So after spending some time watching and playing some matches in Injustice, here are my combined impressions from the PAX weekend. Please note that everything written here comes with 2 caveats:
1) This isn't necessarily the final build or patch state of the game; so any of this information is subject to change before launch on April 16th (US).
2) A lot of this info was collected on a surface level; I didn't have time to explore frame data, or learn any of the characters very deeply. So these observations are quick first impressions, and should be treated as such.
The Game
If I had to describe Injustice in a nutshell, I'd paint it as "a love letter to fighting game and comic fans". What I mean by this, is that it's clear the NetherRealm has paid very close attention to the mechanics that make various types of fighting games work, and they've blended them together in an appealing way. This is combined with a good deal of attention to detail with respect to the DC Comics universe, and the characters themselves.
The Laboratory
One of the most appealing (and least talked about) elements of game design in injustice, is the sheer amount of information that's available to players with one or two button presses. I hadn't seen it mentioned previously; but during a demo session with the game, I was very impressed to see the level of detail in the move screens. Properties of all moves, including which moves can be cancelled or held, which special moves can be used as combo enders for which strings, what was blockable and unblockable, what hits as an overhead, and how enhanced versions of the moves differed from the normal ones, were all laid out in detail in the pause menus. If a trait reduced damage taken, the exact percentage of the reduction was show in an info area next to the move list.
For serious players, and also for anyone looking to level up their knowledge of the game (or fighting game mechanics in general) this is absolutely critical. What it means is that on launch day, players will be able to hop into the game and explore options and properties that might otherwise have taken days to weeks of trial and error to find.
Combined with the frame data that's available for each move, it's a very thoughtful addition, and will save countless hours of searching.
The Stages
Injustice's stages have a lot of options that add to the depth of the game. In the stage select screen, you're able to pick which area of the stage you want to start on, and stage interactions and transitions can be switched on and off independently of each other. In-game, there are a lot of different types of interact-ables. I was able to hop on a motorcycle on one stage, wait for my opponent to come closer, and then run him down with a button press. Some of these interactive options were blockable, while others were not, and they do varying amounts of damage. Some of them are only juggle or air-based hazards, and some of them can be combo'ed into and/or out of.
Trait System
The trait system adds a whole other level to Injustice's meta-game, alongside the traditional meter mechanics. For a number of the characters, the trait provides a sort of 'minigame within the match'. For these characters, the mini-icon next to their super meter shows progress toward an enventual goal or buff. For example, Catwoman's trait is a brutal attack that gains a hit (up to 5) with each successfully dodged attack (using her feline evade). The joker builds up a meter of 3 'Ha' icons with each successful parry, and after 3 he receives a buff that makes him much faster.
In practice, this has some interesting effects; it gives neat perks for using the character's extended tools, it creates a risk/reward factor (because you'll take damage for mistiming a parry, but if it's successful you build your trait), and it allows certain characters to become more dangerous as the match progresses. It's a lot of fun and it will definitely provide a lot of exciting moments in gameplay.
Aside from this, there's a pretty diverse set of standard 'triggerable' traits with warmup/cooldown that apply to some other members of the cast. For example, Lex's trait allows you to absorb a certain number of hits (the first for free, the second for reduced damage etc.) Black Adam gets the orbs that deal damage on contact and absorb attacks. Sinestro gains a sentry above his head that opens up some additional attacks, including a cannon and a chain that binds the opponent for a couple of seconds.
Spacing, Movement, and General Tools
Movement is one of the areas that gives Injustice a unique feel, and it's something that still seems to be evolving a lot in gameplay, even among people who have been able to spend more time with the game. Some of the dashes (like Lex's) cover a LOT of ground, and the air mobility that characters like wonder woman have lead to a lot of interesting spacing and anti-zoning games.
In addition, a lot of characters have convenient tools for anti-airing: catwoman can angle her whip upwards; deathstroke has an angled gunshot; batman can use his grappling hook to grab opponents from out of the air (and bounce them for a combo, possibly with the enhanced version), etc. Also, the fact that a lot of characters have weapons means that there's a nice emphasis on the midrange game. Catwoman's whip, wonder woman's lasso, Aquaman's trident, Nightwing's staff etc. are nice tools for spacing and have to be respected outside close range.
NetherRealm was creative with the enhanced versions of moves in this game; rather than simply adding armor, a lot of the moves add fairly substantial extra properties/range/combo-ability/etc. The ability to enhance moves subtly or hitconfirm some of them into enhanced versions leads to guessing games on the part of the defending player, which is useful.
