This game is officially called "Batman (66 Premium)" or "Batman (66 Limited Edition)" but it is colloquially and generally known only as Batman 66. Not to be confused with other Batman themed games, such as Batman (Data East, 1991), Batman Forever (Sega, 1995), or Batman (Stern Pinball, 2010) aka Batman: The Dark Knight.
Shoot any major shot, then hit the Bat Phone at the rotating toy to start a major villain mode. Follow the lit shots to complete the mode. Major villains have multiple phases; when you complete a phase, you can either shoot the scoop and collect a super jackpot, or turn down the super jackpot and play the next phase with an increased multiplier on that mode's scoring. The TV targets in the lower right light the left orbit for a minor villain mode; complete these modes for big rewards, especially Mr. Freeze, which freezes all timers for the rest of the ball. Completing the Gadget targets or collecting a gadget from the left orbit mystery award lets you spot a shot in a major ro minor mode with the action button. Hit the Commissioner Gordon target just left of the scoop enough times to qualify shot multipliers, which apply to the next shot you make; 2x for the first, 3x for the second, etc., up to 6x for the fifth for the rest of the ball.
The game's two ramps are referred to herein as "left" and "center" due to their absolute position. There is no right ramp.
The "rotating toy" is the structure between the two ramps. It has three positions: Villain Vision with the two mini-screens, the Bat Phone, and the spinning Batmobile turntable with targets on either side of it and another target behind it.
Three skill shots are available to you. The first two both use the flashing lights in the shooter lane, with more value awarded if multiple lights are lit. Watch the pattern carefully: they will flash one at a time, then in sequence such that all three are lit.
Top lanes: Each lit arrow in the shooter lane will light one of the three top lanes. If the ball then goes through a lit top lane, you receive points (600,000, plus an additional 200,000 per made skill shot) and +5 bonus multiplier.
Penguin: short plunge so that the ball falls into the Penguin scoop from the back, or plunge even softer to the flippers and quickly shoot the Penguin scoop from the front. The base value of this skill shot is 1,000,000 points and +5 bonus multiplier, but the exact value can be increased and the value of the next Penguin skill shot can be increased by up to 200,000 points depending on how many shooter lane arrows were lit when the ball left the shooter lane.
Super Skill Shot: hold the left flipper when you plunge and the ball will come down the left orbit to the flippers. Make a shot within a few seconds to score points (550,000, plus an additional 100,000 per made skill shot) and qualify the major villain corresponding to that shot. If the shot you make belongs to the currently running major villain, you receive a free Gadget instead.
There are four Major Villains: Catwoman (white), Joker (red), Penguin (purple), and Riddler (green). Each major villain has two separate sets of mode rules you can play through. At the start of a ball if there is not currently a major villain mode running, can toggle between the two rulesets using the right flipper. You only need to defeat each major villain once to progress through the game, but there are different Mode Champion entries on the leaderboard for each variant of the mode rules.
To qualify a villain, shoot pretty much any shot in the game. Catwoman requires one shot to each ramp; Joker requires the "villain vision" targets at the rotating toy until the word Joker is spelled; Penguin requires shooting the scoop from below; and Riddler requires shooting either orbit. Once a villain is qualified, the rotating toy will move to the Bat Phone, and you must hit it as a hurry-up to start that mode. The base value for the Bat Phone hurry-up is 1,500,000 points, plus an additional 250,000 for each major villain you've already completed. However, if you know your way around the Attack from Mars/Medieval Madness hurry-up rules, you're in luck here: qualifying other major villains before the hurry-up runs out will restart the hurry-up at double value. If you qualify all 4 major villains in this way, the hurry-up will be worth 12,000,000 points at minimum. Hitting the Commissioner Gordon target just left of the scoop also advances the hurry-up. When you actually collect the Bat Phone hurry-up, whichever villain you qualified most recently is the one you'll start to play, and you can even replay previously finished villains in this way before finishing all 4 of them the first time.
