Batman: Return of the Joker, known in Japan as Dynamite Batman (ダイナマイトバットマン Dainamaito Battoman?), is the follow-up to Sunsoft's first Batman game on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Unlike that game, which was based on the 1989 Batman film by Tim Burton, Return of the Joker is entirely self-contained and based more on the modern comic book iteration of Batman. However, Batman mans the Batmobile from the 1989 film. A remake of Return of the Joker, titled Batman: Revenge of the Joker, was released on the Sega Genesis by Ringler Studios in 1992. A Super Nintendo version of the game was in development but never released.
A completely different version of the game was released on the Game Boy in 1992.
Each version of the game was essentially the same in storyline and format. The story begins with the Joker escaping from an insane asylum, and through various henchmen, tries to send Gotham City into chaos. Batman must survive several side-scrolling levels with various tricky jumps, and defeat a multitude of enemies and bosses to ensure that Gotham is safe.
Batman is armed with a utility belt that allows him to collect various types of icons throughout the stages in order to shoot different types of batarangs and projectiles. Batman only has one type of batarang in the Game Boy version. The console version of the game uses a password feature which allows players to return to any non-boss level which they have previously reached. The Game Boy version allows the player to select a level at the start of the game.
The music for the NES version was composed by Naoki Kodaka, with sound programming by Nobuyuki Hara and Shinichi Seya.
