Spoilers ahead for Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League .
While the game has proven to be divisive, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League gets more right than it does wrong. Its core gameplay loop is immensely satisfying, with diverse traversal for each member of Task Force X and speedy combat that encourages players to build and maintain combos. Metropolis is a breathtaking setting filled with Easter eggs that reference the wider DC universe, while the personalities of Task Force X shine throughout the game. With brilliant performances from actors like Kevin Conroy also deserving of praise, as well as easy access to endgame missions and content, there are plenty of things to celebrate. Sadly, boss fights are not one of them.
Though Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League’s boss fights are not without their good moments, such as the appearance of Knightmare Batman and Green Lantern’s creative use of constructs, there are too many things holding the battles back, whether it be the fights themselves being too easy or every method of blocking the League’s abilities essentially boiling down to the counter shot mechanic. Perhaps worst of all, though, is the way that the boss fights end, as every single major boss encounter concludes with a random gunshot as the final blow. Considering all the superpowers at play in the game, this lack of spectacle to conclude the fights is a huge letdown.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Makes Brilliant Use of a Clever Returnal Trick
Rocksteady adds a clever Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League detail that feels as if it was directly inspired by the PS5 exclusive Returnal.
The Justice League’s Members Shouldn’t Fall to a Random Bullet
How Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Could Have Fixed Its Anticlimactic Boss Fight Endings
As is the case with most boss fights, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League sees Task Force X attempting to deplete the health bars of heroes like The Flash, Green Lantern, and Superman. Once they have done so, the hero-turned-villain that they were fighting will drop to their knees, requiring one last hit to defeat. However, players have no choice when it comes to how this hit is delivered, as if they get too close, they are thrown back by a forcefield surrounding Brainiac’s superpowered servants. With this mechanic in place, gamers have no choice but to shoot the boss just like they have dozens of times prior to this point, and seeing each member fall to a random bullet is disappointing.
These battles would have been far more impactful if players could initiate a brutal melee takedown on their enemy to cap off the fight, with a special animation triggered by a press of the melee button. Perhaps the entire Suicide Squad could have attacked a powerful foe like Superman at the same time, as doing so would have made him look as formidable as he should have. Having the Man of Steel die to a gunshot just like every other League member feels like an insult, even if the bullets are laced in kryptonite. Had he been punched, stabbed, and shot by every member of Task Force X, though, his death would have been an easier pill to swallow. The group climbing and attacking the gigantic Knightmare Batman could have also been more memorable than just shooting at him. The same logic applies to Brainiac, whose fight not only suffers from being a Flash reskin, but because he is taken out in a similarly boring manner.
Alternatively, these hypothetical boss finishers could have leaned into the rivalries each Suicide Squad member - aside from King Shark - has with a Justice Leaguer. For instance, Deadshot could have pulled off a flashy kill on Green Lantern , while Boomerang could have done the same to The Flash.
There May Be a Reason Suicide Squad’s Boss Battles End Awkwardly
Leaks have suggested that the Justice League will be returning as Suicide Squad's story progresses, so perhaps Rocksteady did not want players damaging the bodies of the corrupt heroes too much, as doing so would make their return more difficult. Alternatively, Rocksteady may have been trying to future-proof these encounters, as though there are four characters at launch, adding someone like Joker post-launch means that players could end up leaving a squad member out who would need to be present for a personalized melee finisher. Though there is no evidence that it exists, even a boss rush mode would justify the existing format. No matter what, though, it is hard not to feel like the boss battles end with a whimper instead of a bang. Whether it comes in the form of team takedowns or a special boss takedown per anti-hero that can be used to cap off fights, something more is needed to make boss battles end stronger.
