Rocksteady’s new game has a fun plot, but other aspects are compromising
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was released on February 2nd and is Rocksteady’s attempt to bring the Batman gaming universe onto a broader plane. Furthermore, the developer was on a mission to join the (not so) recent trend of games as a service, which seeks a long life through microtransactions, seasons and the like.
Ironically, Rocksteady failed to hit both pillars of supervillain team play, nor backtrack on what it had already achieved with its previous games.
The story is simple. The villain Brainiac invaded Earth and managed to control the Justice League, leaving the city of Metropolis without its main defense. In this context, Amanda Waller, head of the ARGUS institution, recruits notorious villains and forces them to work to destroy what were once the great heroes of the universe. And they will try to accomplish this mission in crazy, repetitive firefights against generic aliens.
The protagonists are fascinating, Justice League is not
In this context, Suicide Squad arrived with a lot of mistrust on the part of the public. Perhaps because it generated few expectations, the story managed to entertain me, especially with regards to the four protagonists: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and King Shark. The dialogues are comical and create excellent chemistry between the characters. At times these dialogues manage to resemble James Gunn’s excellent film, The suicide squad, 2021.
However, the narrative fails to bring to life the game’s antagonists, who ironically are some of pop culture’s greatest superheroes. The members of the Justice League are one-sided, which wouldn’t be a problem given that they are dominated by Brainiac. However, at times, these characters are so poorly constructed that one gets the impression that we would not like them, despite the brainwashing they have undergone at the hands of the real villain.
In this sense, Suicide Squad’s biggest Achilles heel comes into play: Batman. Don’t ask me why, but Rocksteady decided that Kill the Justice League would be set in the same universe as the Batman games developed by the company. And if we are in the “Arkham Universe”, it is difficult to accept that this Batman is the same one we saw in the trilogy: that one is complex and interesting, this one is boring and condescending. To be clear, it’s easier for me to accept Superman as he was presented to me, since I’ve never experienced excellent storytelling in control of that character.
That’s it, Suicide Squad’s story is fun and that’s the least of the game’s problems. And this is mainly strengthened by a good voice cast, as well as a good visual finish in the cutscenes.
Lots of information on the screen
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is designed as a single-player or cooperative experience for up to four players. Even for those who prefer to play alone, it is possible to switch between the four characters and, in theory, each of them has its own strength.
In short, the game requires the player to shoot purple aliens while swinging from side to side in Metropolises. Each of the characters moves differently, but when it comes to combat, the only one that really stands out is the Gunslinger, simply because he has a weapon for long-distance combat.
Additionally, Rocksteady has used other names familiar to DC fans to serve as a support team for the protagonists. Characters like Penguin, Chip, and Hack are tasked with explaining and bringing certain combat mechanics, such as weaknesses, counterattacks, effects, etc., etc.
The use of “etc” was not just a textual resource, but a way to highlight the game’s excesses. Suicide Squad’s screen is extremely cluttered and the combat isn’t intuitive. There are several villains who have weaknesses to certain “attacks”. However, the combat is so chaotic that the player never realizes that he has to resort to counterattacks to break that specific enemy’s defense. It seems like everything happens through trial and error.
Suicide Squad doesn’t stand out as a service game
The big difference with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is that it would be a game as a service. In other words, an online platform, where you progress with characters, you can change clothes and accessories and there are microtransaction options. Nonetheless…
I can’t imagine a scenario where I revisit the game weekly for a few games or missions with friends. What motivated me to continue was the charisma of the main quartet and, I confess, the direction the story would take, especially for Batman. Aside from that, the combat is extremely repetitive and chaotic, but not in a good way.
In fact, Suicide Squad has embraced the idea of a game as a service to such an extent that even those playing alone will need to be connected to the Internet. This feature generated several bugs, especially when I tried to resume the game after a pause. There came a point where I chose to close the game and reopen it.
If Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League came to try to restore the image of the groups of heroes created with Marvel’s Avengers, it largely failed in the mission. Maybe if it had aimed for Marvel’s Guardian Galaxy, it would have been better received.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is available for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
*This review was conducted on a PlayStation 5 with a copy of the game courtesy of Warner Bros. Games
Want to meet other gamers, get the latest gaming news, and get access to giveaways and championships? Join our Discord!
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