In general, all major villains have phases that must each be completed by hitting all of the lit shots. Shots start worth 500,000 points plus 50,000 for each time you powered up the Bat Phone, and also increasing by 50,000 within the mode. When you complete a phase, the Penguin scoop is lit for a Super Jackpot equal to a recollect of all of the mode shots you made to that point. When you make the scoop, you have a choice: collect the super jackpot, end the mode by arresting that villain, and move on: or, risk that super jackpot, and play the next level of the mode, with the multiplier for all mode shots increasing by 1. If you complete that next mode level, you will get the opportunity to collect a 2x super jackpot, or continue further. The final stage of most major villain modes is "infinite", i.e., the super jackpot lights after a certain number of shots are made, but making shots relights other ones, and you can continue to build up your bank and cash out when you like with a super jackpot shot.
If you start a major villain mode but then shoot the Commissioner Gordon target before making any progress on the mode, you'll receive +4 bonus multiplier and increase the multiplier applied to all scoring during the next Multiball. Multiball is explained below, after the progression for each variant of each of the four villain modes.
Scoring in any major villain mode can be multiplied by shot multipliers from Commissioner Gordon's target, playfield multipliers, or main channel multipliers from King Tut's minor villain modes. These are also all explained in more detail later in the guide.
Major villain modes are not timed, and even continue from ball to ball. The following are all of the possible major villain mode progressions.
Catwoman set 1: "episodes 19/20"
Catwoman set 2: "episode 108"
Joker set 1: "episode 5/6"
Joker set 2: "episode 104"
Penguin set 1: "episode 3/4"
Penguin set 2: "episode 95"
Riddler set 1: "episode 1/2"
Riddler set 2: "episode 96"
Villain Multiball: while any major villain mode is running, hit the two targets on either side of the spinning turntable to qualify locks at the right orbit. For the first multiball, just one target lights all three locks. For subsequent multiballs, each set of the targets lights just 1 lock. Lock 3 balls at the right orbit to start multiball. During multiball, every shot is lit bright green for a jackpot of at least 300,000 points, increasing by 50,000 each time. Make 12 total jackpots to light the target behind the Batmobile for a super jackpot. Further super jackpots require 2 more regular jackpots each time, up to a maximum of 20 regular jackpots. This multiball is always 3 balls, unless the minor villain Shame has been completed. Shame also extends the ball saver at the beginning of multiball. Mystery awards collected during multiball will always be Add a ball.
Villain Escape wizard mode: you have 30 seconds (or an unlimited amount of time with ball save if you have completed Mr Freeze) to add 10,000 points per switch hit to the jackpot. When the ball drains or 30 seconds pass, 4-ball multiball starts, with jackpots available each time you complete all of one major villain's shots and super jackpots available at the rotating toy every time a set of all 4 major villains has been re-collected. Super jackpots after the first require more shots to recapture each major villain.
Hit all three TV standup targets in the lower right of the game to light the left orbit for TV. Shooting the back right saucer via the orbit will let you start a Minor Villain mode, which makes other perks available. There are a total of 14 minor villain modes, but only 6 unique minor villains: minor villains always give the same rewards, but different modes featuring the same minor villain may have different shot progressions to complete them. Of the 14 minor villains, 3 are denoted as Season 1; 6 are denoted as Season 2; 5 are denoted as Season 3. When you start a minor villain, you can select any mode regardless of season, but if you complete one mode from each of the three Seasons, the next minor villain will instead give you a choice of 3 different mini-wizard multiballs.
Minor villain awards tend to build on each other, so it's best to make this a strategy only if you expect to be able to play for a long time and collect a good number of them. Minor villain perks will usually go away at the end of a ball, unless you have completed Bookworm. To complete a minor villain mode, shoot all of the shots that flash in a colour reminiscent of that villain's style (tan for Bookworm, for example); they should be easily identifiable from major villain shots, though a shot can be lit for both a major and minor villain at the same time and only one of them will be shown to you. Minor villains are timed, usually to 45 seconds. Minor villains and the perks they provide when completed include:
The Thirteenth Hat - Mad Hatter
Reward: replay failed minor villain modes, active for the rest of the game. Defeat both Mad Hatters and you can replay successful minor villain modes as well.
