Things Are Looking Bleak For Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League

Even after multiple delays and development overhauls, "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League" is failing to impress. A number of respected outlets had the opportunity to go hands-on with Rocksteady's long-awaited super-shooter, playing through a few hours of the campaign to get feel for its gameplay and storyline. Unfortunately for fans who were still holding out hope for a return to the glory days of Rocksteady Games' "Arkham-Verse," "Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League" has not exactly blown critics away with its first impressions.

"Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League" has already drawn skepticism from even the most die-hard of DC Comics fans, particularly due to Rocksteady's use of a live-service business model and an unfortunate leak that spoiled major plot points in the game. With the deck already stacked against it, the early reviews that have been posted online have led some fans to fear that this iteration of DC's Task Force X is already doomed. 

Many of the reviews have called out the design of the open-world map for feeling both cluttered and unremarkable. Eurogamer's Ed Nightingale writes, "Metropolis is a sprawling, vertical, polluted maze of buildings without clear routes or easily discernible landmarks ... unaided by a simplistic radar minimap for finding enemies and friends alike." Each member of the titular squad has been designed specifically to rapidly move about Metropolis, but the trade-off is that they all end up playing similarly, according to many reviewers. The various gadgets, guns, and traversal mechanics, although cool, add up to a feeling of "identity mish-mash," while "many of [the Squad's] abilities are riffed from someone else," according to Alan Wen of VGC. The game's live-service elements are also facing criticism, with reviewers making unfavorable comparisons to Crystal Dynamics' ill-fated "Avengers" game.

A particularly scathing article from IGN's Destin Lagarie took issue with not only the gameplay mechanics, but also the game's dark tone and repetitive mission structure. Though he praised the character designs and voice acting (a plus that was echoed by most other reviewers), Lagarie noted, "Rocksteady had a winning formula with the Batman games and is trying to write a completely new book. But so far, lightning is not in this bottle." He added, "Unfortunately for 'Suicide Squad,' once the fun story bits end, you're left with a much less inspired combat system, and an open world that's filled with tedious tasks." These sentiments lined up pretty closely with those of GameSpot's Phil Hornshaw, who felt like Rocksteady tried to combine too many different types of gameplay, ending up with a game that feels constantly at odds with itself.

It's worth noting that not every early review has been quite as dire as though listed above, however. Game Informer's Brian Shea left his play session feeling optimistic about the game's audacious storyline, hinting that "Kill the Justice League" may indeed fulfill the promise in its title and revealing that it'll tie into previous "Arkham" games in unexpected ways. Fans will no doubt be excited to see an expansion of the "true" ending of "Arkham Knight," but it's unclear how many of them may forgo buying the game and feel content to watch other people play it for them.

As noted by YouTuber Lady Emily, the most shocking thing about these reactions is that they come from "the studio bringing in press for an event specifically to try out the game in order to generate buzz." Lady Emily added, "I have never ever seen a preview event for a AAA game end up in articles this scathing from the big outlets." This sentiment was shared by several other notable commenters, including Windows Central Managing Editor Jez Corden, who posted, "Never seen unanimously negative previews for a AAA game like this before. Could 'Suicide Squad' be heading for DOA status?"

On that last question, the fanbase appears to be split. Some are actively poking holes in the early reviews, with a particular point of contention being IGN's complaints surrounding the high speed of the boss fight against the Flash (a character known for speediness). Some hold out hope that expansion packs and seasonal DLC will enrich the game and extend its lifespan, while others have argued that the game shouldn't have to rely on the promise of future content in order to feel worthwhile. Many fans have expressed shocked towards screenshots of the game's user interface and have taken to sharing multiple images and critiquing Rocksteady's designs. It's not always the best sign when a game has become a meme well before release.

I refuse to believe this is a real screencap. pic.twitter.com/Imawj1PDom

— GmanLives (@GmanLives) January 10, 2024

"Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League" launches on February 2, 2024. No word yet on whether or not James Gunn will have to reboot this one, as well.