Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – 10 Issues That Need to Be Addressed

Hands-on impressions for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League have recently gone live, and to say they’re mixed would be an understatement. With the co-op looter shooter out on February 2nd for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, we have a fresh batch of concerns based on all the new details (potential story spoilers, so be warned). Suffice it to say that Rocksteady has an uphill battle with its design choices, starting with…

The Problematic Premise

Though already apparent when first announced, the plot of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has only become more concerning as time goes on. There are two ways it can go – either the squad succeeds, and the Justice League dies, after which they presumably target Brainiac, or the League survives, after which the two groups probably target Brainiac.

The former seems unlikely unless Rocksteady pulls some chicanery to resurrect the League – after all, Poison Ivy inexplicably returns. Some theorize the use of multiverses or Flashpoint to turn back the clock, and though it’s on-brand of DC, debuting it here out of the blue is asking a bit much. It also puts a damper on any consequences – why should players care about the League’s demise if the deaths don’t stick?

If the League doesn’t die, it makes you question the whole “Kills the Justice League” part of the title (though Suicide Squad: Kill the Brainiac probably isn’t as catchy). With VGC’s gameplay showing a seemingly not brain-washed Batman instructing and helping the squad, the second approach may be what Rocksteady is aiming for.

It’s a rather uncomfortable position for the story, though we’re still keen to see how Rocksteady handles things. Either way, based on impressions, the squad gets up to plenty of terrible things while saving civilians and just having a good time.

The Boss Fights

If it wasn’t already illustrated clearly with the giant cannon, which you fight by…gathering Terminaut Bits and then shooting the exposed purple cores, the battle with The Flash leaves much to be desired. As noted by IGN, he moves around a lot, so you only get a few shots before having to pinpoint his location again. It makes plenty of sense in theory and probably incentivizes the use of snipers and other burst damage.

In practice, the environment looks too open and has giant hurricanes created by The Flash, resulting in visual clutter and making it much more difficult to find. It looks like a tedious fight, even with four players and just annoying solo. Hopefully, this isn’t a boss you need to farm in the endgame.

The Dialogue

Based on recent footage, impressions of the dialogue are that it’s mostly decent, with some actual comedy. Then you listen to Poison Ivy questioning how Brainiac’s forces are suffocating the growth of her plants. Captain Boomerang chimes in about how he heard certain substances would stunt his growth, leading to Ivy replying, “YOU’RE a growth.” Sick burn.

Also, while King Shark is endearing at first, his “fish out of water” character gets a little repetitive. “Let us make a valiant but doomed attempt to save this drone’s civilians!” feels like it’s leaning a little too much in the MCU banter direction. I’m not calling the writing terrible, but based on these impressions, the dialogue may not resonate with everyone.

Lacking an Identity

Another worry that’s become more apparent over time is the distinct lack of an identity compared to the Batman: Arkham games. Yes, this is a games-as-a-service co-op looter shooter, but it features some unique personalities in Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark and Captain Boomerang. How does Rocksteady, known for capturing the essence of being The Batman, portray their gameplay?

Everyone runs and guns. Everyone slides and sprints. Sure, they each have unique abilities and properties – like King Shark being tankier or Deadshot’s marksman-ship – but it’s predominantly the same third-person shooter gameplay, regardless of character. You could argue it’s a consequence of the genre, but coming from a developer like Rocksteady, it feels like a waste.

Loot Grind

Ah, loot. You have different ranged and melee weapons, mods, set bonuses, crafting, and Afflictions – not to mention loot rarities with damage ranging in the tens of thousands. Slaying foes pop up damage numbers, and there’s plenty of hype about the build crafting (like dealing less damage with grenades but a guaranteed chance of burning or a gun that slows all enemies in ten meters but doesn’t damage a Terminaut per IGN).

Call it for what it is – another attempt to be like Destiny. Some may be into it, but considering how many games like Marvel’s Avengers, Anthem, and Gotham Knights failed to capitalize on the market, you wonder how Suicide Squad will fare. I’m skeptical about yet another loot grind on top of every other major release, but time will tell.

Chaotic Combat

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn’t going to beat Destiny’s excellent shooting mechanics. That some previews feel it’s acceptable and not terrible is probably a win (or damning with faint praise, but I digress). However, overall combat is cited as chaotic and difficult to track. Executing Juggle Kills, Shield Strikes, Suicide Strikes, and Countershots are easier solo, but in co-op, there’s the risk of kill-steals.

It’s an issue in all looter shooters with co-op, but the action looks all over the place in Suicide Squad, so gathering your bearings is much more of a chore. Again, time will tell how this pans out when you get into the thick of build crafting and solo play.

Movement

Each character has a unique movement ability, whether it’s Deadshot’s jetpack, Harley Quinn’s grapple, or King Shark’s leap has a cooldown. Think about that for a second. Imagine if Batman’s glide had a cooldown, and how fun that would be. Despite pushing you to earn each character’s unique traversal ability, even Gotham Knights didn’t impose cooldowns on their use. On top of this, some traversal skills – like Harley’s grapple – look clunky.

While there are mods that regenerate traversal ability resources, they offer a whopping one percent with every melee attack or second in the air. Even if these could stack, sacrificing precious damage or defense for slightly reducing your traversal ability’s cooldown feels lame. On the bright side, each squad member can sprint, slide, run up walls and double-jump.

Lackluster Objectives

With all of the cinematic flair that the game promises, what do you actually do? Shoot and loot, sure, but what about mission objectives? Well, there are clearing points – sorry, plants of enemies and rescuing “civilians” (which are little more than resources you pick up) to deposit them in a bus. You can also fight random enemies while free roaming, like helicopters, tanks and nameless Brainiac troops.

Maybe there will be events like Destiny or some more unique side quests and lore (Metropolis does have Easter eggs, so there’s that). Riddler challenges also return, with one involving grappling through rings, which should be something given the traversal skill cooldowns. For now, the missions look fairly routine and unimaginative.

Battle UI

If the action isn’t chaotic enough, especially in co-op, the UI during combat needs some serious work. It looks too busy with weapons, the mini-map, your grenade and D-pad commands for pinging, emoting and more scrunched into one screen. Accommodating all this means making the icons smaller, which doesn’t help.

Then there are the annoying pop-ups when you assist or have been assisted by a player. You have to wonder if options to turn off some UI elements or even scale up the icons to help with visibility because right now, it looks messy.

Inventory and Menu Design

Also, despite how much Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League wants to be Destiny, it could use a lesson or two in its menu and inventory design. When navigating a vendor’s wares, why is an item’s stats and perks scrunched into a small box on the left, with the weapon and crafting materials (in way too small text font) on the right with so much space around?

It’s all the more egregious when equipping mods and so on for your character, as the entire right side shows their model with a bunch of nothing. Also, why is a portion of the Talents screen dedicated to Hack? Yes, she’s the vendor in charge of it, but why is that even a thing? Maybe Rocksteady didn’t want to go with the free cursor from Destiny for navigation, but it doesn’t look any more convenient. Again, here’s hoping for some changes at launch, if not shortly after.

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