Superman (1999 Video Game) - Gameplay

Gameplay

Superman is an action-adventure platformer. In the single-player mode, players must complete various tasks and puzzles throughout the 14 stages in the game. The game also features two multi-player modes (a racing mode and a battle mode) that can be played with up to four people.

In the single-player mode, the player assumes the role of Superman who is challenged to complete various tasks and puzzles throughout the 14 stages in the game. Most of the levels in the game are restricted to two types of gameplay; in some levels, referred to as Ride Levels in the game's instruction manual, Superman is instructed to fly through a series of hoops by Lex Luthor; in between, he is also tasked to perform certain feats such as battling Luthor's minions the Dark Shadows and rescuing civilians from natural or artificial disasters, firstly stopping two cars from trapping civilians.

In other levels, referred to as Maze Levels in the game's instruction manual, Superman has uncovered one of his friends from within one of Luthor's outposts, and must escape with them and defeat a boss. These levels are generally more rooted in action-adventure, and make use of puzzle-solving. The game's "virtual Metropolis" in which these stages take place is filled with what the developers called "Kryptonite fog" in an apparent effort by Lex Luthor to diminish Superman's abilities (which is actually distance fog and is used as a technique to mask the game's poor draw distance).

The game includes two multi-player modes (a racing mode and a battle mode) that can be played with up to four people. In the battle mode, players must defeat their opponents by throwing various weapons and items at them. In the racing mode, players control a spaceship and rings shoot from the backside of one opponent.

The game's engine is very flawed; the game's frame rate drops periodically during gameplay and players can frequently fly through walls and go outside level maps in maze levels.