Despite the fact that Superman is capable of destroying them all on his own, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, King Shark, and Deadshot must defeat the ever so powerful Justice League. As far as I’m concerned, I am most interested in seeing how this fits into the Arkham universe, what happened to Batman after Arkham Knight, and how Rocksteady chooses to portray the Justice League. After the latest trailer focused specifically on these questions, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League quickly moved up my most anticipated superhero games list. There were so many hidden and so many obvious details that could have massive implications for the Arkhamverse or just the game itself. Let’s take a closer look at every detail I found in the new trailer.
A Haunting Callback
The night is dark and dreary in Gotham when a convoy of military jeeps drives past a sign that states “Arkham” in bold, white letters. The Suicide Squad trailer opens this way, and it’s a direct reference to the Arkham Asylum intro, except instead of jeeps, the batmobile speeds by trailing two ominous red beams. While it’s a simple callback, it’s also a reminder that the Suicide Squad shares the same universe as the three previous Arkham games. As a throwback to Batman’s earliest days, Rocksteady’s latest adventure may place players in the nostalgic, claustrophobic, and haunting halls of Arkham Asylum. The dark corridors are a stark contrast to the vibrant city of Metropolis, but this intro, along with some other teases, shows that The Suicide Squad Game may share some of Arkham’s blood-curdling and chilling DNA.
The Sarcastic Ally
In voice-over, a man is throwing jabs at each Suicide Squad member; he called Captain Boomerang a homeless person, causing Harley to laugh at the insult and King Shark to stand, bamboozled. The speaker is a dwarf donning an impressive beard and a wide variety of gadgets who will surely provide the Suicide Squad with essential gear and valuable information. Comic book fans may know this character as Gizmo, the inventive villain who uses a number of unique and deadly weapons to annoy his enemies. It was my hope that Batman, somehow, escaped Brianiac’s corruption and would act as a supporting character, providing the Suicide Squad with gadgets and intel. However, it appears that Gizmo is taking that spot, suggesting that Batman may have a much bigger role.
The Suicide Squad’s Abilities
Even though we haven’t seen gameplay from the upcoming superhero adventure, the trailer did give us some clues about what to expect. First of all, the whole trailer was in-engine, representing the expressive facial animations, detailed character models, and vibrant settings we can look forward to. I am, however, more interested in how it plays since this is the first DC universe game created by Rocksteady where players do not control the caped crusader. As Harley Quinn jolted into the air after launching her grappling hook much like Batman, it became clear that many of the same gameplay elements may be present, albeit with different characters. At the same time, Captain Boomerang can teleport leaving a blue stream in his wake, hinting at a clever mix of new and old gameplay mechanics. Some of the other things I noticed, which may or may not contribute to gameplay, were a tiny, stuffed Batman attached to the end of Harley’s bat, a makeshift batmobile, and a Batman glider. Finally, several of the characters use guns, including King Shark’s giant Gatling gun, which is quite a departure from Batman’s no-kill policy.
Brianiac’s Minions
In between epic battles with Justice League members, The Suicide Squad needs to stay busy fighting less intimidating foes. The minions, who appear to be the standard enemies in Suicide Squad, have purple tentacles crisscrossing their bodies representing their leader, Brainiac. Video games generally feature three types of grunts: the normal one, the huge one, serving as a mini-boss, and the small, fast ones. Suicide Squad is no exception. Brainiac’s minions are armed with giant cannons while others are tiny, purple spiders that dart at the player. We also got a glimpse at an oversized minion that strangely resembles the body structure of the titan Joker from Batman: Arkham Asylum. While we haven’t seen gameplay yet, these enemy variants give us a good idea of the grunts we will be fighting throughout the game.
Corrupted Justice League
As Superman emerged from the billowing smoke with purple veins circling his eyes, he stared down at the members of the Suicide Squad moments before blasting a deadly heat vision laser. At this point, I realized this is much more than a Suicide Squad Game; it’s a game that answers the age-old question – what happens when heroes turn evil? The craziest thing is that after so many years of Batman games, we finally get to see Rocksteady tackle the Justice League, but with this upside-down twist. It goes without saying that Superman is not the only super-powered menace with The Flash, and John Stewart’s Green Lantern joining the fray. The Flash, in particular, stood out because he had his own voice lines, essentially revealing that these heroes are not mindless zombies but actually intelligible beings.
Wonder Woman
If I’m being honest, the Suicide Squad stands no chance against the Justice League, which leads me to believe that one member needs to break free from Brainiac’s corruption and give the Suicide Squad a fighting chance. Initially, I considered Batman since he has a contingency plan for each Justice League member and is unlikely to be subjected to such a tactic as brainwashing. Once again, Rocksteady diverted my expectations and, instead, has Wonder Woman serving as the Suicide Squad’s leg up. We see the Amazon warrior stab a Brianic minion through the brain and slam Superman into the ground with her shield. Once some Justice League members have broken away from corruption, we’ll hopefully see a lot more of this kind of fighting among heroes. Besides, every fan enjoys seeing their favorite heroes go head-to-head in a powered-up slugfest.
Batman
Batman is the big question on everyone’s mind and Rocksteady surely won’t give any clear answers. After the mysterious, some may say, confusing ending of Batman: Arkham Knight six years ago, fans were left wondering what exactly happened to Gotham’s savior. While the Suicide Squad trailer did not show Batman, there was a quick tease of a gauntletted hand grabbing a pistol and pointing it at Harley as she trembles on the ground. Rocksteady has a reason for keeping this scene brief and cryptic. Could it be that Batman, under Brainiac’s corruption isn’t afraid of using guns to kill his targets, or is this Red Hood making a reappearance after the events of Arkham Knight? There are so many questions about Batman’s inclusion in Suicide Squad. Questions that will surely lead me to GameStop on day one (if that place is still around).
Returning Characters
The Arkhamverse is filled with evildoers who make Batman’s life more difficult. The Penguin was one of those famous villains who once snatched Mr. Freeze’s ice gun and forced Batman to walk across a frozen pool with a giant shark lurking underneath. Penguin makes a valiant return in The Suicide Squad not as an evil mastermind but as the butt of a joke. The Suicide Squad continually trick Amanda Waller into thinking the Penquin is escaping causing the pointy-nosed villain to get shocked over and over again. If Penguin is, indeed, subjected to such a role, I wouldn’t be too angry knowing that he was never my favorite villain. Eagle-eyed fans, on the other hand, may have seen a tease for another returning, much more formidable character. There is a brief scene where the squad is snagged up by a plant, alluding to the powers of Poison Ivy. The plant lover is always a welcome addition to a character roster, but her untimely demise in Arkham Knight does leave us with a few hesitations. Maybe it’s not Poison Ivy at all, but another plant-based character such as Swamp Thing… I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Head Popping Violence
The animated show, Invincible, tricks viewers into believing it is a kid-friendly superhero show until the final scene of episode one devolves into ruthless violence. The Suicide Squad trailer does the same thing, avoiding any substantial violence until one character gruesomely and graphically gets their head blown off. There is no doubt that this game deserves an M rating, and it isn’t surprising since Arkham Knight was also a mature game. With Suicide Squad being a current-generation game only, we can expect a decent amount of gore in 4k glory, making it the most violent Arkham verse game yet.
This may turn a few people off, but it surely won’t hurt the game when it releases in 2022…hopefully. Until then stay tuned to Gaming Instincts via Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for more gaming news.
