Ok, so let me be upfront about this: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn’t a good game by any stretch of the imagination. I would even go as far as saying that it’s bad. But it’s not ALL bad, and I’m actually finding some fun in it.
Since its launch in February 2024, Rocksteady’s foray into the looter shooter live service market has been met with a resounding “WHY THE F*CK WOULD YOU DO THIS TO THE ARKHAMVERSE!?!” I would wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment, being a massive Arkham fan myself. This sharp turn in direction was the equivalent of the studio punching itself in the face repeatedly, reportedly a victim of toxic positivity from big-wig management types.
Met with terrible reviews, the game has struggled to maintain any sort of player base which has resulted in the game effectively being closed down. The current season is its last, and Rocksteady are winding down support. It’s not surprising because I’ve heard nothing but vitriol about this title since it was released.
I, personally, had no interest in it. However, that changed when it was offered as one of PS Plus’s free games for January. It was free, so why not, eh? That’s when I learned that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, whilst being majorly flawed for sure, has some fun to be had in it.
It’s not all bad, guys!
Rocksteady made a visually pretty game. Why are you laughing? Stop it! I know you’ve seen those screenshots with all of the clutter, like in Borderlands or even worse. It’s absolutely correct that those hit-point markers are higgledy-piggledy distracting and, if you’re damaging a large group of enemies, can even cloud your view from who you’re actually attacking whilst also dropping frames as the console catches up with the sheer information it has to display. That’s not what I’m talking about, and you can even turn a lot of that mess off in accessibility settings, so stop your yammering!
No, I’m talking about the world of a Brainiac-besieged Metropolis. I’m talking about the Hall of Justice, The Daily Planet and The Batman Experience museum. I’m talking about the small Elseworld sandboxes of the endgame. All of them are beautifully rendered and packed full of details and easter eggs. When you just have your character stand in a relatively safe spot and just look out at Metropolis, it’s freaking awesome.
On top of that, the cutscenes are freaking great. The content of those cutscenes may be a little controversial, but you have to admit those character models and animations are beautiful. The step up from Arkham Knight’s Harley Quinn to Suicide Squad’s is unbelievable. The textures of the characters’ skin and outfits are so realistic, even if we are talking about a man-sized shark.
Tell me you weren’t just a tiny bit intrigued by the concept of trying to kill the Justice League. Go on, I dare you. You can’t. Especially with the kind of folk you get in the Suicide Squad. I’ll be the first person to tell you that the Suicide Squad has been a little overused in mainstream media of late in both Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad (thanks for not being confusing DCEU!), but the concept is freaking cool, and I’m up for anything that gives me more Harley (even without Margot Robbie).
After so long playing as the straight-laced Bruce Wayne in the Arkham series, I liked the idea of having these (mostly) underpowered rogues facing off against their mortal enemies, the good guys. However, this time, they are more morally ambiguous, fighting to survive Amanda Waller’s neck bombs. Some of my favorite characters are DC and Marvel villains, and this game lets you play as them. That’s fun.
Granted, the Justice League boss fights are pretty lame, and the villains don’t really play any differently from each other sans their traversal techniques. Still, there was definitely potential in the story. And there are some dope moments in the main narrative, too.
The main aspect of this game that it got spot on was its gunplay. It’s hella fun to jump around with King Shark blasting a mini-gun at cannon-fodder enemies. A lot of third-person shooters can feel a bit awkward to play but not Suicide Squad. It’s solid. The aiming is nice, and the different types of armament play differently enough that you can tell the difference between an assault rifle and an SMG. Rocksteady managed to get the balance between great gun control and a realistic recoil feedback spot on.
It isn’t revolutionary by any means, but I did get a lot of enjoyment out of zipping around as Captain Boomerang and his Speed Force gauntlets, shotgunning a creature in the head, throwing a freeze grenade, switching up to an SMG, shooting another dude in the leg, throwing a boomerang in his face to recharge my shield, and then zipping away. Yes, that’s oddly specific, but it’s a combat loop I’m all too familiar with. It’s satisfying as hell, and that’s why I continued on with the game despite some of its shortcomings.
Boomer is the best by the way.
I can’t recommend Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The overall package is underwhelming. That has become even clearer after I finished the main story and started the endgame. The variety of missions is almost non-existent, the grind for trophies is rage-inducing, and there isn’t much to keep your attention after that. The story ends with a whimper, and so does the final season arc, making me exclaim, “WHAT WAS THE FREAKING POINT?!”
Rocksteady really fumbled the ball on this one. New Batman game? Great! I’m in! New game in the Arkham universe with the same style, penchant for storytelling and characters that play like how they would in the comics (or cartoons)? Yeah, why not! But not a looter-shooter with generic skill trees and a story where the main characters are completely interchangeable without a loss of narrative. Nobody wanted that, especially from a studio held in such high regard.
However.
HOWEVER!
If you want a game to shut your brain off to, with extremely satisfying gunplay and a beautiful, if cluttered, environment, then maybe give this a go. If you’ve ever seen Green Lantern and wanted to kill that stupid movie stone dead, then maybe give this a go (even if it’s a different version of Green Lantern). If you watched The Flash, maybe give this a go. Seriously, I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to off Barry after that film!
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn’t a good game, but it has its plus points, and that might just appeal to you. It did the trick for me for a short time.
