The cooperative game Suicide Squad was announced in the summer of 2020. Since then it has been quite quiet, with hardly any new information. Now there is finally a new trailer for the story, and it has been well received by fans.
What kind of game is this? Suicide is being developed by Rocksteady Games and was announced at DC FanDome 2020. These are the creators of the Batman games revolving around Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight.
While you logically played alone as Batman in single-player, Suicide Squad focuses on the four titular members:
- Harley Quinn a.k.a. Dr. Harleen Quinzel – the “Mistress of Chaos” is primarily active in close combat with her baseball bat and can move agilely with her grappling hook.
- King Shark a.k.a. Nanaue – the “demigod humanoid shark” is a meta-being and fights with his twin blades as well as a heavy machine gun.
- Deadshot a.k.a. Floyd Lawton – the “most dangerous shooter in the world” fights with his wrist cannons and a sniper rifle, and is also very agile thanks to his jetpack.
- Captain Boomerang a.k.a. Digger Harkness – the “top-class Australian assassin” uses a shotgun and his boomerang in the trailer, with which he can also teleport.
You can play the game either solo or in online co-op. The setting is in Metropolis, the most important city in the DC Universe besides Gotham City. You are exploring an open game world.
But what is the story of Suicide Squad actually about? As part of the DC Fandome event in 2021, a new trailer was released. This presents the story; you can watch it here:
Fight against the “evil” Justice League, Wonder Woman as an ally?
This is shown in the trailer: First, there are scenes about the formation of the Suicide Squad. The trailer starts directly at a location that will be familiar to fans of the Batman series: Arkham Asylum.
There we see Amanda Waller, a government agent who establishes the Suicide Squad and is responsible for its missions. She tells the protagonists that they have no choice but to work for the government. She makes this clear with a kind of electronic collar that becomes painfully active in case of resistance.
Those familiar with the film “The Suicide Squad” by James Gunn will surely recognize these scenes (about the other film I will remain silent). However, Waller does not refer to it as the Suicide Squad, but as Task Force S.
Suddenly, the group finds itself in the middle of a battlefield in Metropolis. Alien-like creatures are running amok, and you can see a huge machine with claw arms, which could be some kind of spaceship.
Ultimately, the goal of Task Force S is mentioned: Kill the Justice League. This consists mainly of the “good” superheroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, or The Flash. But it quickly becomes clear in the trailer: Superman is not the good one in this game.
Amanda Waller 
The Flash 
Green Lantern 
Evil Superman 
Wonder Woman vs. Superman
Apparently he is being controlled remotely, as instead of the evil alien creatures, he is even fighting against Wonder Woman in the trailer. She seems to be the only one not being controlled and could even be an ally of the Suicide Squad. The Flash and Green Lantern also make an appearance but also seem to be controlled by the foreign power.
Fans already have an answer to the question of who is behind the ship, the creatures, and the control of most of the Justice League: Brainiac.
Who is Brainiac? In the comics, he is usually an alien cyborg or android and is considered one of Superman’s greatest enemies. Depending on the continuity, he is even responsible for the destruction of Krypton, Superman’s home planet.
Where is Batman? This is a question many players are asking after the trailer. Batman’s whereabouts are currently unknown and it is possible he has no appearance in Suicide Squad.
While the trailer does show some sort of Batmobile, it is likely to belong to Robin. It is not the Batmobile from Arkham Knight, but more like a… junkier variant. Nevertheless, players believe they have already seen him in the trailer. (via Twitter)
Overall, the game’s style is close to the film, with the humor and brutal action being very similar. Fans are responding well to the scenes.
Trailer is well received, players want more
What do players say about the trailer? Overall, the feedback is very positive. So far, the trailer has over 5,000 upvotes and around 200 downvotes. Previously, the information situation was thin, leading to some skepticism among players.
Sxodan writes in the comment section on YouTube: “I won’t lie. I had no interest in the game before, but THIS trailer changed my mind.” User Jack Callaway is not completely convinced, “but I will trust Rocksteady until they give me a reason not to.”
Many are also happy about the clear connections to the “Arkhamverse” from the other Batman parts. But with the new scenes and the introduction of some characters, many fans now seem to be convinced. This also leads to many discussions about the story. Some questions remain:
- Who exactly is now evil?
- Where is Batman?
- What time does the story take place, before or after Arkham Knight?
- Are we really killing the Justice League?
- Where is Batman now?
On reddit, several other interesting details about the trailer have been mentioned. There are hints at familiar figures like Poison Ivy and the Riddler. (via reddit)
Now, however, fans mainly want one thing: real gameplay. Because the trailer mostly shows cutscenes. While the scenes are likely real graphics (this has been the case in all Rocksteady games), players still want to know how the individual squad members will play.
We also don’t yet know how large the game world of Metropolis will be, how we will navigate, and what there is to discover.
When will the game be released? Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is set to be released in 2022. We currently don’t know more specifics.
For which platforms is the game planned? The release is planned for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
