Batman Returns on the Atari Lynx was first published by Atari Corporation in 1992. It’s a scrolling action game that sadly lacks fun and playability.

The Penguin and Catwoman are terrorizing Gotham City so Bruce Wayne jumps into action as Batman to find and defeat them.

Batman can punch (by default), duck, and jump. He can also use two different weapons – batarangs and acid vials – to fight off the waves of attackers. These two weapons are limited use and must first be collected before they become available. You acquire ammunition to use them by collecting Batman logo power-ups. Pressing ‘Option 1’ cycles through available weapons and shows which is currently selected in the top left-hand corner of the screen.

Batman‘s health is shown as a bar at the bottom of the screen, but – rather inexplicably – you only get one life, and this is a major problem because damage comes thick and fast. The only way to survive this onslaught is to continually collect health pick-ups and jump your way through the levels, or cheat, but this just results in unsatisfying gameplay.

Batman Returns has four stages, each with a boss battle at the end, and every stage is a frustrating slog through constant knock-downs. On stage one enemies throw dynamite and bombs at you, which are almost impossible to avoid; and there are motorbike riders too, which also knock you over. On stage two you can easily be pinned down by policemen firing shotguns at you from both sides of the screen and are constantly knocked down. On the third and fourth levels it’s rocket-firing Penguin Commandos that are knocking you down. The frequency of these knock-downs is ridiculous and there seems to be very little you can do about them, so you seem to spend half of the game on the floor. Which isn’t good.

The graphics in this game are mixed. The scrolling backgrounds are decent – as are some of the enemy sprites and bosses – but I didn’t much like the movement and animation of Batman himself. His jump animation is weak and un-dynamic and his legs look weird and out of proportion on occasion.

Overall, Batman Returns on the Lynx is a seemingly rushed, horrible, unplayable mess, and a big missed opportunity. It could’ve been a fun fighting game, but it’s barely worth playing because of the difficulty level and the frustration of constantly getting knocked down. Which is a pity.

More: Batman Returns on Wikipedia