Given a certain blockbuster that’s finding its way into cinemas right about now, and with the recent reveal of a cancelled Superman game from Factor 5, it seems like this would be a good time to talk about the issue with Superman games. In a way, it’s a broader issue with Superman as a character and setting the stakes. When you’ve got a character who’s nigh unbeatable, how do you create any real sense of danger?
As one of the very first superheroes, Superman serves well as an archetype of the idealised hero, but his powerset can make it tricky to create a compelling narrative for him. We want our heroes to face difficulties and overcome them, but when you look at just what Superman is capable of, what hurdle can you really throw at him that has any hope of slowing him down?
This is a guy who can fly, can move incredibly fast, is ludicrously strong, can literally see through walls and is, at the end of the day, pretty much invulnerable to just about any physical attack you can throw at him. What challenge can you put in the way of a guy who can do all of that?
When you look at characters like Batman, there are clear limitations placed upon them that allow you to really challenge them. With Batman a good chunk of his stories are really about solving crimes, so long as you stay away from the movies. He has to use his intelligence to move forwards and brute force alone usually won’t get the job done.
This is one of the reasons that Rocksteady’s Arkham series really works, since Batman always has a challenge to go up against that feels appropriate for the character. Street level thugs in general don’t pose much of a threat, but there’s still the risk that they can get in the one lucky shot and bring down the bat, particularly if they’ve got a gun. When you get onto the more heavily armed gangsters then you really have to think about your approach to things, otherwise you’ll surely end up pumped full of lead.
Do you honestly believe that placing Superman in a similar game would work well? What is your average hoodlum going to do to the Man of Steel? If you punch him you’re liable to break your hand, while you’re likely to get hit by a ricochet if you try and fire a gun at him.
This issue is easy to get around in a well written comic or movie, because you don’t constantly have to have your main character coming up against a challenge of this nature. They can struggle with ethical quandaries, with interpersonal relationships or with any of a hundred other things. If you look at Man of Steel as an example, the first half of the movie is about developing Clark Kent as a character before you really get into him being a god that walks amongst men.
In games, however, you need to give your player something to do generally. There needs to be a villain to beat or a puzzle to solve, some problem that you need to find your way past.
Think about Super Mario Bros. as an example, and specifically about level 1-1. Mario has to get past a selection of, frankly, strange enemies, and avoid falling into pits for the mast part. Failing in either of these tasks will genuinely screw up Mario’s day, which I can’t really imagine happening to Superman in the same situation. In fact Superman could fly high above the Mushroom Kingdom, use his super hearing or x-ray vision to detect the castle that Princess Peach is actually in, avoiding the “other castle” debacle, speed down and rescue her before Mario even got to the first flag.
Now I know at this point some of you are screaming at me that you could build a game where Superman’s been depowered somehow, perhaps by a cadre of kryptonite laced enemies, but at that point, are you really playing a Superman game? Superman’s powers may create some issues, I’m not going to deny that, but they’re still defining characteristics of the last son of Krypton. If you’re not freakishly powerful then you’re pretty much just playing as a guy with a particularly penchant for the letter S.
That’s not to say that Superman’s rogue’s gallery doesn’t give you the possibility for some interesting boss battles. Fighting Doomsday, battling an armoured Lex Luthor or being taunted by the extra-dimensional Mr Mxyzptlk certainly have potential. Hell, even going up against someone like Metallo who does kryptonite would be a good way to make that particularly sequence distinct from the rest of the game.
However, the thing with boss fights is that you need to have something to go between them that’s actually enjoyable, and I just can’t see how you can do a traditionally structured third-person action game that feels worth playing in between grand set pieces. There’s just no amount of flying challenges or encounters with thugs that seem like they’d really create any level of difficulty while staying true to one of the most established characters in modern times.
That’s not to say you can’t make a good Superman game though, it just means that you’ll have to go off the beaten track if you’ve got any chance. While I can certainly see how Telltale are putting a Batman game, I’d actually be much more interested in playing a narrative driven game that explores not only Superman but his life as Clark Kent. Having to juggle your commitments as a reporter with your heroic alter-ego certainly has potential, as does a game where you play as a younger Clark, coming to terms with his true nature.