At first, two shots will be lit blue. Every few seconds, another is added. Hit all blue shots to continue. Now, one shot will be lit; hit that shot to light 3 others; make those 3 shots to win the mode. Gadgets can be used to spot shots.
The Curse of Tut - King Tut
Reward: +1x multiplier for the "main channel" (explained after the rest of the minor villains below) for the rest of the ball.
Shoot the one shot lit blue; then, make any 4 lit shots; then, shoot the turntable; then, shoot any 4 lit shots again. Gadgets can be used to spot shots.
The Bookworm Turns - Bookworm
Reward: minor villain awards last until end of game. Very worth being the first one to pick up.
Shoot the rotating toy, then all 6 lit shots, then both ramps, then the rotating toy 2 more times. Gadgets can be used to spot shots.
The Spell of Tut - King Tut
Reward: +1x multiplier for the "main channel" for the rest of the ball.
Hit the three shots lit blue, then three other shots that were not lit blue before will be lit for you to collect. Complete both sets of 3 and all shots light blue; hit any 4 to win. Gadgets can be used to spot shots.
An Egg Grows in Gotham - Egghead
Reward: all scoring from completed Egghead modes is recollected at the end of ball bonus.
A Gadget is REQUIRED to complete this mode. At first, all switch hits add to the Egghead jackpot. You must use a Gadget to be able to collect it. One shot will light yellow. Move the shot left or right by hitting any Gadget or TV target respectively. Make the shot to collect the jackpot.
Green Ice - Mr Freeze
Reward: freeze all game timers. This includes minor villains, playfield multipliers, and all hurry-ups. An absolutely must-collect.
Two shots will be lit blue, the others lit red. Complete the blue shots to advance. Hitting a red shot turns it blue, adding another shot you must make. If you complete the blue shots, make the two ramps, then make the final three lit shots. Gadgets can be used to spot shots, but in part 1, using a gadget will turn a red shot blue instead of spotting a blue shot for you.
Come Back Shame - Shame
Reward: +1 ball to all non-wizard multiballs, and +10 seconds to the startup ball save timer of all multiballs.
Hit a total of 4 flashing Gadget or TV targets (the bumpers change which ones are flashing). Then, hit a total of 5 lit blue shots: only as many as 2 will be lit at a time. This mode does not use a timer, and is instead a 2-ball multiball; the mode lasts until single ball play resumes. Gadgets can be used to spot shots.
The Contaminated Cowl - Mad Hatter
Reward: replay failed minor villain modes, active for the rest of the game. Defeat both Mad Hatters and you can replay successful minor villain modes as well.
Hit the one and only pink shot, then hit all 3 pink shots, then hit any 4 pink shots when all of the shots light up pink. Gadgets CANNOT be used to spot shots in this mode.
King Tut's Coup - King Tut
Reward: +1x multiplier to the "main channel" for the rest of the ball.
Same as The Spell of Tut above.
The Unkindest Tut of All - King Tut
Same as King Tut's Coup and The Spell of Tut.
The Ogg and I - Egghead
Reward: all scoring from completed Egghead modes is recollected at the end of ball bonus.
First, shoot 3 yellow shots. Gadgets do not spot shots; instead, they add another yellow shot you can hit. Then, shoot the rotating toy. Each switch hit during this mode adds to the Egghead Jackpot which is collected both when the mode is completed and in the end of ball bonus if the mode was won.
The Ogg Couple - Egghead
Reward: see above, I don't wanna retype it.
Shoot the left orbit 3 times, then capture Egghead at the rotating toy. Making other lit yellow shots before the second or third left orbit shots will add to the Egghead Jackpot. Gadgets do not spot shots; they add other lit shots instead.
The Great Escape - Shame
Reward: +1 ball to all non-wizard multiballs, and +10 seconds to the startup ball save timer of all multiballs.
