The skeleton of the game is still the same. NetherRealm Studios use their “Mortal Kombat” template to provide a smooth, fantastic fighting experience that is easy to play but hard to master. Again, each character comes with dozens of moves, from basic attack combinations to what are called Supermoves, accessible after a meter fills and leading to often-hysterical cutscene animations of absolute destruction. For example, Catwoman runs her opponent over with a motorcycle and then turns to jump the chopper itself on to her enemy. Each fight sequence plays out a little differently, not just because of the wide variety of moves but because even the arenas can impact the outcome. In certain places you can interact with the space itself, from throwing a ceiling fan at your enemy to kicking them into a giant statue in the background.

If “Injustice 2” was nothing more than a great fighter it would be worth playing, but it’s the depth beyond that and the customization allowed that makes it so accomplished and addictive. As you play through the game, in various modes, you will find boxes of gear designed to customize and upgrade your fighters. Finding just the right mask for The Flash or gauntlets for Batman could make just the difference in the outcome of your fight. And each fighter has individual XP that ticks up with each battle, allowing them access to new gear. It’s such a simple idea but it’s never been accomplished this successfully before—each fighter is turned into an RPG character instead of just a combatant who will be the same each time you pick up a controller. The game even expands to include something as minor as purely visual customization—different color outfits for your fighters—and something as major as actual new abilities, only opened as you level up and earn them.

How do you get all this superhero swag? “Injustice 2” includes all the expected modes, including Online combat, local Multiplayer combat, and a relatively-long Story mode that is essentially an animated film with a whole lot of fight scenes for you to play out. The coolest new addition is something called the Multiverse, which is basically a series of events that change each day and allow you to build up your fighters and earn new gear. They are sometimes just a series of fights—a ladder of 3-8 fights of increasing difficulty—but they also often have neat twists on the structure. For example, in one series, gravity plays differently, allowing you to juggle your slow-falling opponent with a series of blows. In another, you can call in a tag-team assistant at certain intervals. In yet another, the entire floor electrifies every five seconds. The Multiverse events create new challenges and new ways to play the game for you every single day. And as the game expands with downloadable heroes and other content, it feels like the rare fighting game that will be as fresh six months after its release as on the day it came out.