Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launches in just a few short weeks, and the pre-launch vibes surrounding the game haven’t exactly been glowingly positive. Many fans have been put off by the game’s live-service elements and some of the hands-on previews from journalists have been surprisingly harsh. Back in November, Rocksteady Studios held a closed alpha for Suicide Squad, with all contents being under NDA, but unexpectedly, that NDA has now been lifted, allowing fans to share their impressions. Here’s what Rocksteady had to say about their decision to lift the embargo…
“Back in November, we held a Closed Alpha Test for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League where players agreed to a Non-Disclosure Agreement and got a chance to check out an early section of the game. Now that there is more news out on the game and players are asking, we’re no longer enforcing a portion of the NDA and we’re allowing players to talk about their experience from the Closed Alpha Test. We’ve heard the community requests and want to give players an opportunity to discuss what it’s like to explore Metropolis as Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark. To the amazing players who tested the game, please feel free to talk and write about your gameplay experience.”
It seems fairly obvious this is an attempt by Rocksteady and Warner Bros. Interactive to redirect the narrative, with the hope being alpha testers will be more positive than journalists, or those who have simply watched trailers, have been. Well… that hasn’t entirely panned out. To be fair, most of the responses on Twitter have been quite positive, but it’s easier for fanboys to manipulate that platform. Meanwhile, the response on Reddit and the ResetEra forums has been more mixed.
While there’s no single consensus, very broadly speaking, it seems like most alpha testers enjoyed Suicide Squad’s gravity-breaking traversal, the characterization of its anti-heroes, and the snappy banter between them. Opinion seems to be split on combat, with some enjoying it and others finding it surprisingly difficult to get into. Perhaps the most criticized element is mission and world design, which many deem bland and dated. Of course, the GaaS elements don’t get a lot of love either.
So, yeah, it seems like Suicide Squad is destined to be a divisive one, but the overwhelming negativity surrounding the game the past few weeks may not be entirely merited. There are plenty of alpha testers who enjoyed the game and that may well hold true for the final product.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League hits PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5 on February 2.
