Summary
This article contains massive spoilers for Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
One of the biggest points of contention since players got a closer look atSuicide Squad: Kill The Justice Leagueleading up to its release is that it’s very different from Rocksteady’s past work with theBatman: Arkhamseries. The game’s tone, the story, the characters, and the gameplay itself are indeed allbig departures fromBatman: Arkhamgames, to the point thatSuicide Squad: Kill The Justice League’s Batman museum is there to explain what happened to the character over the years. Batman himself is very different, and that is in no small part due to Brainiac’s powers - however, a major turning point for the character fromBatman: Arkham Knightleaves a lot to be desired when the Caped Crusader is finally faced in battle.
Although the game actually involves killing the various heroes of the League,Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League’s premise may be reverted in seasonal content, as there are hints of some characters returning, including Batman. Things may change in the future depending on what happens and how Rocksteady handles it, but the boss battle against Batman in the base game remains largely disappointing for multiple reasons, including the way his newfound use of the Fear Toxin is implemented.
In Rocksteady’s previous work with the DC hero, Batman ended up seemingly using the Fear Toxin against criminals in a non-lethal way, causing them to see a “demon Batman” when confronted by the hero, who is secretly alive and presumably had faked his death. With the wayBatman: Arkham Knight’s Scarecrowtakes center stage alongside his Fear Toxin, which Batman himself is injected with, it’s a great turn to see the Caped Crusader weaponize this concoction.Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice Leaguefollows up on this and makes for a compelling context for the fight against Batman, but the battle itself is the blandest of them all.
When players take onBatman inSuicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, he uses the Fear Toxin on Task Force X, establishing continuity between the events of the Arkhamverse. Yet, since Batman is the only member of the Justice League not to possess special powers or artifacts granting those powers, his boss battle is just players pitted against demon Batman, who is nothing more than a bullet sponge. The boss fight does include special attacks, but unlike otherSuicide Squad: Kill The Justice Leagueheroes, there are no additional mechanics worthy of note.
Batman’s Boss Battle Fails to Use The Fear Toxin Effectively
Even The Flash, the very first Justice League member that players take on, has a more mechanically complex fight - the TFX has to avoid tornadoes and all sorts of attacks, all while countering Flash to keep their damage flowing. In the case of Batman, players can theoretically ignore all the smaller mechanics of the fight and simply shoot bullets at the brainwashed hero to kill him, even if he’s in “demon form.” This makes the fact thatBatman uses the Fear Toxinpretty much inconsequential in the actual boss fight, as it only matters in the segment leading to it.
It is explained in the game thatSuicide Squad: Kill The Justice League’s Harley Quinn has concocted a counter-Fear Toxin, which is a pretext to justify why Batman doesn’t kill TFX and why they can fight back. While this makes sense, it’s still underwhelming after teasing demon Batman at the end ofArkham Knightand having him just stand in one place soaking up bullets instead of being the agile prowler he is supposed to be. The fact that the fight doesn’t use meaningful Fear Toxin mechanics is also a missed opportunity, and it can make the overall experience either forgettable for newcomers to the Arkhamverse or straight-up infuriating for veterans.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
WHERE TO PLAY
Play as the Suicide Squad to take down the World’s Greatest DC Super Heroes, The Justice League. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, is a genre-defying, action-adventure third-person shooter from Rocksteady Studios, creators of the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham series.
