Superman Game Comes To iOS

It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman, in a game. Chillingo has released the first official Superman game for the iOS. Superman is available for the iPhone, while Superman HD is available for the iPad. Here is video of the game in action:

On its site, Chillingo hypes up the game with a description worthy of a comic book.

In this stupendous action game of good versus evil, the titular hero senses a hidden agenda behind the infamous Lex Luthor’s plans to stop global warming. Stunning comic book-inspired cutscenes and a story fit for any legendary superhero will please even the most die-hard Superman fans, but the feeling of actually being the invincible icon is what makes the experience unforgettable. It’s that good.

So is it that good? No, but it's fun, at least for a while.

The game takes on an Angry Birds type of accessibility, with simple controls. You have a virtual control pad, which allows you to move or float anywhere on the screen. There is also an action button, which allows you to punch, shoot heat vision, or blow out fire, depending on the task at hand. Finally, there is a button, which allows you to fly and run at high speeds. Tiny arrows lead you from one obstacle to the next.

In many ways, I really did feel like the Man of Steel. I found myself quickly sucked into the appeal of using Superman's various abilities to accomplish a number of missions, be it smashing meteors, saving planes, or trampling bad guys with my super speed. The controls aren't perfect, but they were responsive enough, most of the time. The game's artwork and gameplay also lent it a classic feel, which gave the game a certain charm.

One of my main problems with the game is that Superman was really tiny. Here is a hero that's supposed to be larger than life, and he often looked like a mere blip on the screen. It was sometimes hard to keep up with the action because the characters were so small.

Also, while the challenges were enjoyable, they began to get repetitive. I got tired of putting out the same fires, destroying the same missiles, and blasting the same enemies. I wanted to fight supervillains. Superman has a fantastic rogues gallery, and other than Lex Luthor, the rogues were noticeably absent. Where were characters like Brainiac, Metallo, Bizarro, and Darkseid? To a comic book fanboy, the lack of distinctive villains is really disappointing.

Overall, the game is enjoyable and was worth the $0.99 I paid for it, but it's hardly super.

For more information, here are the game features listed on Chillingo's web site.

Eighteen levels of superpowered action offer a perfect playground for putting Superman’s abilities to the test.

Save Metropolis from the mastermind Lex Luthor and his army of thugs, mechs, and other menacing forces.

Use all of Superman’s most iconic powers, including flight, heat vision, super-breath, super-strength, and super-speed.

Beat score challenges on each level to earn bronze, silver, and gold achievements.

Fantastic soundtrack from the composer of the award-winning Contre Jour!

Superman is available now in the app store for $0.99. Superman HD is available now in the app store for $2.99.