Death and Return of Superman

Death and Return of Superman
a game by Sunsoft, and Blizzard Entertainment
Genres: Action, Arcade Classics, Fighting Games, Platformer
Platforms: Sega GenesisGenesis, SNESSNES
Editor Rating: 7.1/10, based on 5 reviews
User Rating: 6.8/10 - 26 votes
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See also: Comics Games, Marvel Games, Superman Games

As usual, Metropolis is in dire trouble. Superman is battling Doomsday to keep the city intact, but this time the Man of Steel ends up defeated -- and dead. Thus begins Sunsoft's The Death and Return of Superman, an average beat-em-up contest based on the popular DC Comics series.

Blue and Red... And Black and Blue

After Superman's demise, four Superman wannabes come out of the woodwork to fill the downed hero's shoes. As you fight through the game's ten levels, battling all forms of ground- and air-based opponents, you play as sassy Superboy, dark Eradicator, metallic Man of Steel, or robotic Cyborg.

Each character has their own special attack and super weapon in addition to the normal punches, throws, and flying moves. Only through a careful combination of these powers can the real Superman be brought back for his revenge and Metropolis's salvation.

Fortunately, control is consistent from character to character. The on-screen moves may be unique -- such as the Man of Steel's sledgehammer swing -- but the end result is nearly always effective. This setup simplifies the switch from one superhero to the next.

Sorry, Kent Hear You

The background music rocks, providing adrenaline-pumping motivation as you play. However, the Genesis can't always keep up the pace with the other audio, and often drops key sound effects when the action gets heavy, which momentarily pulls you out of the game.

Death and Return's graphics are really sharp and colorful, but the animation is often jerky and quite repetitive. For example, the flying enemy Warworlder is simply recolored Elite from earlier levels.

Kryptonite Moves

Death and Return has some thumb-busting segments and plot-building intermissions, but by the time you reach the later levels, you'll be worn out by the redundancy of the game play. Hover, wait, attack... hover, wait, attack... and so on.

The final battle, if you have the stamina to make it, is an exercise in tedium: Fall once and you submit to a life-depleting pounding. Too bad -the story is compelling, the variety of Supermen is interesting, and there's a wealth of moves you can execute. But where's the game play? Guess it S-caped.

ProTips:

  • Watch for the shadows of falling debris so you know where they'll land and can avoid being hit.
  • First deal with the enemies who can damage you from a distance, then take on the ones that punch from up close.
  • Fly above the action on the ground to find power-ups, attack icons, and extra lives.
  • Enemies can be taken out by each other and by hazards, so try to draw an adversary into a jam.
  • When battling Elite, fly above him to keep him from shooting you out of the sky.

Download Death and Return of Superman

Genesis

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Game modes: Single game mode

Player controls:

  • Up, Down, Left, Right - Arrow keys
  • Start - Enter (Pause, Menu select, Skip intro, Inventory)
  • "A" Gamepad button - Ctrl (usually Jump or Change weapon)
  • "B" button - Space (Jump, Fire, Menu select)
  • "C" button - Left Shift (Item select)

Use the F12 key to toggle mouse capture / release when using the mouse as a controller.

SNES

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Pentium II (or equivalent) 266MHz (500MHz recommended), RAM: 64MB (128MB recommended), DirectX v8.0a or later must be installed

Game Reviews

Some say that the Man of Steel has lost his luster. Others say that the new breed of superheroes looks too much like flying Fabios, and only the original can save the day. In Death and Return of Superman, which is based on DC Comics's The Death of Superman and The Reign of Superman, the only thing that will need saving is your thumbs.

Tales From the Krypt(onite)

The Death and Return of Superman is ten levels (each with about three stages) of side- scrolling, rock-em-sock-em action at its best. Although the Master of Metropolis may be nan one of the older superheroes on the block, Sunsoft's interesting adaptation of the comic story line gives you more than enough to stay interested.

It seems that ol' Clark Kent has written his last article. While fighting a creature named Doomsday, he's killed by the force of its blast. During Metropolis's reconstruction, four pseudo-Supers appear, all lined up for Superman's job. There's a half-man, half-robot Supe, The Cyborg; a mysterious Supe named The Eradicator; and even Superboy, a Krypton kid who has more attitude than Roseanne Arnold. Finally, there's the mysterious Man of Steel, a liquid-metal heavy who doesn't look like he has the best of intentions for Metropolis. The cool thing about these Supes is that you play as each character in different stages -- the only way to discover the real Superman and find out the story's ending is by surviving the game in the guise of each Superman wannabe.

When the action begins, you slug your way through some nice-looking but repetitive stages, knocking off chain- saw-wielding maniacs, bomb-throwing lunatics, and armored futuristic soldiers -- just to name a few. And that's just on the Metropolis subway! You also travel through a ravaged laboratory, some mean streets, and other desolate landscapes. Most of the action is straightforward combat, but there are some hokey flying/ shooting sequences that seem to have been thrown in as an afterthought. At the end of the stage, you'll square off with some square-jawed (or multijawed) comic boss, like Doomsday or Man o' Steel.

ProTip: Let your opponents do the work for you, especially those that throw or shoot, line yourself up and move quickly, and they'll end up shooting one of their own.

While Doomsday's nasty mutants hunt you down, you've got only your reputation behind you -- along with some slammin' aerial and ground maneuvers. Each Superman is equipped with the standard punches and kicks, along with eight different moves like standard combinations, jumping attacks, shooting attacks, screen-clearing wipe-out attacks, and four different grabs. During different parts of the games, the super dudes can also hover or fly and perform attacks from midair. All are done with controls that are so simple, you won't even have to think as you fight. Just stick and move, bob and weave.