Wall and Ground Bounces
From the Battle Arena and trailer videos that have been released up to this point, you've likely seen the charged moves each character has that knock their opponent off the edges of the stage (or into the next area of the arena). The charging doesn't actually power up the move, so the fastest version is just as effective -- it's just a timing effect that can be cancelled to allow some mind-games. These moves aren't armored by default, but you can add armor if you so choose, by spending a bar of meter.
In addition to executing the wallbounce by holding back and the Heavy attack button, there's an alternate way to perform wallbounces (and ground bounces, additionally) in combos using either a double-tapped direction and a button, or a QCF motion. These moves have the same properties as the regular ones, but the input can be more convenient to pull off in the middle of a combo string/juggle.
Some General Character Impressions:
Black Adam -- A very interesting character. He has a lot of popup/launcher setups, and a lot of neat combo options he can go into after a launch, some with various enders. He has a beastly divedick with some serious range that allows him to close distance very well. There's a floor trap he can throw onto the ground behind the opponent and then pressure them into for a launch. He seems like a versatile character that'll be a lot of fun to play.
Green Arrow -- GA has a lot of neat mind-games with his abilities, like being able to draw the bow, feign a standing arrow, and then quickly fire off a crouching shot. Or using the standard draw to bait a jump-in and then angling up and shooting the opponent out of the air. His hopping ground arrow can be used to move away while building meter, and it has the added bonus of moving his hitbox off the ground, causing some low attacks to whiff.
His bow spin was very easy to punish if blocked at close range; but the enhanced version had a ranged followup swing than can catch people as they try to counter.
Aquaman -- Aquaman feels at his strongest from fullscreen to midscreen distance. He has powerful zoning attacks, and seems to do best when keeping the opponent out. His trident triple-strike can be used to check opponents that are trying to move in.
Deathstroke -- A number of people asked about his missile launcher; it's an addition to his enhanced gunshot. It takes some time to get used to handling him in-close. His jumping knee seems great for crossups.
Green Lantern -- One of my favorite characters from this build. Feels solid all around, has a few very nice zoning options, including a cannon that angles downward from just above his head (this whiffs at close range) and a single green missle that can be used as an air to ground projectile (good for checking people as they move in). His low kick/slide was great for footsies and spacing games, and his Ermac-esque lift leads to a lot of good traps and setups at midscreen distance when opponents try to close the difference.
Also, the 'swag-factor' of his combos was very high; combo-specialists will probably have a blast with him.
Catwoman -- Will feel very natural to players coming from Mortal Kombat. Great mobility, and her attacks are fast enough to interrupt a lot of other characters' normals once she's in. Her whip is a great spacing tool and really extends her range. Her super is very easy to anti-air with. Incredibly fun and fast character to play, and I'm expecting to see a lot of her both in casual and competitive play.
Bane -- Bane definitely required a completely different playstyle. He is slow, with very long, floaty jumps; but has has a great SF-esque low kick that's a huge help in setting up his close-range game. He has a short-range anti-air grab. He's a bruiser, and needs a different approach than most of the cast. It'll be interesting to explore him more after launch.
Nightwing -- Feels like a very 'fundamentals-based' character. He didn't have a lot of the flashy trait abilities that other characters have, but he's interesting to play given the possibilities available with his dual attack modes. With the escrima sticks out, he has some quick starters in close, and he's great in melee range. With the staff, he's much slower, but the increased range gives him some nice spacing games, and it's a blast to use when your opponent is cornered. His Flying Grayson move covers a lot of distance, but I didn't have tme to check the frame data, so I'm not sure how punishable it is on block or whiff. Using his ground spark is great for baiting jump-ins.
Conclusions
Overall, the game feels like a legitimately new creation. It has a great balance of retaining the best elements from previous NetherRealm games, while pushing other things into completely different directions. The meta-game seems deep -- and it will still be evolving long after the game's launch.
At PAX I was able to watch players from a number of other games come by and interact with Injustice. A lot of those who came in with assorted personal biases based on their favorite franchises, were surprised and commented that the game was different than they expected it'd be. Overall, everyone seemed excited to play it more.
I want to extend a special 'thank you' to Derek, Hector, and Brian from NetherRealm for walking me through some of the features of the game, answering questions throughout the weekend, and generally being great people to be around. You can't escape the feeling that they're genuinely passionate about the games they make; and it definitely translates into the end product.
