Injustice: Gods Among Us does play enough like an MK game so it allows for new players to jump in a do some flashy stuff while allowing for depth and exploitation by high level players. A few changes have been made to give Injustice it’s own flavor. Blocking is achieved by pressing away from the opponent instead of there being a dedicated button. The characters can interact with the environment with a single button press, allowing them escape from a corner or launch an unblockable big hit to kick the match off. There are no fatalities but much attention is given to each character’s unique super move that only requires a full super meter and an easy two button press. Those changes make for a more approachable game. Even the single player story has a forgiving dynamic difficulty. After losing a match or two in a row, the AI becomes much easier to handle even at the end of the campaign.
There are over twenty heroes and super villains already a part of the roster and plans to roll out additional ones through DLC. The fighters can be classified as either a Power User or Gadget User; essentially heavy and light. Each character has a super power that fits their persona such as damage mitigating armor for Doomsday or changing from lasso to sword and shield for Wonder Woman. Though each of these unique moves fit their character well, beyond that there isn’t a whole lot to differentiate the combatants. All the heroes and villains have a projectile and some sort of anti-air move, the major difference is how many of each type they have access to. A brief tutorial is offered at the beginning of the game explaining the basics of combat and some of the special features found in Injustice: Gods Among Us. Star Labs provides quirky challenges and a touch of training but neither do a great job explaining the Clash System. Once per match, a player may choose to engage in a combo breaker that spectacularly launches each fighter into a flashy pose. The player can wager how much special meter they will sacrifice to win the Clash. It becomes more complicated when trying to understand what the outcome will be depending on who initiated what.
The question of “Who is this game for?” kept ringing in my head over and over after I finishing playing. I think it’s safe to say a wider audience than I initially thought. It does justice (heh) to the DC universe, maybe not in the overall story, but by cramming importance into every tiny minutia in each level a reverent love for the source material can be inferred It’s not for me, though. Super heroes don’t appeal to me especially in a fighting game. I’d prefer to have Mortal Kombat characters in a Mortal Kombat game. Nonetheless, Injustice: Gods Among Us is a good fighting game with a few unique features to set it apart but certainly doesn’t add anything novel enough to change the landscape.