It's Plain to See

Although Sunsoft worked hard to capture the look and feel of the comic, the graphics in Death and Return don't really dazzle. The main character sprite suffers from superhero shrinkage, if Super-man is larger than life, then life seems pretty small on the screen. The backgrounds, though well drawn, are standard back-alley drops, and the enemies are uninspired. The bosses are a little more fearsome, but nothing that'll melt your Kryptonite. The cinema cut scenes stand out and are better illustrated than anything else in the game.

The sounds are average, with decent dashing do-good disco music. All the other sound effects are pretty nondescript, so maybe a Walkman is in order. You sure won't be missing anything.

Truth, Justice...and The American Game

Superman is good, though maybe not quite as good as another walk-n-sock fighter featuring a different caped hero. However, the ability to play as the different characters, plus fun, diverse, challenging game play, make it a real contender -- you decide which game you think is better.

If you're crazy for Clark Kent, or you're a Man of Steel maniac, then you'll want to add this to your collection of Super-memorabilia. Good comic-book game translations are few and far between, and this one's a lot better than most. It's a bird...it's a plane...it's the Death and Return of Superman!

  • Trap bosses off-screen and whale away.
  • Getting too crowded on the rooftops? Throw some opponents over the edge. They'll come crawling back, but you buy some time.
  • Beware of enemies' carring weapons, especially Molotov and Defender. They can hit you from a distance.
  • When going after the Elite flying enemies, fly just below them and hit them around the knees. You'll have to do it twice to kill them, so keep on your toes...er, cape.

It's a bird... it's a plane... it's... Superman? That's right, despite rumors of his early demise; the Man of Steel's made a remarkable recovery.

The 16-meg Death and Return of Superman seeks to recreate the famous DC Comics story. In this video comic book, you'll see Superman die, you'll go to his funeral, and then you'll get to meet four new characters: The Eradicator, the Man of Steel, Cyborg, and Super Boy. Each one claims to be the real Superman. What happens at the end? Who is the real Steel? Aw, come on, you're gonna have to play it to find out.

The game play boasts the ability to play as each of the four new Supermen, plus the original. Huge, beautifully rendered character sprites bring each of the superheroes to life, and each has a repertoire of special moves straight out of the comic. At first look, the action's got some of the elements of a head-to-head fighting game, but you also advance through side-view, multi-scrolling levels in the tradition of Double Dragon.

The game loosely follows the events of the Death of Superman starting from the time that the Underworlder's take over the Metropolis Power Plant to Superman's return and defeat of the Cyborg. Other heroes such as Green Lantern, Supergirl, and the Justice League are omitted from the game and other notable enemies such as Mongul are also missing from the plot. While an image of an unpowered Superman is present in the game, the player never gets to battle with Superman in this form.

Events that take place in the game are: the Underworlder's attack on the power plant, Doomsday's appearance and defeat/victory against Superman (Doomsday is twice fought against as a boss character), the Cyborg's assault on Cadmus to retrieve the body of Doomsday, the battle between the Eradicator and Steel, the destruction of Coast City and the subsequent fight between the Eradicator and the Cyborg, Superboy's fight against the Cyborg, Steel's assault on engine city, Superboy's assault on the missile bound for Metropolis, Steel's destruction of the engine, and finally Superman's final battle with the Cyborg.


CHARACTER PROFILES

SUPERMAN The greatest hero of all time, Superman guards Metropolis and the world against all evil forces.

THE CYBORG Half man, half machine. Cyborg's organic parts match Superman's DNA identically while his metallic parts appear Kryptonian in origin. Is this Superman rebuilt?

THE ERADICATOR Regenerated within the Fortress of Solitude, the Eradicator is Superman reborn. Or is he?

SUPERBOY Created within the genetic tubes of the Cadmus Project, Superboy claims to be a teenage clone of superman.

THE MAN OF STEEL A.K.A. John Henry Irons, former special weapons designer for Westin Technologies, The Man of Steel has pledged his life to carrying on Superman's legacy of justice.

Join your all time favorite superheroes, Superman, Superboy, The Man of Steel, The Man of Tomorrow, The son of Krypton, and Doomsday in the Death and Return of Superman. In this beat em’ up style video game, the player must defeat enemies that are armed with guns, bombs, or chainsaws. You, as the player, take on a pre-determined Superhero that have your basic skills and abilities such as punches, grappling attacks, throws, grab and throw upward, grab and throw backward, grab and pummel, a projectile attack, or an “ultimate” attack that will destroy all of the standard enemies that appear on the screen. Some heroes can fly, giving them the ability to avoid or conquer in battle or overcome various obstacles. On some levels, you will have to fly. There are also times, however, where elevated platforms will not allow you to use your flying ability. Although there may be a “boss” character on the standard melee levels, you will not find one on the flying levels. As the game advances, characters can be armed with a more powerful energy type of weapon and you will face robots rather than your typical melee character. This single player video game released by Blizzard Entertainment, is compatible with Super Nintendo and Genesis, and is for children and adults over 13 years of age.

Snapshots and Media

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Screenshots

SNES/Super Nintendo/Super Famicom Screenshots

See Also

Viewing games 1 to 2
Captain America and the Avengers
The Red Skull is out to conquer the world once again, so it's up to Captain America and the Avengers to stop him and his army of thugs.
Batman Forever
It's another bat-a-riffic adventure for Batman and his bot wonder.

Discuss it on forum

5 comments total – View all
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    Justin Garcia CoolDuelist said on Forum:

    This game is really cool! If you read the comics of superman's death and like them, then how would you feel if you could watch and play them? If you would feel good, then this game is Highly Recommended to you, unlike some games and movies, this game is exact to the comic and has some of the exact lines from the actual comic books. This game is Highly Recommended by me, JGCD!