Injustice Gods Among Us is a fighting game developed by NetherRealm Studios and is set in the DC Universe featuring DC’s best heroes and villains. It takes place mostly on an alternate Earth and opens with Metropolis destroyed and millions dead. Apparently the Joker got his hands on a nuke or at least that’s what Batman believes while interrogating him. The truth would soon come to light when an enraged Superman nearly destroys the room they’re in to get at Joker. Somehow the Joker was able to drug Superman and as a result he mistakenly unleashed his fury on Metropolis and the force of that was equivalent to a nuke. To make matters worse, Superman’s wife, Lois Lane, and their son was killed as a result of his rampage. Suffice to say that even Batman couldn’t stop Superman from killing a laughing Joker then and there and vowing to establish law and order under his rule. Fortunately an insurgency forms under Batman over time and their plan is to transport heroes from another reality where Joker’s plan didn’t succeed so they could combat Superman and his allies. In Injustice you take control of your favorite hero or villain to end this Superman’s reign.

GAMEPLAY
I know that fighting games aren’t generally played because of their excellent storylines but the story in the single player mode is so good it could’ve actually been a separate DC Animated movie. I won’t focus on that just yet because without good gameplay mechanics one would never finish the story mode. Thankfully the gameplay is SOLID!

Of course there’s the standard light, medium and heavy attack buttons. The combinations for the over 24 available fighters (more when you purchase DLC) are not difficult to master but good enough to slow down just simple button mashers. There are forward and backwards throws and any throw can be broken so it’s not an unbeatable move. Yes there are juggle combos, attacks where you knock your opponent in the air so you can unleash a follow-up combo before your opponent lands. And just like every fighting game each character has a unique set of special moves and each special move can be used as part of a combo to form a special moves combo. There’s a Super Meter that builds up through your actions and can be used to make a special move more powerful. Combos can be broken by the defender by initiating in what is referred to as The Clash in the game. It’s a nice touch where the two fighters race towards each other (and each interaction is different based on the fighters being used) and a portion of the Super Meter is wagered and whoever wagers more wins the clash. However this can only be done once a match per player and only when a player reaches the second health bar. If the defender wins the Clash then health is regained but if the attacker wins more damage is inflicted based on the difference between the wager. However you don’t want to use your Super Meter carelessly because if you fill it up completely you can use a character’s Super Move and as many times as I’ve seen them I still haven’t gotten tired of them. Each character has a unique power too that can be used with the push of a button. And all of them aren’t created equal. For example, Superman’s power grants him additional strength for a short period of time where as Wonder Woman or Nightwing’s power is just changing the weapon being used. In the latter two cases it does grant them additional combos and special moves.

The various arenas are very well-designed and each one has interactive objects that can be used in battle. The thing is some of the interactive objects are used differently depending on the character. There are objects that a fighter can be hit into and some objects that can be activated or bounced off. For example, Black Adam can pick up a bike and throw it but Catwoman doesn’t have the same strength so she would get on the bike and ride it into the opponent. It’s hard to appreciate some of the details in the background when the fighting is so intense but it is worth checking out maybe during practice. Each arena has two levels so you can perform transition attacks when at the end of one level knocking your opponent to another level and the cutscenes are arena specific and very enjoyable to watch (unless you’re on the receiving end).

In addition to story mode there’s Battle mode, Versus mode, S.T.A.R. Labs and online multiplayer. Battle mode is basically just facing off against random cpu opponents with Superman being the final battle. Versus mode doesn’t need further clarification. S.T.A.R. Labs are character specific battles where you start with certain conditions and have to achieve different objectives for more experience and there are over 200 of them. Yes, you gain experience from fighting in any mode and as you level up you can use this to unlock alternate costumes, music and other bonuses. I found the S.T.A.R. Labs challenges to be fun and adds variety to battles. For example there’s one with Superman where you start with half a bar of health and in order to replenish it you have to stand in a constantly moving ray of sunlight.

Multiplayer matches worked smooth for me and there’s even a statistic that tells how many times the opponent you’re facing quit a match and I found that to be useful. So you don’t have to be concerned about a match being wasted. The matchmaking is pretty good so you won’t be facing opponents who destroy you in 10 seconds when you’re starting off. And you can do unranked matches so you can brush up on your skills online before being ranked. There’s a Survival Mode where your health carries over from one battle to the next and King of the Hill where you watch other fighters while waiting for your turn to get a shot at the crown. So there is enough variety to keep the game play fresh. And if you’re worried about button mashers or combo jugglers there’s always the Clash to break a combo but you can also perform reverse attacks, special moves after hitting the ground or just bounce back up so you won’t be combo spammed an entire match. The fighting system in this game is very rewarding for those willing to put time into mastering it but it’s also enjoyable for those who just want to have a good time without being required to study and memorize every combo and move.

And again, there’s always the story mode, which requires you to use various characters throughout. And an opponent does get easier if you lose a match so you don’t have to worry about reaching an impasse and being unable to finish the story. This can be appealing to some people while others might not like that hidden help. Either way the strength of the story and the way it transitions to fighting including mini-games that can affect the start of each battle makes playing the story mode a must. I found myself at times saying this will be my last battle for the night only to end up doing 5 more just to see what unfolded next. I enjoyed it that much.

SUMMARY

Injustice Gods Among Us is a solid fighting game and has a memorable story line as well. The mechanics are not difficult to get the hang of and the combat system is deep enough to make the time invested in improving worth it. The graphics are outstanding, voice acting is definitely on point and the sheer number of usable DC characters gives countless hours of enjoyment. Even if you’re not the biggest fighting game fan I would still recommend this game if you would enjoy a DC storyline that was movie worthy. If you’re a fighting game fan I highly recommend this. The various gameplay modes will keep you entertained and satisfied.