Last month, the highly anticipated Summer superhero blockbuster, Man of Steel, soared into theaters. The movie, directed by Zack Snyder and executive produced by Christopher Nolan of Dark Knight Trilogy fame, is an incredible Sci-fi/superhero action epic that creates a new, more realistic take on the world’s greatest hero. It has been a huge success with a box office gross of $640 million and a recently announced follow-up featuring The Dark Knight.
So, as typical in entertainment, a game has been released to coincide with the release of the movie. The result is thousands of times better then the dreaded gaming poison that was Superman 64 ( In seriousness, there is a good chance that people physically suffered from playing that game years ago.) Man of Steel, the app, Â stands as solid portable action.
 
Man of Steel is a swipe-action game in the spirit of games like Infinity Blade II. Players take the role of Kal-El(Superman) in a series of levels against General Zod and his forces. From the left-shoulder view, players can hit, block, parry and utilize the environment and special abilities to take-on the bad kryptonians and save the Earth.
Players swipe their fingesr to land punches and blows to Zod’s soldiers. Each blow breaks down a shield meter. When that meter falls, an enemy is vulnerable for a big blow. Land it, and the enemy is sent flying into buildings, tanks, trucks, and fuel cars. Each use of environmental damage earns XP and different damaging effects.
Trademark combos can be used as well. In the movie, Kal-El manhandles General Zod and drags him into the ground for several miles. In the app, players can do the same thing as they drag their foes into the street and into debris. The various combos can have unique effects such as incorporating flight.
Kal-El has two special abilities: heat vision and super speed. Heat vision is built by dodging and parrying. Parrying is risky but builds the ability and allows blows to be landed. Once built up, the vision can ause significant damage. Super speed allows Kal-El to land as many blows as you can as an enemy is stunned.  This is crucial with tougher enemies. The ability builds with each blow landed.  With every point built, players can upgrade Kal-El’s character and power abilities.
General Zod’s army will put up quite a fight. Soldiers of all types will step forth to knock Kal-El out. They will do whatever it takes. There is a solid variety of soldiers and androids that pose their unique challenges. In particular, soldiers will grapple you. To counter, players need to rapidly tap the circles on the screen.  Some of the levels will be tough and require repeat play,  but I’d rather have a challenge than none at all.
For a portable package, the game is very impressive! The movement of characters is fluid and the textures are very slick, especially Superman’s suit and the Kryptonian army. A sharp, chiseled sound is extenuated with each blow onto soldiers and slam into debris. An animated comic plays during several levels, highlighting the story of the movie and Hanz Zimmer’s score is used throughout the game.
The only drawbacks I have are the lack of enemy variety, length, and a small part with the controls. While there is a decent variety, I would’ve wanted to see more. There are plenty of levels with replay value. In addition, there is a survival mode to hone your skills. However, the main quest, while having a solid length, could’ve been longer. An idea for me would have been to play as Jor-El, Superman’s dad, and fight against Zod as he launched his insurrection against the Kryptonian government.  The controls are responsive but I’ve noticed that parrying is a bit moody as it is confused with grappling.
The Verdict:
For $2.99 on your iPod Touch/iPhone (or $.99 on your iPad) you get a pretty solid action-packed cinematic game. While there could’ve been more done, I’m very satisfied with this game.  If you are looking for a solid app or your just a fan of the movie, this is a worthy, fun app to play in the spare time of your day.
Score: 3.5/5
Click here to see the Man of Steel Game Trailer.
