Having made decent cameos in both Injustice: Gods Among Us and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, Krypton's favourite son has been in training for a brawler of his very own.

It's a shame, then, that Man of Steel falls short of greatness. Instead of soaring into the clouds, this gesture-based brawler is weighed down by humdrum combat, and a disappointing lack of variety.

As with Infinity Blade, fights are one-on-one bouts of gesture-powered pugilism. To let those fists of justice fly, you simply swipe the touchscreen in the desired direction. You can block attacks by holding your finger on the screen. Dodging (a function which will prove essential to your survival) is managed by buttons in the lower corners of the screen.

Each stage sees you going toe-to-toe with one or more of Zod's Kryptonian attack force. Some enemies, like the Exo Drones, have visual tells that reveal weaknesses in their defence, allowing you to punch through. Most just telegraph their strike, however, giving you a chance to either parry or dodge. We found the latter approach the most reliable, with or block taps often failing to register in time.

It doesn't take long before things start getting a little stale, however. The standard fisticuffs which form the backbone of the game are somewhat limited, with only a handful of decent combos to fall back on. These combos generally end with a supercharged haymaker which sends your foe rocketing off into the distance. Though it's initially satisfying to watch your opponent fly backwards through brick walls, the canned animation becomes quite tiresome quite quickly.

This sense of repitition isn't helped by the fact that all your enemies are dressed in near identical black battle gear. Though we appreciate that the devs are sticking close to the source material, it makes for a visually bland experience.

It's not all bad news, though. Spending experience points on boosting Superman's stats is gratifying. Land enough punches and you'll charge your special powers: a heat vision attack and a super speed boost. Executing these offer flashes of what it feels to be a superhero. Regrettably, these moments are outweighed by the relative flatness of the rest of the fighting.

Ultimately, Man of Steel isn't awful, but doesn't really deliver in the thrills department, either. Superman super-fans will probably find some enjoyment from wailing on Zod and his monocromatic minions. As a straight up brawler, however, Man of Steel never truly takes flight.