Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been heavily criticized even before its release. Loot, seasons, and a service-game model are far removed from the original Batman series. MeinMMO author Nikolas Hernes played the game and believes that despite many criticisms, Suicide Squad is a good shooter.
I love the Batman Arkham games and was finally excited after over 8 years to receive a new DC game from Rocksteady. However, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was criticized a lot even before its release. Live-service aspects, generic mission design, and the genre change dampened the anticipation of many fans of the series.
Now the game is released, and the reviews show that many people seem to be dissatisfied with it. I, on the other hand, am having a lot of fun with the game and think that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has actually become a really good shooter, at least if you engage with the game structure.
The fight against god-like heroes
Let’s start with a positive aspect right away: the story and the characters. I liked the premise of the evil Justice League. As in Injustice, the mere question of how to defeat these god-like heroes is highly appealing.
In terms of humor, the game resembles James Gunn’s Suicide Squad movie. The characters are vulgar, brutal, and constantly spouting nonsense. The combination of King Shark, Captain Boomerang, and Harley is especially fun. Deadshot could have used a bit more character and interactions, though. The other recurring villains also have their evil
charm.
The Justice League itself could have used more backstory. Batman has a lot of presence in the story and is the commander of Brainiac’s troops, but the other heroes remain relatively flat. This is mainly because we don’t learn much about their backgrounds. A cool aspect is how the cheeky remarks from the former heroes are handled. Having the cheeky responses now on the evil side makes them feel a lot more threatening.
How the heroes are ultimately treated in the story is a controversial topic for many. In my opinion, it fits with a Suicide Squad game. Task Force X consists of villains who sometimes have their own vendetta against the heroes. Despite their good
mission, they are still villains who enjoy attacking the Justice League and have no moral code.
A good loot shooter with minor issues
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League reminds me of Borderlands 2 and the great moments I had there. After quick, satisfying battles, there’s new loot to improve my character.
The 4 playable characters differ primarily in their movement options and types of weapons. Each has its own skill tree, but it mainly relates to passive bonuses and buffs that come into play in a combo system. What bothers me here is that Rocksteady hardly experiments with the characters. While they all play a little differently, at their core they remain somewhat flat:
- King Shark’s physique and animal-like powers are hardly used in combat
- Harley Quinn doesn’t use typical clown gadgets, but only grenades like every other character
- Captain Boomerang has the Speed Force of Flash, but it’s only used for movement in gameplay
- Deadshot’s hand cannons are only used for close combat
A lot of potential has been left unexploited. Different classes could easily have been made out of the 4 characters – like in an RPG.
In conjunction with the fun shooting and the verticality of the city, there is still a nice flow in most battles. I particularly enjoyed King Shark, who jumps into action from the air with his stompers and dishes out in close combat.
In combat itself, there is often, fittingly, great chaos, just like in the Suicide Squad. However, this chaos can be controlled with the 3 abilities, grenades, and various elements, which was the main feature for me when building my character.
A beautiful city full of the same missions
For the main part of the game, you are in Metropolis. The city is perfectly designed for movement options, so I never felt the need for fast travel.
Metropolis is beautifully represented and gives the feeling of being in the DC world. The world of the Arkham games is expanded, and references like the Daily Planet where Superman works made my nerd heart race. As in previous games, Rocksteady has put a lot of effort into creating an organically and logically designed city.
However, the mission structure leaves something to be desired. Most of the time, it boils down to killing many enemies. I also think the boss fights could have been a bit more spectacular; most require the same approach. At least the events are often lightened up by silly conversations.
Due to the quick battles, the lack of variety is not very noticeable. For dull but fun gameplay, the missions are perfect. There’s no annoying waiting; everything can be done quickly and efficiently.
My colleagues from GameStar gave just 68 points in their detailed review. For me, that’s a bit too low, but I understand where it comes from.
Apart from the story, I play Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League as I play Diablo 4. Sure, I would also love a new Batman, but Rocksteady has tried a new genre here, and I think: the attempt was successful.
How the new characters and seasons will perform can already be seen in March with the Joker. Despite many criticisms, players on Steam are positively inclined towards the game: A new loot shooter is currently exciting players on Steam, but many say: Wait for a sale
