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/     \___/    \___/     \
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   \/       \/       \/


BATMAN RETURNS FOR THE NES FAQ
Copyright 2002 Michael Tyler

Created by: Michael Tyler 
E-mail: REPTILE654@aol.com
Created on: 7/4/02
Version: 3.0

a) The Story
b) Introduction to the Game
c) Pick-ups
d) Batman's Moves
e) Enemy list
f) Stage Tips
1.	1-1
2.	1-2
3.	2-1
4.	2-2
5.	2-3
6.	3-1
7.	3-2
8.	3-3
9.	4-1
10.	4-2
11.	4-3
12.	5-1
13.	5-2
14.	6-1
15.	6-2
16.	6-3
g) Passwords
h) General Tips \ mindless ramblings 
i) Copyright Stuff
j) Update History

                            T H E   S T O R Y
a)	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.


             I N T R O D U C T I O N   T O    T H E    G A M E
b)	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.


                           P I C K  -  U P S

c)	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)


                 B A T M A N ' S    M O V E S
d)    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.


                       E N E M I E S    L I S T

d)	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 to 
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.


                  T H E    S T A G E    T I P S

f)

1.	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

2.	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.

3.	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

4.	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

5.	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.

6.	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

7.	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

8.	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...

9.	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

10.	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

11.	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.

12.	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

13.	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.  

14.	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.

15.	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

16.	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.  

g)                       P A S S W O R D S
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

h) G E N E R A L    T I P S   \   M I N D L E S S    R A M B L I N G S
I have a password I sent into GameFaqs that will let you start with an 
extra lifebox.  It will make winning the game much easier.  

When you finish the game, you should see a little penguin telling you 
that you took too long to make it to the end.  If you press the "A" or 
"B" buttons, you can make him talk and blink his eyes. 

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.

Please e-mail me if there is anything in this FAQ that is wrong and 
needs to be fixed.

i)   C O P Y R I G H T    S T U F F

Since I wrote this myself, it is protected by copyright law and I do 
not allow anyone else to distribute this for any reason.  I allow only 
GameFaqs to use this document. If you want to put this on your site, 
please ask me by e-mailing me first.  I will almost always answer yes.  
There will be a penalty if I find someone using it without my 
permission.

j) U P D A T E    H I S T O R Y

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.
