No, we have no idea what kept Kal-El, Man of Steel, away from the App Store in game form for so long. Yes, we are mighty delighted that we can step into his super shoes. So much so that we pardon the externally worn red underwear.
When it comes to superheroes, Superman, the boy from Krypton who crash landed on earth and then started fighting crime with his super-powers (he can fly, is well-nigh indestructible, is amazingly strong, has heat and X-ray vision, etc.), is one of the most popular in the comic book world. So we must confess that we were surprised to see no game-oriented apps built around him in the iTunes App Store. Well, Chillingo have heard our prayers and have come out with the first official Superman game for iOS devices. We opted for the iPad version, simply because heck, there was so much more space to fly around in on the bigger screen.
For, let us be honest, flying is the most fun thing about this game. And while we are on the honesty gig, this seems an apt time to tell all those folks expecting a gritty, grim game on the lines of Batman’s Arkham City’s escapades – this is not THAT sort of a game. Nope, Superman is a simple arcade game with pleasant graphics that hark back to the sixties’ comic book editions. You are not going to be faced with tough decisions or amazing special effects and mind blowing high-definition graphics – nope, you are just going to be the Man of Steel in a game that involves a lot of flying and kicking enemy butt, with just a token storyline involving, surprise, surprise, Lex Luthor and a nefarious plot to take over the Earth.
The game is drop-dead simple to use. You control Superman and can make him fly (both vertically and horizontally – he is a lot faster in the latter mode) and also take on enemies using his heat vision, super breath and of course, his bare hands (hey, those are tough mitts – they don’t call him the Man of Steel for nothing!). Controls, alas, are based on on-screen touch buttons, for flying, action and direction, which kind of limits what you can do – we would have so liked to hold Superman and send him flying in one direction or the other with a flick of our fingers – but once you get to grips with them, you will find yourself having a whale of a time.
For, Superman is basically a simple game. The game is divided into different levels, each of which has a comic-strip-like intro, after which Superman steps into the breach to save his beloved city from thieves, fires, bots, rockets, asteroids, robots…take your pick, and even steps in to stop the odd aircraft from crashing. The methodology is inevitably the same – you are given an indication of where trouble is to be found by arrows pointing in their direction, and your job is to run/fly to it and then use the action button (which lets you use heat vision, blow cool air, grab and punch enemies, etc., depending on the task at hand) to resolve matters. Points are handed out for speed, and if you do things briskly enough, you can pick up some bonuses. Most of the tasks are relatively easy, but their number increases as you go up levels, making the game a frantic action affair by the time you are past level 8.
The graphics and sound are not exceptional, but are very easy on the eye with their bright colours and simple sketches, with the bits of Superman flying through the air being particular fun. The simplicity of the gameplay and stacks of enemies make it extremely addictive – we just loved the parts when we had to streak into space to stop an asteroid from crashing into the city, killing innocents. Would we have liked a more compelling storyline? Yes. Would we have liked better graphics and a more “touchy” gameplay? Yes. But it is a tribute to just how good a job Chillingo have done that even in the absence of those worthies, we found ourselves returning again and again to Superman HD on our iPad.
Superman HD for the iPad has an unabashedly casual air about it, which might offend some who think superheroing is serious business, but we wager even they would find it hard to tear themselves away from it once they start playing. We heartily recommend shelling out the $2.99 it costs. And those less-than-super graphics have a silver lining – at around 54 MB, the game is a whole lot lighter than some of the high-profile titles out there on the App Store. So get downloading. In the meantime, we have a city to save with the man in Blue and Red. Up, up and awayyyyy….
Get it from: iTunes App Store
Works with: iPad
