Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League review

What is it? A looter shooter from the creators of the Batman Arkham trilogy.
Release date January 30, 2024
Expect to pay $70/£65
Developer Rocksteady
Publisher Warner Bros Games
Reviewed on GeForce RTX 2080 Super, Core i9 9900KS, 32GB RAM  
Steam Deck TBD
Link Steam

The Justice League was long dead when Rocksteady's quirky looter shooter finally clicked.

I was 20 hours in, having just reached max level as Deadshot, discovering that Sucide Squad: Kill the Justice League's endgame hunt for Brainiac is no joke—I was literally flying by the seat of my pants, ducking and rolling past walls of lasers, stealing every opportunity to charge my shield off enemies, and getting the most out of a legendary rifle that penetrates pesky armor. It was a blast. I'd mastered Deadshot's jetpack and felt good about the gear and talents I'd curated, but most importantly, I was finally hitting difficult missions that made those decisions matter.

It took a long time (far too long) for Suicide Squad to show its hand, but once it did, I briefly became the Destiny player that I usually can't relate to—eagerly replaying content I've done before, enamored by the possibility of ultra-rare rewards. The problem is that, at launch, Suicide Squad's endgame is a brief but delicious dessert, and to even get there you have to play a story mode that's just not good.

Going into Suicide Squad as a fan of Rocksteady's Batman trilogy comes with unavoidable whiplash. You'll recognize the studio's unmatched eye for animation in the expressive movements of Task Force X and the silky transitions in and out of cutscenes, but this is Rocksteady's take on a completely different genre. The carefully curated utility belt of gadgets, puzzlebox dungeons, and claustrophobic arenas of the Arkham era have made way for a wide-open, acrobatic shooter that takes place almost entirely outside and, if you're doing it right, mostly in midair. 

Movement is the one aspect of Suicide Squad that is unreservedly fantastic from minute one.