The Man of Steel and the Early Signs of a New Subgenre: How Superman (A2600, 1979) Influenced Platform Adventure Games

This is the first blog entry covering games that are featured on my website about the Platform Adventure (aka Metroidvania) subgenre's history, a site created mainly as a quick reference guide for those looking for the next game to play or relevant and detailed info on earlier games in the subgenre for their other projects.

Released in 1979 for the Atari 2600, Superman was a groundbreaking game that helped to establish superhero themed video games. However, beyond this achievement, Superman also laid some of the foundation for what would later become the platform adventure subgenre, which combines elements of exploration, platforming, and Action Adventure (AA) games. While Superman may not immediately seem to fit within the platform adventure subgenre, it shares some key elements with later games.

The goal of the game is to repair a bridge destroyed by Lex Luthor, capture him and other criminals, and return to the Daily Planet as Clark Kent in the shortest time possible. The bridge is split into three parts, and players must collect the missing parts and return them to the bridge to repair it. Additionally, players must avoid obstacles and enemy attacks as they navigate through the city to capture Lex Luthor.

While Superman is not a true platform adventure game, nor even a proper platformer since the player can't jump, it did help lay some of the groundwork for the subgenre's future development. One of the most notable similarities between Superman and later platform adventure games is its non-linear exploration with some backtracking. Players are free to fly around the open world and explore at their own pace, rather than being confined to a set path. Additionally, the game's transforming into a different form to gain new abilities (at the start of the game, you go into a phone booth to turn into Superman which allows you to fly) and basic puzzle-solving mechanics are reminiscent of the subgenre. Furthermore, it's probably the first game of its type to feature shortcuts that cut back on backtracking, which are accessed by moving off screen vertically instead of horizontally. While a bit confusing in execution and not exactly necessary for such a small game world, it's impressive to see in such an early game when considering many later ones could've used such a feature.

In conclusion, Superman (Atari 2600, 1979) played an important role in the evolution of the video game industry. By introducing some concepts that would later become hallmarks of the platform adventure subgenre and of early action adventure games like Adventure, Superman helped pave the way for some of the most beloved games in video game history. However, while Superman may have been groundbreaking for its time, it is a relatively simple, short and repetitive game by modern standards.

A few games that may have influenced Superman:

• Zork and Colossal Cave Adventure: Both of these games are text-based adventure games that rely heavily on exploration and puzzle-solving. While Superman is obviously not a text-based game, it does share some similarities in terms of its focus on exploration and problem-solving.
• Steeplechase: This game was one of the first to feature a scrolling landscape, which allowed players to see more of the game world as they progressed. Similarly, Superman's open-world environment allowed players to explore a large area without being constrained to a single screen.
• Shark Jaws: In this game the player controls a character swimming freely and trying to collect fish while being chased by a shark. Superman features similar movement as the player navigates through the city, an indestructible enemy in its helicopter, as well as a focus on collecting.

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For a brief overview of the game's features, see its page on my Platform Adventure history website.