Basic Motion
There are a large number of characters to play in the game, and fortunately they all move in a similar fashion. You use one stick to move and the other to look around, and you use the same buttons to jump, block, dodge, and activate abilities; however, each hero from a Play Set is unique and has his or her own special abilities and methods of attack. They do all share a few common movements that are essential for navigation and platforming.
Jumping
The first common technique is the double jump, and while it is easy to do, there is more to it than merely pressing a button twice. Double jumps will allow you to jump higher, but they can also allow you to jump longer. If you wait until you begin to fall on the first part of your jump, and then press the jump button for the second time, you will extend the distance you cover, allowing you to jump across far ledges and buildings. In each Play Set, jump platforms are set up to launch characters up to predefined landing spots. For those characters without flying, using jump platforms is essential to reach rooftops and other high platforms. If you have Super Jump, holding the jump button sends you sky high. If you don’t begin with Super Jump, check your skill tree for it and, if you have it, unlock your Super Jump ability when you want to increase your vertical leap.
Climbing
Most of the platforming in the game will include plenty of climbing. The skill is easy to perform, but it can be tricky to know where you can actually climb. Look for railings along climbable edges; usually these railings are yellow or blue. Once you are hanging, there are a lot of options including jumping up or over to another grapple point, jumping down or off the structure, or following the hand hold to maneuver around the edge. Other objects, such as poles, can also be climbed. If a hero has Wall Crawl, he or she can climb straight up a surface, regardless of edges or railings.
Block/Dodge
All heroes have the ability to move in a quick fashion—rolling, flipping, hopping—which can be used for defense or offense. A dodge is a great way to avoid an attack (by holding block and pressing the control stick in the direction you want to dodge) and to maneuver into a better position, such as behind an enemy for a sneak attack. If you don’t touch the control stick and press the block button, you defend in place and decrease the damage from melee attacks.
Flying
Some heroes have the ability to fly. In hover mode, the left control stick is used to move left/right/forward/backwards, the jump button moves up, and right control stick moves the camera. In flight mode (i.e., with the left trigger down), the left control stick does barrel rolls (left/right) and the right control stick steers (up/down/left/right). Don’t worry about falling; you can’t be hurt. When you want to land, you can continue full speed into the ground and perform an Air Attack, or you can use your block button to suddenly stop flying and drop to the ground. Some characters might not be able to fly, but they can Web Swing, which, once you know how to sling yourself along, can be almost as good.