Batman Forever is a side-scrolling combat game based loosely on the 1995 movie starring Val Kilmer as Batman. Players will navigate through a series of levels punching and kicking a variety of thugs before eventually facing off against some classic Batman villains.
Players can punch, kick, and jump as well as use a variety of trademark Batman gadgets such as Batarangs and Bat-bolas. Batman can only carry a limited supply of weapons, however, and must rely on fisticuffs most of the time. He can throw punches and kicks to the left and right, and perform jump kicks, low sweeps, and an attack roll. These techniques can be used against the thugs that appear from time to time to fight Batman. Players must defeat these thugs by completely emptying the opponents' health bars while taking as little damage as possible from their attacks.
A variety of items are hidden in each stage. Some items are left by defeated enemies, but most are hidden within objects that must be destroyed. These items include partial and full health pickups, extra gadgets, extra lives, and the occasional blueprint. Batman must collect three of these blueprints in one level to create and use a new gadget. Players begin the game with a number of lives. Every time Batman's health bar is completely depleted, Batman dies and players lose a life. The game is over when players have lost all their lives.