When Superman’s sheer existence removes almost any narrative tension, then why not take the alternative approach and focus in on the character? It might not be to everyone’s taste, but it certainly seems like a far better option than trying, and likely failing, to capture the true power of Superman in a more traditional style.
BrendanCalls
The only was it can be done is a la Heavy Rain or via Telltale.
I’ve been yearning for a good Supes game for years and years but it would seem the developers out there have the same reservations as us about how good a traditional Superman game could be
ron_mcphatty
Nice article! I’m not sure how relevant comic fans would say it is but in the New Adventures of Superman (with Terri Hatcher, phwoar!) Im pretty sure Superman’s main danger was having his identity exposed and some disaster or villain killing innocent people. Saving people from a burning building or extracting scientists from a nuclear thingy having a meltdown would be fun once or twice, but probably not for a whole game. I think Brendan’s got the right idea, something narrative heavy would be good, but how you blend Clark Kent’s journo role with Superman’s apocalypse beating action is a toughy.
ron_mcphatty
Sorry, spoiler alert, I might’ve revealed Superman’s identity! Silly me.
The Lone Steven
I’m going to find you, Ron and I will slap you silly with a fish! No-ONE SPOILS SUPERMAN FOR ME! NO-ONE! *Froths at the mouth* :P
Kris Lipscombe
Absolutely. You need to have both sides of his identity in their for it to work. In fact superhero games don’t focus on secret identities very much, although it was part of Arkham City for a brief while.
bunimomike
Good article, Kris. Superman’s flaw is his lack of flaws. Shame, really. However, I can’t help but think a game – that’s HUGELY story-driven – could work well from his childhood. So, not an action adventure in any classic sense but more a coming-of-age as he tries to deal with the massive changes (and powers) that he’s discovering.
Kris Lipscombe
Go read American Alien. If they adapted that I would be very on board, and as its a short series (6 issues I believe) it’d work well for an episodic game too.
Zoddi
Totally agree that you can only make a game with a heavy character specific narrative part.
For myself i have had always a problem with Superman because of his abilities with nearly no enemy except himself and kryptonite.
The Lone Steven
The main issue Superman has is that he is dangerously close to a Gary Stu and writers seem to add more and more powers to him or so i’ve heard. In a game, he would be overpowered and end up being boring. As others have stated a Superman coming of age could work or just Clark Kent becoming Sups.
But i can see potential if Superman was the antagnoist of a Batman game and Batman has to stop him. It’s not the first time the Man of Steel has gone rogue and fighting him in a game as a boss would be both challenging and exciting. Granted, Kryptonite would be involved as Bats always has that as a plan to weaken Superman.
Or alternatively, a game filled with Superman levels of power enemies but that could be awkard or just frustrating. I like Superman but i do feel he is too overpowered and well, he can be a bit of a dick sometimes. I also feel he didn’t earn his powers but i will admit, i am biased as Batman is my favourite DC character.
JustTaylorNow
It’s not hard to make a superman game, there is so many versions of superman, all they have to do is pick the right version. Do an alternative superman like the Gods Among us, make his villain Doomsday the one guy who can kill him, throw in general Zod too. Create superman in Krypton world rather than earth.
Starman
The tv shows have done the story where he loses his powers, that could make for a game similar to the Arkham series. Coincidentally there were some mentions of Superman in the Arkham Knight game. Maybe they are already making one?
Kris Lipscombe
My point is sort of if you have an entirely depowered Superman, or a Superman where his enemies are all at a similar level, are you really playing as Superman? The point of Superman is, as Max Landis puts it, he’s the adult in the room; he’s so far beyond humans that we’re children to him. If you don’t have that power difference between him and his enemies then what’s the point of playing as Superman.
Starman
Yeah I get your point, it’s a dilemma that still hasn’t been solved as far as games go. I’d go with a weakened superman where you get powers back via upgrades, or a kryptonite issue where he can only access them for a short while.