Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis is a 2003 action-adventure video game developed by Lucky Chicken Studios and published by TDK for the Nintendo GameCube and Xbox. Based on the DC Comics character Aquaman, the game's release coincided with the release of Aquaman (2003).
The story involves Aquaman's sworn enemy Black Manta invading Atlantis, followed by an attack from the Fire Trolls, while Orm the Ocean Master pulls strings from the shadows with his own army of warriors, the barbaric Oceanics. The player controls Aquaman to swim around Atlantis, battle evildoers with fighting combo moves, and turn the tide of the invasion. Additional gameplay involves third-person shooting levels from a submersible vehicle.
This game contains examples of:
- Animal Espionage: Aquaman has fish spy on Ocean Master for him.
- Awesome, but Impractical: You can do impressive combos using Aquaman's hook hand and even summon sea life to aid you, but this uses up the combo meter quickly and basic attacks win the day more easily.
- Boring, but Practical: While there are tons of flashy combos to learn, the most effective way to win is by button-mashing with basic combos, which are quick and efficient.
- Canon Foreigner: The Oceanics are humanoid fishlike beings Ocean Master created with dark magic and are exclusive to the game.
- Damsel in Distress: Mera and Tempest are kidnapped by the Fire Trolls after Black Manta is dealt with, requiring you to rescue them.
- False Flag Operation: Orm uses stolen Atlantean subs to attack the Fire Trolls and make them move on Atlantis.
- Fights Like a Normal: Despite his fantastic powers, most of Aquaman's fighting moves consist of basic punches, grapples, and kicks, and so do his enemies'.
- For the Evulz: Discussed when Vulko wonders about Black Manta's motivations; Aquaman says given their history he doesn't need a reason to attack him.
- Healing Potion: Comes in three varieties. Gold symbols heal your life gauge, blue heals your energy gauge when using complex combos, and purple heals your block gauge when you block melee attacks.
- Heel–Face Turn: After Ocean Master's defeat, the Oceanics regain their free will and are open to living alongside the people of Atlantis.
- Infodump: The story is told between levels in comic book fashion, leading to every instance of exposition being told at once.
- The Man Behind the Man: Ocean Master was behind Black Manta and the Fire Trolls' attacks in hopes to weaken Atlantis before he struck himself.
- Mook Chivalry: Early on, enemies will wait for you to finish combat with another before homing in on you. Enemies averting this in later stages is part of what makes the last few levels difficult.
- Multi-Mook Melee: Some missions task you with defeating all the enemies in the stage.
- One-Man Army: Aquaman stands on the front lines and singlehandedly defeats the enemy armies and their leaders by himself, while Mera, Dolphin and Garth stay behind to protect Atlantis while he's away.
- Secret Character: Beating the game once lets you unlock Aquaman's classic design, and beating the game as him lets you play as Tempest and Black Manta.
- Threatening Shark: Vulko uses sharks to get Black Manta's men to talk. Aquaman later uses a whole shiver of them to get Black Manta to talk.
- Wave-Motion Gun: Ocean Master's big plan is to destroy Atlantis's dome with his depth cannon gun.
- You Have Failed Me: After his men bungle a mission to blow up an armory, Black Manta kills them.
- You Killed My Father: Mera brings up Black Manta killing her and Arthur's son as a reason to eaxct revenge in kind.
