Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League just got an extended gameplay reveal at PlayStation’s State of Play event, held early Friday. In addition to displaying our lead characters in action, Rocksteady Studios confirmed that a constant internet connection will be required to play the game, regardless of the mode (solo or co-op) you chose to play. As indicated in a screenshot leak from before, the title will include live-service elements, including a battle pass, timely content additions, and a gear system. On its FAQ page, the developer also stated that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League does not support local co-op.
The 15-minute-long State of Play showcase for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League opens with a corrupted Flash taunting our group of volatile supervillains — Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark, to come and fetch Lex Luthor themselves, who is locked inside a shipping container. Serving as an extension of Rocksteady’s Arkhamverse, we’re now in a dilapidated Metropolis, which has succumbed to Brainiac’s invasion. The super-genius android has brainwashed some members of the Justice League to do his bidding, turning the heroes against the very people they once swore to protect. Key victims include Superman, Green Lantern, the aforementioned Flash, and Batman. It will be interesting to see how the Dark Knight’s arc is handled in this game — five years since Batman: Arkham Knight, where his true identity as Bruce Wayne was revealed to the world.
Wonder Woman seems to be the only main Justice League member unaffected by Brainiac’s mind control and can be seen working with our Task Force X. Although each character is armed with a firearm of sorts, they also have unique abilities and movement styles tailored to their personalities. Harley Quinn is agile, as evidenced by her cartwheeling across the grounds and navigating larger spaces of the map using a grappling gun that attaches itself to a Bat-Drone. The Suicide Squad can be briefly seen stealing equipment from a museum, with Captain Boomerang picking up his Speed Force Gauntlets. This allows the Aussie supervillain to hurl his boomerang to any point and speed force towards it, regardless of whether he’s on the ground or in mid-air. Contrary to previous assumptions, he is not teleporting — just too fast for the naked eye.
King Shark is described as a tank-based champion, who can take a ton of damage and brute force his way through enemies, slamming them around and ripping their guts open. For traversal, he seems to rely on some ancient magic, that lets him dash through the air. Deadshot, on the other hand, can hover around with his jetpack and constantly switch between his arsenal of guns, be it sniper rifles, assault rifles, or pistols. The world of Metropolis is populated with various side characters that “support” our misfits. Penguin deals weapons, digital ghost Hack helps with neck bomb upgrades, and Gizmo with his “insane vehicle creations.”
Players can pick between six types of firearms, with added flair later in the game through ‘Gear Sets.’ These are essentially villain-themed weapons that trigger unique status effects. Each character has a power level in the game — Gear Score — which increases as you acquire new gear, ultimately letting you partake in harder missions and create distinct builds. Your squad can also be given a custom appearance via skins or outfits; these are cosmetic only and have zero effect on gameplay, with some of them included in the planned battle pass. Rocksteady will continue supporting the game post-launch, promising content in the form of new playable characters, weapons, and missions.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a 1–4 player co-op experience, albeit limited to online co-op only. Those looking for a solo experience can jump in without worries, as the remaining squad members will be AI-controlled. However, the game’s FAQ page suggests that a continuously running internet connection is necessary to play it. Additionally, players can switch between characters, as long as “they are outside of active missions.”
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League releases May 26, across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.
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