April 16th can't come soon enough -- See you all on the battlefield!
1) This isn't necessarily the final build or patch state of the game; so any of this information is subject to change before launch on April 16th (US).
2) A lot of this info was collected on a surface level; I didn't have time to explore frame data, or learn any of the characters very deeply. So these observations are quick first impressions, and should be treated as such.
The Game
If I had to describe Injustice in a nutshell, I'd paint it as "a love letter to fighting game and comic fans". What I mean by this, is that it's clear the NetherRealm has paid very close attention to the mechanics that make various types of fighting games work, and they've blended them together in an appealing way. This is combined with a good deal of attention to detail with respect to the DC Comics universe, and the characters themselves.
The Laboratory
One of the most appealing (and least talked about) elements of game design in injustice, is the sheer amount of information that's available to players with one or two button presses. I hadn't seen it mentioned previously; but during a demo session with the game, I was very impressed to see the level of detail in the move screens. Properties of all moves, including which moves can be cancelled or held, which special moves can be used as combo enders for which strings, what was blockable and unblockable, what hits as an overhead, and how enhanced versions of the moves differed from the normal ones, were all laid out in detail in the pause menus. If a trait reduced damage taken, the exact percentage of the reduction was show in an info area next to the move list.
For serious players, and also for anyone looking to level up their knowledge of the game (or fighting game mechanics in general) this is absolutely critical. What it means is that on launch day, players will be able to hop into the game and explore options and properties that might otherwise have taken days to weeks of trial and error to find.
Combined with the frame data that's available for each move, it's a very thoughtful addition, and will save countless hours of searching.
The Stages
Injustice's stages have a lot of options that add to the depth of the game. In the stage select screen, you're able to pick which area of the stage you want to start on, and stage interactions and transitions can be switched on and off independently of each other. In-game, there are a lot of different types of interact-ables. I was able to hop on a motorcycle on one stage, wait for my opponent to come closer, and then run him down with a button press. Some of these interactive options were blockable, while others were not, and they do varying amounts of damage. Some of them are only juggle or air-based hazards, and some of them can be combo'ed into and/or out of.
Trait System
The trait system adds a whole other level to Injustice's meta-game, alongside the traditional meter mechanics. For a number of the characters, the trait provides a sort of 'minigame within the match'. For these characters, the mini-icon next to their super meter shows progress toward an enventual goal or buff. For example, Catwoman's trait is a brutal attack that gains a hit (up to 5) with each successfully dodged attack (using her feline evade). The joker builds up a meter of 3 'Ha' icons with each successful parry, and after 3 he receives a buff that makes him much faster.
In practice, this has some interesting effects; it gives neat perks for using the character's extended tools, it creates a risk/reward factor (because you'll take damage for mistiming a parry, but if it's successful you build your trait), and it allows certain characters to become more dangerous as the match progresses. It's a lot of fun and it will definitely provide a lot of exciting moments in gameplay.
Aside from this, there's a pretty diverse set of standard 'triggerable' traits with warmup/cooldown that apply to some other members of the cast. For example, Lex's trait allows you to absorb a certain number of hits (the first for free, the second for reduced damage etc.) Black Adam gets the orbs that deal damage on contact and absorb attacks. Sinestro gains a sentry above his head that opens up some additional attacks, including a cannon and a chain that binds the opponent for a couple of seconds.
Spacing, Movement, and General Tools
Movement is one of the areas that gives Injustice a unique feel, and it's something that still seems to be evolving a lot in gameplay, even among people who have been able to spend more time with the game. Some of the dashes (like Lex's) cover a LOT of ground, and the air mobility that characters like wonder woman have lead to a lot of interesting spacing and anti-zoning games.
In addition, a lot of characters have convenient tools for anti-airing: catwoman can angle her whip upwards; deathstroke has an angled gunshot; batman can use his grappling hook to grab opponents from out of the air (and bounce them for a combo, possibly with the enhanced version), etc. Also, the fact that a lot of characters have weapons means that there's a nice emphasis on the midrange game. Catwoman's whip, wonder woman's lasso, Aquaman's trident, Nightwing's staff etc. are nice tools for spacing and have to be respected outside close range.
NetherRealm was creative with the enhanced versions of moves in this game; rather than simply adding armor, a lot of the moves add fairly substantial extra properties/range/combo-ability/etc. The ability to enhance moves subtly or hitconfirm some of them into enhanced versions leads to guessing games on the part of the defending player, which is useful.
