The game has an 80 sq. mile free-roaming map, and the character is able to fly into the stratosphere generated in the game though not into the depths of the ocean surrounding the fictional city. Superman's complete array of superpowers are at the player's disposal, and the player is required to 'master' Superman's powers, because Superman might cause harm to the city if his powers are used incorrectly. If the player wishes to use heat vision, they must use the right power level, for too much power can lead to civilian casualties and destruction. Although at the beginning of the game you will start off using the most basic forms of Superman's powers and you will be required to upgrade them in order to achieve greater strength, speed, distance and damage.
As for the flying in-game, the player will be able to fly at different speeds, the maximum being 800 mph, which is faster than the speed of sound. The faster Superman travels, the more the screen will blur. As stated above, each power will have different levels of energy.
In the main game, Superman is invincible: no matter what happens to Superman in the game, he cannot be killed. The one exception is during the second part of the tutorial mission which is three boss fights in a row without a checkpoint on War World, here Superman does take damage to the point of mission failure. But Metropolis isn't as fortunate, there is a damage meter - if too much damage is done to the city during a mission (in other words, if the damage meter is fully depleted) then the game ends. Superman has a stamina meter that depletes as more power is used. Player can fly Superman into the atmosphere and absorb sunlight to replenish the stamina meter faster, as performed by Superman many times in comic books.
In the game, the player is challenged to be creative with Superman's powers. To stop a burning building, for example, Superman could use his freeze breath and risk not being able to save all of the civilian casualties in time, or alternatively, he could pick up a fire truck and station it at a more convenient level (i.e. on top of a building adjacent to the burning one) for a faster extinguishing effect.
Amongst the various unlockables, there are alternate costumes (a 'Pod Suit' and 'Golden Age Suit' are featured in addition to the suit from the film). These costumes will be accessed from the 'Fortress of Solitude' (the menu screen). A 'Bizarro' mode is also featured where the player must destroy as much as they are told to in a limited time. There is also an unlockable 'Bizarro rampage' mode that will allow the player to cause havoc as Bizarro for an unlimited amount of time. This mode is accessible by using a cheat code found on the Superman Returns DVD.
Superman's famed x-ray vision is used automatically when Superman picks-up an object. The object is made transparent to the player so it will not obstruct the player's point of view during gameplay.