Like the other Shame, this is a 2-ball multiball, and the mode itself has no time limit, ending when single ball play resumes. Hit any 4 of the lit cyan shots when all are lit, then hit 11 total cyan shots when only two at a time are lit. Gadgets can be used to spot shots.
I'll Be a Mummy's Uncle - King Tut
Reward: +1x multiplier to the "main channel" for the rest of the ball.
Shoot the rotating toy, then all 6 lit shots, then the rotating toy twice more. Gadgets can be used to spot shots/
When multiple modes are running at once (which can be one major mode, one minor mode, Villain Multiball, and Bat Turn, or any combination thereof, but never more than one from each category), one will be the "focus", which is the mode that goes on the biggest TV screen on the display and gets its music played. If you have completed King Tut one or more times, this bigger TV within the LCD display will have a red multiplier in the top left corner. This means that all scoring in only the mode shown on the big TV receives that multiplier. If at any time you wish to change which mode is "focused", simply hold the action button on the front of the machine for about 1 full second to rotate the featured channels. King Tut's main channel multiplier stays on whatever mode is featured on the big screen, no matter how many times you rotate it. The main channel multiplier goes away at the end of the ball unless Bookworm has also been defeated in addition to one more King Tuts.
After completing one minor villain each in seasons 1, 2, and 3, the next minor villain you try to start will give you the choice between three mini-wizard multiballs: Batusi, Gas Attack, and Robin's Holy. Presumably, you cannot replay one mini-wizard until all 3 have been played. All three are 6 ball multiballs, following these rules:
When lit, shoot the left orbit strong enough to get the ball to land in the saucer in the back right of the game for a Mystery award. Complete the lights on the four in/out lanes, which can be rotated with lane change, to light the orbit for a Mystery. Possible awards include:
Playfield multipliers: Whenever the rotating toy is on the Batmobile side, hitting the two targets on either side of the Batmobile will light the target behind the Batmobile for Increase Playfield X. This lasts for 30 seconds normally, but lasts for the rest of the ball if Mr Freeze's award is active. Repeating this process while 2X Playfield is running will advance to 3X Playfield. On recent versions of the code, max playfield is 3X, but on early versions, it was 5X. The playfield multiplier affects all scoring in the game without exception.
Shot multipliers: Note the X's near the 5 stopping points of the Penguin crane. These correspond to the shots that they are roughly in line of: from left to right, they are the left ramp, the rotating toy, the center ramp, the scoop, and the right orbit. Hit the Commissioner Gordon target 3 times and all of the shot multipliers will blink together, indicating that a 2x multiplier will be given to the next shot you make out of those five. This shot multiplier affects all scoring earned from that shot and lasts until the end of the ball. You can that hit Commissioner Gordon 4 more times to place a 3x shot multiplier at one of the remaining shots. This can be repeated until 7 hits to Commissioner Gordon lets you place a 6x multiplier on the final shot. If a shot multiplier is not ready to be placed, the X inserts in front of each shot will blink a number of times indicating the value of their shot multiplier.
It is generally recommended to place the 2x multiplier on the right orbit since it is worth the fewest points long term, and put the 5x or 6x at the saucer to multiply such scoring features as major villain super jackpots.
Spin the Batmobile spinner on the rotating toy 10 times to light the target behind the Batmobile for Bat Turn. This is a 40-second side mode where major shots light blue and you must hit them to collect a hurry-up that starts at a minimum of 500,000 points and counts down to 250,000. Spinning the Batmobile resets the hurry-up and increases its value as well as relighting all blue shots for Bat Turn. If Mr Freeze is active, the timer is disabled, so Bat Turn's scoring will last until the end of the ball (and does not interfere with your ability to start any other modes, it's just more points on every shot).
Making a major shot immediately after another major shot scores a Combo. The first combo scores 125,000 points, with consecutive combos scoring 125,000 more than the previous. Combos each contribute 250,000 points to the end of ball bonus before the bonus X, and the left orbit will be lit for an extra ball at 20, 50, and 100 combos.
