NetherRealm Studios’ Injsutice: Gods Among Us was a stunning, dark, exciting take on the DC Universe. For hardcore and casual fans alike, the chance to pit Batman against Wonder Woman or Harley Quinn against Superman was pretty irresistible.
It was far from just a generic fighting game with iconic characters shoehorned in: NetherRealm put real effort into delivering an experience that felt true to the source material.
So, given the game’s commercial and critical success, a sequel was inevitable. In May, we’ll finally have our hands on a finished version of Injustice 2 – but why should we be excited for it?
Updated Combat Mechanics
The combat in the first Injustice was slick and brutal, with a wide range of diverse moves for each character. However, there’s always room for improvement, and in the sequel, NetherRealm have added various new mechanics. This will affect fights considerably, giving us more ways to avoid hits and recover.
To start with, an evasive roll has been added, which allows characters to become invincible to hits for a brief time. You can roll towards enemies for a faster assault, avoiding thrown objects and long-range attacks, and while it costs some energy from your meter, it’ll make a big difference.
Air-recovery also lets you trade in meter-energy to escape those infuriating juggle combos. While you’ll still be open to attack as you return to the ground, it does give you a powerful chance to avoid a barrage of air-based hits.
The New Gear Upgrade Dynamic
The first Injustice featured an RPG aspect based around levelling-up after each battle, but the sequel takes this much further.
You now receive loot after fights, which lets you unlock gear to tailor your characters’ look and abilities. Different types of gear yield different results, affecting speed, strength, defence, health, or even unlocking more moves.
This gear takes the form of new capes, shields, greaves, gloves, and more – in total, there’s in excess of one thousand options in every group. You’ll be able to mix and match pieces, filling five slots for gear and two for special moves. You’ll also have the chance to tweak the gear’s colour, customising your characters’ designs further.
This is bound to offer a deeper playing experience and provide more incentive to keep coming back.
Exciting New Characters
At launch, Injustice included a healthy roster of heroes and villains alike, and this was bolstered further by regular DLC drops. Being able to toss Mortal Kombat’s Scorpion or the madcap Lobo into the mix kept the game feeling fresh.
Injustice 2 will see several familiar faces returning (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman etc.), but there’s plenty of new ones coming along for the ride too.
You’ll get to play as Robin, Supergirl, Poison Ivy, Deadshot, Blue Beetle, Atrocitus, Brainiac, and Gorilla Grodd, and Black Canary. Darkseid’s available as a bonus, while Green Lantern, the Flash, and Supergirl have alternate skins, creating new characters (John Stewart, Reverse Flash, and Power Girl). More announcements are incoming.
This fleshes out the universe and gives fans more reason to pick up the new game, rather than just stick with the first.
A Continuation of the Epic Storyline
Making Superman the villain of Injustice: Gods Among Us was a bold move and a refreshing change to just seeing a familiar bad-guy like the Joker or R’as al Ghul as the primary antagonist. It showed how a character dedicated to good and fairness could easily become a major threat in a logical, believable way.
The plot was so effective and exciting, it led to a comic-book spin-off that’s still going strong today.
Injustice 2 continues the story, and jumps ahead five years, to when Batman and his allies are picking up the pieces. Brainiac is the core villain (apparently), while ‘The Society’ also features, with their eye on taking control of the world. Batman has to build a new squad of heroes to save the day … you can all probably guess how he’ll get on.
There hasn’t been a huge amount revealed about the plot, but there’s just enough to whet our appetites nicely. Here’s hoping the storyline lives up to the original game’s, if not improves upon it …
Faster Character Movement
One tiny niggle in the first Injustice was the somewhat slow walking speed. Jumping and dashing was usually the fastest way to move across the screen, though you might not necessarily have seen it as a major issue.
Still, with Injustice 2, most characters’ walking speed has been increased, making for more fluid, faster gameplay. You want to feel as if you’re playing as characters who are larger than life, and mixed with the super-moves and powers, greater speed will make a difference.
What are you looking forward to seeing in Injustice 2? Let us know!