Wall and Ground Bounces
From the Battle Arena and trailer videos that have been released up to this point, you've likely seen the charged moves each character has that knock their opponent off the edges of the stage (or into the next area of the arena). The charging doesn't actually power up the move, so the fastest version is just as effective -- it's just a timing effect that can be cancelled to allow some mind-games. These moves aren't armored by default, but you can add armor if you so choose, by spending a bar of meter.
In addition to executing the wallbounce by holding back and the Heavy attack button, there's an alternate way to perform wallbounces (and ground bounces, additionally) in combos using either a double-tapped direction and a button, or a QCF motion. These moves have the same properties as the regular ones, but the input can be more convenient to pull off in the middle of a combo string/juggle.
Some General Character Impressions:
Black Adam -- A very interesting character. He has a lot of popup/launcher setups, and a lot of neat combo options he can go into after a launch, some with various enders. He has a beastly divedick with some serious range that allows him to close distance very well. There's a floor trap he can throw onto the ground behind the opponent and then pressure them into for a launch. He seems like a versatile character that'll be a lot of fun to play.
Green Arrow -- GA has a lot of neat mind-games with his abilities, like being able to draw the bow, feign a standing arrow, and then quickly fire off a crouching shot. Or using the standard draw to bait a jump-in and then angling up and shooting the opponent out of the air. His hopping ground arrow can be used to move away while building meter, and it has the added bonus of moving his hitbox off the ground, causing some low attacks to whiff.
His bow spin was very easy to punish if blocked at close range; but the enhanced version had a ranged followup swing than can catch people as they try to counter.
Aquaman -- Aquaman feels at his strongest from fullscreen to midscreen distance. He has powerful zoning attacks, and seems to do best when keeping the opponent out. His trident triple-strike can be used to check opponents that are trying to move in.
Deathstroke -- A number of people asked about his missile launcher; it's an addition to his enhanced gunshot. It takes some time to get used to handling him in-close. His jumping knee seems great for crossups.
Green Lantern -- One of my favorite characters from this build. Feels solid all around, has a few very nice zoning options, including a cannon that angles downward from just above his head (this whiffs at close range) and a single green missle that can be used as an air to ground projectile (good for checking people as they move in). His low kick/slide was great for footsies and spacing games, and his Ermac-esque lift leads to a lot of good traps and setups at midscreen distance when opponents try to close the difference.
Also, the 'swag-factor' of his combos was very high; combo-specialists will probably have a blast with him.
Catwoman -- Will feel very natural to players coming from Mortal Kombat. Great mobility, and her attacks are fast enough to interrupt a lot of other characters' normals once she's in. Her whip is a great spacing tool and really extends her range. Her super is very easy to anti-air with. Incredibly fun and fast character to play, and I'm expecting to see a lot of her both in casual and competitive play.
Bane -- Bane definitely required a completely different playstyle. He is slow, with very long, floaty jumps; but has has a great SF-esque low kick that's a huge help in setting up his close-range game. He has a short-range anti-air grab. He's a bruiser, and needs a different approach than most of the cast. It'll be interesting to explore him more after launch.
Nightwing -- Feels like a very 'fundamentals-based' character. He didn't have a lot of the flashy trait abilities that other characters have, but he's interesting to play given the possibilities available with his dual attack modes. With the escrima sticks out, he has some quick starters in close, and he's great in melee range. With the staff, he's much slower, but the increased range gives him some nice spacing games, and it's a blast to use when your opponent is cornered. His Flying Grayson move covers a lot of distance, but I didn't have tme to check the frame data, so I'm not sure how punishable it is on block or whiff. Using his ground spark is great for baiting jump-ins.
Conclusions
Overall, the game feels like a legitimately new creation. It has a great balance of retaining the best elements from previous NetherRealm games, while pushing other things into completely different directions. The meta-game seems deep -- and it will still be evolving long after the game's launch.
At PAX I was able to watch players from a number of other games come by and interact with Injustice. A lot of those who came in with assorted personal biases based on their favorite franchises, were surprised and commented that the game was different than they expected it'd be. Overall, everyone seemed excited to play it more.
I want to extend a special 'thank you' to Derek, Hector, and Brian from NetherRealm for walking me through some of the features of the game, answering questions throughout the weekend, and generally being great people to be around. You can't escape the feeling that they're genuinely passionate about the games they make; and it definitely translates into the end product.
April 16th can't come soon enough -- See you all on the battlefield!
)
