Now That Suicide Squad Is Free To Play, It’s Starting To Feel Like A Fun Game

Rocksteady’s continuation of the Batman: Arkham franchise has seen some rough time, I’ll be straight-up here. The writing for the game was on the wall way prior to its launch, but the final nail in the coffin arrived in the form of low player counts and hum-drum critical reception afterward, and I won’t say all of it was unjust. Only about 10% of it was.

Apparently, it’s taking the higher-ups some time and thinking to understand that once you go live service, you better make sure that the experience you’re delivering is on par with something like Helldivers 2—one of the latest PlayStation exclusives that has been nothing short of a genre-defining third-person shooting RPG.

And with WB, it’s even worse, because the industry giant plans on converting its biggest franchises into the service format, which so to speak, has gotten off to a detrimental start. A franchise like Batman: Arkham deserves to walk the hall of fame, not the mall of shame, but here we are.

But anyhow, you must’ve noticed as of late that Suicide Squad has gone free-to-play for Amazon Prime Video subscribers. Me avoiding the game like the plague on launch decided to grab the code, because… well… it was free, and let me tell you about the conclusion I’ve come to.

Hey, maybe this is not so bad after all.”

The Gameplay’s The Most Enjoyable Aspect

I know I sound like a hypocrite, but hear me out. Your judgment gains a new level of clarity when you’re opening your wallet for something, and this is exactly the case that I want to bring forward. Now that me, and dozens of other players have been booting up the game without paying squat, it’s actually possible to gauge Suicide Squad from a different lens, one that isn’t measuring the shooter against a set value.

I owe everyone that worked on Suicide Squad an apology
byu/Eruditioads inSuicideSquadGaming

So, let’s get into some of the major things about Suicide Squad that feel fantastic right from the get-go.

Slick Traversal

Credit where it’s due, Rocksteady has worked up something fairly workable as far as Suicide Squad’s traversal is concerned. Each character has a certain weight to it, with unique abilities and movement mechanics that set one part apart from the other. Harley’s drone, for instance, serves as her auto-jetpack, letting her travel short distances with quick bursts of speed.

Other members of the squad boast abilities of their own that help them get around the city — which is left in nothing but ruins — quicker.

I will say that the whole of it isn’t still something you’d compare to a juggernaut like Marvel’s Spider-Man—Insomniac did not mess around with that IP—because there are certain lags and jitters to it that you will have to ignore down the road, but as far having fun is concerned, that much is there in Suicide Squad.

Good Gunplay

Now this is one part that has players feeling content, happy, and satisfied with their actual purchase of Suicide Squad, not to mention me being able to get that joy out for free. The combat in the title is lush. You’re able to string combos together with the different firearms and gadgets available at your disposal, all the while moving at fast speeds to avoid incoming threats.

Suicide Squad pulls that part off nicely, even if it takes a considerable nosedive in other facets.

Suicide Squad KTJL has some of the best third person combat in gaming…
byu/teedgejnz inSuicideSquadGaming

Though The Core Issues Still Remain To A Hard Degree

Now, here’s the kicker: There are actual, valid reasons that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League got slammed to the floor, so let’s just not turn a blind eye toward those, all right? First off, the UI of the shooter could use some refinement. At certain points in the title, which are not too far and few in between, you can easily feel that the on-screen elements are getting a bit too much for your concurrent understanding.

Half-Baked Narrative

Apart from that, the narrative of Suicide Squad remains fairly attractive throughout the campaign, but right near the end, it falls off hard. The entire thing just feels unfinished, with no proper conclusion in sight. Given the live service format, it’s understandable that seasonal content push-outs further the story, but everything here feels out of place instead, which does not set the game up for success.

The outrage is completely warranted
byu/bettercallhuell1 inSuicideSquadGaming

What’s Next For The Franchise?

For now, nothing but bad news. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is on the brink of collapse, as it averages around 200 players on Steam at the time of writing, so you can expect the shooter to drop dead a couple of months from now. Next, WB decided to dole out a VR game next, called Batman: Arkham Shadows, and honestly, I’m not about any of that.

So, yeah. Let’s just hope and pray that Rocksteady at least attempts to give the series a more back-to-basics approach, and offers a game more in tune with the legacy left behind by the actual Batman titles.