What’s that in the sky? It’s a plane, it’s a bird…no it’s a me, Pyros! Yeah, not sure where I was going with that but I’ve written it down so it’s staying there. Feel free to roast me for it. Anyways, the virtual streets are once again buzzing with rumors and gossip and this time it’s about a possible Superman game made by the people at RockSteady. Everyone wants a Superman game. Heck, I want a Superman, OK to be honest I really don’t care too much like that BUT, I would like to see what a SuperMan could look like and so with that I’d like to discuss how a Superman game would work gameplay wise.
Now, I really doubt I need to explain who Superman is as a character but I will let you know who Rocksteady are since in fairness not everyone may have heard of them. Rocksteady Studios Limited is a British video game developer based in Kentish Town, London. These are the folks who’ve made games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Knight & Batman: Arkham VR that I just learned about. Safe to say, this guys are expert in making Batman games. While there has been talk of these folks making and developing a Superman game, Rocksteady’s own co-founder and game director, Sefton Hill has basically crushed everyone’s dreams by clearly stating that there will be NO SUPERMAN GAME!
Looking forward to #TheGameAwards this year! We’re still hard at work in our development bunker so don’t expect an announcement from @Rocksteadygames. When it’s ready to show, you’ll be the first to know. Spoiler: it’s not Superman 😳
— Sefton Hill (@Seftonhill) November 30, 2018
Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s all just a cover up! Either way, there’s no Superman….yet! The Batman Arkam games have be hailed as one of the greats when it comes to games based on super heroes, but how will work with Superman.
With the Batman games or all other Super heroes games, creating a believable experience is easy enough. Most heroes can die! Most heroes have weaknesses, enemies that can rival them. Superman is different. The man of Steel is over-powered, lacks any true weakness aside from Kryptonite (which he’s sometimes also bullshitted through in the past) and has tons of abilities. He is created to surpass and break through any limits.
How does one accurately create an authentic Superman game without well, bastardizing an iconic character like that? How do you make a Superman game fun is what I’m getting at. Well, I have a number of ideas. First off, stories play a pivotal roles in creating a fun gameplay. Once you have a narrative set, building a gameplay around it becomes easier.
Visuals aside, it’s the gameplay and story that really makes the game. Obvious statement but people seem to forget that! Just look at any of the Batman games and the recently released Spider-Man PS4. They both have great story and great gameplay. One of my ideas for a Superman game, and probably the safest bet would be to tell an original origin story where Clark first awakens his powers. Instead of starting out with some overpowered character, we can start small and nail down some of his powers. Since this will be SuperMan first game in years, there’s no harm to it and more importantly, no fatigue of seeing a young clark origin story like Peter in Spiderman.
It can act as a trilogy of sort. First game can be the origin, second game would feature a more experienced Superman still coming to grips with who he’s meant to be and the third game could be of some climatic world – ending disaster or something. I mean by that time, Superman has already mastered his powers and it would give this sense of gratifying feeling that we watched him become this strong. We’d understand not only he’s strengths physically, but also his morals, believes and what he stands for!
Keep in mind that most people don’t read comics and aren’t aware of who Superman really is as character. This would be a great way to introduce that version Superman to the world. Let me know your thoughts on this matter.