Now that everything has been explained, let's talk strategy in more detail!
At the beginning of the game, it is generally best to make a beeline for the minor villains Bookworm (The Bookworm Turns, season 1) and Mr Freeze (Green Ice, season 2). There are only one of each of these. Completing these two modes means all timers in all modes are disabled for the entire game. If you start one of these and fail it, pivot to either of the Mad Hatter's modes (The Thirteenth Hat, season 1, and Contaminated Cowl, season 2) with the goal of clearing one of the two to earn the right to replay the failed modes. Right away, though, getting Bookworm and Mr Freeze by any means necessary are the best things to do.
After getting Bookworm and Mr Freeze, work on multipliers next. Playfield multipliers are easier to do first if the rotating toy is in the Batmobile position, as each playfield X advance requires only three shots. Since you got Mr Freeze active first, you can take your time with this, and your reward when you're done is 3X playfield scoring for the entire rest of the ball. Get 3X playfield running at the start of each ball when Mr Freeze is running. Now it's time to focus on shot multipliers: the Commissioner Gordon target (and possibly the Mystery award) are your friends. For max efficiency, wait and put the higher and later shot multipliers on the better shots- this means putting as low of a shot multiplier as possible on the right orbit, and as high of a shot multiplier as possible on the scoop. The rest can go in more or less any order you desire. Shot multipliers also all go away at the end of the ball.
Now, you can pursue major villains as you see fit, but whenever you start a minor villain (by accident or on purpose), focus on beating as many copies of King Tut as possible. This will increase yet another scoring multiplier that can only be applied to one mode at any given time, but you choose what you want that mode to be. Since you ideally defeated Bookworm at the beginning of this strategy, the King Tut main screen multiplier will stay in place from ball to ball for the entire game. If you can pick between multiple copies of King Tut to play, select one that's in a season you still need to qualify the next mini-wizard multiball. From here, you're in the ideal setup to play through the progression however you want and receive maximum points. Setting all of this up is a lot to ask, but putting all of these multipliers in play at the right times is how you take your score on Batman 66 from good to colossal.
Batman 66 has a conventional in/out lane setup. The four in/out lanes each have a bat symbol above them. Roll through a lane to light that symbol. Light all 4 symbols to increase the bonus multiplier, the spinner value, and light the left orbit for a mystery. The left ramp puts the ball in the left in lane, and the center ramp or Penguin scoop put the ball in the right in lane.
Death saves are possible, and easiest to do with a ball attempting to leave through the right out lane, if that's something you like to do. Remember as always that death saves and bang backs are illegal in any kind of competition play.
Bonus is calculated as the current value for each of the four major villains times the number of shots to that villain made during the game so far, plus 250,000 points per combo, all multiplied by the bonus multiplier, plus the scoring accumulated from any Egghead minor villain modes that were completed. Bonus multiplier is advanced once by completing the top or bottom lanes, twice by certain Mystery award, and 5 times by certain skill shots. If there is a max bonus multiplier, it is at least 80x. Bonus multiplier is only carried over from ball to ball if the Hold Bonus Multiplier award was collected from the Mystery. There is no mid-ball bonus collect.
Bonus can be absolutely huge on this game! If you're good at making combos when you can and paying attention to the bottom lanes whenever the ball is coming down one of the two habitrails, it's not unreasonable to receive an end of ball bonus of more than 1,000,000,000 points.
A typical end of ball bonus only includes the sum of all Egghead bonuses for Egghead modes that were completed on that ball. However, if Bookworm has been defeated, the Egghead part of your end of ball bonus will be the sum of all Egghead completions throughout the entire game up to that point.
Extra balls are lit at the left orbit after defeating 2 major villains, or after reaching the thresholds of 20, 50, and 100 combos. An extra ball is also rarely available from the Mystery, usually only appearing on the final ball of games with a short average ball time, and following a reflexing percentage set by the operator.
Back to top