Despite the fact that the DC Universe’s greatest heroes will spend the spring whaling on each other in NetherRealm’s upcoming brawler Injustice: Gods Among Us, there still must be a shred of justice within them, right? We’d like to think so, and so do the folks at NetherRealm who have just announced an Injustice iOS app from the same folks that brought you Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, that functions as both a stand-alone touch-based fighting game and has crossover elements that will enhance your console experience, too. The best news of all? It’s free to play, so you won’t need Bruce Wayne’s fortune to have your fisticuff-flavored cake and eat it too. After seeing it first-hand last week at GDC, this has to be the best bit of Justice League-related news since Guillermo del Toro hinted that he might be tackling a Justice League Dark film.

Unlike the console version, the app will feature 3-on-3 tag team fighting, which gives the game more of a Marvel vs. Capcom feel in all the right ways. With simple touch-based inputs – e.g., two fingers to block, tapping character portraits to tag in – the game boasts some majorly impressive graphics utilizing a modified version of Unreal Engine 3. Judging by these screenshots, we’d be hard-pressed to tell you which was which if it weren’t for the character portraits on the UI.

Like most free-to-play games, there are micro-transactions for those looking to have the full experience right off the bat. However, the game’s producers assured me that every element of the game is unlockable through simply playing it. Taking cues from collectible card games, players will earn coins which they can then use to purchase “booster packs” which contain alternate costumes, hidden characters and in-game bonuses.
Curious as to why you’d need two versions of the game? NetherRealm thought of that, too. By signing up for a WBID account (similar to Ubisoft’s Uplay system), you can get cross-platform unlockables and rewards that influence gameplay like exclusive skins, booster packs and passive gameplay perks. So, now you have an even better reason to ignore your friends while you wait in line for the midnight screening of Man of Steel.

The console edition of Injustice: Gods Among Us is due out on April 16th, with the iOS app following shortly thereafter. Stay tuned for our first impressions of the console game and more juicy tidbits. What do you think? Will you be downloading the app? Let us know in the comments below.