Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League has landed developer Rocksteady in a somewhat unfamiliar territory. Primarily, the developer behind the Arkham Trilogy which is one of the most beloved licensed superhero games of all time has been having a hard time with audience backlash to their latest games’ live-service elements.
To combat this, Rocksteady has been putting heavy emphasis on aspects of their upcoming anti-hero team-up that share their bones with their Arkham Franchise. One of these that the company has made clear will feel familiar is the story, which the company made clear will be their biggest story to date.
In an interview with Play Magazine product director Darius Sadeghian addressed any concerns there might be about the story, stating:
It’s still full of the DNA that infuses the Batman: Arkham series – those foundations of story and character are absolutely central to our process. Story-wise, this is easily our biggest game.
While many of the story trailers have gone over well, with their focus on the quirky characters that will be featured and big moments, a recent playtest has garnered less than positive reviews from the media aimed largely at the gameplay and repetition of the mission elements and objectives. While not fully linked, this was likely the reason the NDA for players able to get into the playtest was lifted early, in hopes that might lead to more balanced opinions.
The game also experienced nearly a year delay after the Sony State of Play showcased gameplay for the title, causing features like gear states to be altered or dropped by this point. the issue of live-service elements has been at the forefront of the complaints about the title, so much so that Rocksteady has gone out of its way to avoid using the term for the game, despite a battle pass being featured in it.
While I am mostly confident Rocksteady will deliver an engaging story, complaints brought up about the gameplay loop of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League make me concerned I will not want to experience it all. WB Games also published another attempt at a live-service DC-themed title in Gotham Knights which despite having an interesting premise suffered also from repetition.
We will get a full picture when Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launches on February 2nd for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC.
