your site, you must ask me first. There will be a penalty if I
find someone using this document without my written permission. This
document was written for personal\private use only.
Copyright 2003 Michael Tyler
-----From The Twisted Mind Of-----
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\/ \/|__| \/
