Initial release date: January 30, 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Composers: Nick Arundel, Rupert Cross
Genres: Shooter game, Action-adventure game, Role-playing video game
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
Fundamentally, Kill the Justice League is a live-action looter shooting game that is reminiscent of The Division series. That has advantages and disadvantages, but in the case of Kill the Justice League, the disadvantages appear to be greater. The game ends after 10 to 15 hours of gameplay and promises more plot in future DLC (which was revealed ahead of time). Thus, we’ll have additional plot to experience and a new character to play—the Joker—in the spring. Will the game live long enough for all of the DLC to be released? The screen that appears at the conclusion alludes to four DLCs in total. This game wasn’t supposed to be available live or exclusively online. It has no effect on the game. Fairness.
There is a lot to enjoy in Kill the Justice League only in terms of gameplay. Having access to a variety of weapons and customizing the guns itself makes for an enjoyable gunplay experience. The Deadshot lineup, which included an assault rifle and sniper with hand gauntlets, was amazing. Although Deadshot’s hand gauntlet is actually his melee ability, they made a fantastic job of making it feel very distinct from the guns themselves and like a wonderful item that is only available to Deadshot. All melee skills, including King Shark’s cleaver or hook and Harley’s bat/hammer, can also have the augmentations applied to them. These additions result in damage from fire, frost, acid, etc. You receive two guns each character, therefore it makes sense to have a gun with several augmentations.
Another item I’ll give great appreciation for is movement. My top picks were Deadshot, Boomerang, King Shark, and Harley, in that order. With his jetpack, Deadshot can perform some extremely amazing stunts where he can both fly and fight at the same time. I used to love taking off, using a bomb, landing, and then taking off again, using another bomb. Shark can jump extremely high and swim through the air, Boomerang can teleport using his boomerangs and the speed force, and Harley moves with a grappling hook and drone much like a member of the Batfamily. I liked alternating between them to do cool moves into the next goal because each one felt distinct to the character. Side Note: Because of the jetpack’s movement, using Deadshot’s movement during the Green Lantern fight is one of the most enjoyable looter shooter-style experiences I have ever had. There are many of places to explore across the city, which nearly makes up for the lack of quick transit locations.
This isn’t the largest map I’ve played recently, from a map viewpoint. Other than swiftly switching objectives, I don’t think I ever had to actually look at the map. I had no trouble navigating the map’s layout as I quickly figured it out. This looked like a manageable scale for four anti-heroes without abilities, since some games have landscapes that are far too large.
During my exploration, I noticed that I was lacking one minor thing: music. Generally speaking, music only starts to play when you’re fighting. Thus, the music begins when a Braniac goon appears, ends immediately thereafter, and doesn’t play during non-combat/non-cinematic scenes. Without the music, I sometimes thought it was a little lifeless, especially in light of how empty the world is of people overall.
While bugs are common in games these days, I was really irritated by how frequently I got stuck because the game wouldn’t produce new foes. When I would be enjoying the fight, I would stand there for a long time waiting for additional foes to spawn so I could accomplish a mission, but they would never come. Thus, you must take off and repeat the quest in its entirety.
This game’s animation was incredibly inconsistent. Not only does the artwork lack the level of detail found in the Arkham games (particularly in City and Knight), but it also falls short in comparison to Gotham Knights, a game that isn’t even related to the Arkhamverse. The most striking aspect of this is observing any NPC hiding behind Amanda Waller. Compared to how detailed she is in the same scene, it is obvious that less work was spent on their movements and animations. The Suicide Squad and Justice League are comparable to each other, as are some of the models for supporting characters like Toyman and Gizmo.
Speaking of Gizmo, the Arkham team aimed to recreate the feel of the Batmobile in this game. Gizmo allows you to use a car (but only during certain missions). You might recognize Gizmo from the Teen Titans TV series from the 2000s. Although you never use these missions outside of those side missions, they feel out of place even though they are enjoyable. More Riddler trophies have also been added in addition to that. As the world is ending and everyone is dying, Nigma is attempting to trick you into flying through rings and deciphering puzzles for a different game. Rather than because it fit the vibe, it seemed like something the team added because they felt like they had to.
This game is a little rough in the sense of comic book style. Throughout the four games, the Arkhamverse produced some of the most amazing scenes involving heroes and villains. The player can also learn the overall plot of the Arhkam games through a museum devoted to Batman in an entire part of the game. That being said, it appears that many of the characters were uninteresting overall. Characters like Waller and Penguin seemed developed even at their inception, as if they were merely there for practical purposes. I wouldn’t have given a damn if it hadn’t been related to the Arkhamverse, but being related causes you to view these characters in a different light.
Superman, Batman, and the others have already fallen under Braniac’s influence (in one way or another) before the game even starts. The two exceptions are Wonder Woman (who we’ll talk about later) and Flash (whose lengthy backstory I don’t want to give away). Let me start by talking about my main complaint about this story. Suicide Squad members ought to be killed a thousand times over. They ought to have perished in any circumstance, regardless of whether it was due to the looter shooter gameplay or simply facing up against near-gods like Superman and Green Lantern. To be honest. When they first met with a member of the Justice League, they ought to have all been killed. I also know that this isn’t simply the Suicide Squad as a whole. They are idiots who manage to get things done. Or is it enjoyable to play?
Playing through a few of the missions made me feel bored. In a mission akin to “protect this transport,” you must defend the truck from adversaries as a really awesome battle rages around it. It was as like I was being left out of a real war. Until you actually faced off against Flash, it was the general tone of the first part of the game. Several times, when I was getting ready for a fight, a cutscene would appear and someone else would perform the impressive thing. You spend almost as much time pretending to battle the Justice League as you do real fighting.
You would assume that playing a game called Kill the Justice League you would have some significant combat scenes with them. They’re not all that great, though, let me tell you that. My favorite fight in the entire game was the Green Lantern battle, as I already stated. It was difficult not to drive myself into that struggle because of how amazing the movement and stakes were. You either never fight the League member in any other Justice League combat, or the fights were all incredibly dull. Additionally, I thought that Batman’s final battle was disappointing because, as players of the Arkhamverse Batman, we already knew what this character was capable of. It would have been far more thrilling to battle the real Batman.
Ultimately, I find it strange that the game isn’t offline compatible, hasn’t got many story missions or overall duration, and had DLC announced before it was even published. I advise anybody who have been enthusiastic about this game to hold off until there is a deal because, at this point, the game isn’t worth $70.
On the Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is currently available.
Review Overview
Gameplay – 70%
Story – 65%
Aesthetics – 75%
Content – 68%
Accessibility – 70%
Value – 65%
Overall Rating – 69%
OK
Summary: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s excellent movement mechanics aren’t able to salvage an incredibly brief campaign that “ends” by depending on the game being a live-service that adds more story as the players progress through the many seasons. Wait for a sale because the game isn’t worth $70 in its current state, even though playing as each member of the Suicide Squad feels unique to each character. The Joker will be added to the game in the spring, along with more playable characters.