Like many of you out there I loved the Batman Arkham games, even though I am yet to play Arkham Origins, so the prospect of another DC superhero based game which isn’t made out of Lego was a big draw.
The console game of Injustice Gods Among us is a Mortal Kombat style fighting game where players have the choice to play as one of any number of DC superheroes and villains. For those of you unfamiliar with DC this includes Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Lex Luthor, The Joker and many other bad-ass comic book characters. Fighting takes place in many stages where players can interact with various parts of the stage like pressing buttons or activating any other special features of a level to destroy your opponent in cinematic and epic ways.
Nightwing uses a power move against Deathstroke in gameplay footage.
So with this in mind and after seeing various video reviews on youtube pre-release I was pumped when I saw there was an app version too, and for free.
The app includes much of the same characters, but with a lot of elements simplified and dumbed down for the mobile game. Something which you would expect from a mobile game with limited control interface and limited game complexity due to platform. The controls are very simple tapping the screen to attack, swiping for combos and holding 2 fingers on the screen for a block form the basic 3 ways to control your character.
You have a choice of 3 superheroes and villains to join your team for one of very many 3 v 3 fights. The game allows simple switching between characters and combos and power moves are easily gained and each have a certain amount of cinematic execution. For example playing as Sinestro (from Green Lantern) when executing a power move a boulder flies down from the sky and hits your opponent’s body. The power moves are charged by rapidly tapping or swiping when prompted.
This game is a great teaser for the full game on PC or console and its basic interface is easy to follow and makes executing combos and power moves easy. As a free game it easily draws in fans of the comic book franchises and seems more action packed than the comparable Marvel games. After a while the gameplay does become repetitive and like other fighting games it becomes a button basher, but in this case a screen tapper and swiper. But I may be too early into the game to judge this.
Monetisation: This game encourages the buying of credits to unlock new characters instead of having to wait to unlock them via play or through the laborious task of collecting tokens per match. Happily this game doesn’t constantly prompt the player to buy every 5 minutes and doesn’t have any annoying adverts to click past. Although this is good for the player I’m not sure how much a draw there is for players to give the publishers Warner Bros their money. But it is an element which we have yet to see, I imagine unlocking Superman and Batman will take many many hours of slogging in the game if you want them for free.
Return loop: Injustice: Gods Among Us doesn’t seem at this early stage of playing to have any real draw for players to return. Whereas some games like Angry Birds offers free gifts every 24 hours or Candy Crush which has a time lapse mechanic to stop users from playing until they have waited half an hour or bought another life. The return loop of this game seems much like the console game, just return when you want. But with many users experiencing technical issues in their comments on reviews I doubt many players will return at all.
Progression: The game involves a simple levelling up system where the player can level up characters by gaining experience points each time they use a character in battle
Single Player: No multiplayer features are yet available but they are something, if possible, we would like to see with this app’s next update
Big: This app is fairly large, meaning that download can take a few minutes as opposed to more simple games. But you are downloading and loading a very detailed and great looking and playable app.
What they are missing: The ability to play against friends would be a great way to get people to want to come back and fight. Getting users to build their ultimate team to pit against strangers or friends, much like Clash of Clans. But I think this game is trying to stand out with its very simple and relaxed style as many of us will have had far too much of time lapses, adverts and constantly being told they need to spend money on the game.
Verdict: This game is a refreshing step away from simple match the colour games and ones which shove constant reminders or barriers you way to play. The graphics are great, fully using the mobile devices graphics capabilities to produce a beautiful app. But I am concerned that it’s relaxed and single player style will not draw the crowds and result Warner Bros with a rather tepid game on the market.
But it has potential, lots and lots. So download it and give it a try, after nearly a day of having this game I am already hooked constantly Playing, Starting and Selecting my new DC hero and villain team mates. I’m looking forward to see what new updates this app will release if any
But what do you think?
Play, Start, Select 