There are superhero games that follow a pre-set mission sequence, but City Hero starts with an open city and lets you decide where you want to go first. From high-rise rooftops and bustling streets to dangerous alleyways, Vice Town becomes a playground where you can run, jump, swing, and charge straight into confrontations with criminal gangs.
The highlight of City Hero lies in how the city is used as part of the gameplay. You don't always need to be on the ground. When the distance between two buildings is too great, the grappling hook becomes an extremely useful means of transportation, allowing the character to cling to elevated positions and quickly move from one rooftop to another.
Below is a city with constantly appearing missions and encounters. You can move by normal running, accelerate with Sprints, or utilize powerful jumps to access an area in a different way.
Confrontations in City Hero don't stop at hand-to-hand combat. During gameplay, the arsenal expands with a variety of options from melee weapons to blasters. This makes the difference between charging straight into a group of opponents and finding an advantageous position before attacking.
After the usual missions, Zombie Arena completely changes the pace. Instead of moving through the city to find targets, you must fight off increasingly dangerous waves of zombies. Surviving longer opens up opportunities for rewards, while the robot boss creates a more challenging test of your combat skills.
WASD or arrow keys are used for movement, the mouse controls the camera angle, Spacebar for jumping, and Shift for sprinting. The E key activates the grappling hook, M opens or hides the map, and B takes you to the weapons depot.
The combination of running, jumping, grappling hooks, and combat makes movement in Vice Town just as important as taking down opponents. You can approach from the street, climb to higher ground, and then suddenly land in the middle of a battle.
City Hero is suitable for times when you want the freedom to explore instead of just following a straight path. When street missions become familiar, the Zombie Arena and unlockable equipment create more goals to further develop your character.
If you want to play like a street-smart superhero, Vice Town has plenty of room for you to create your own unique movement and fighting style with City Hero.
