In this new story, Brainiac, the traditional Superman villain, has hatched an evil plan to take over Earth and remake it in his own image. As part of his scheme, he plans to control the minds of the Justice League members. The Suicide Squad is called in to eliminate the Justice League by any means necessary. What initially seems like a straightforward premise—one fans have seen before—takes an interesting turn halfway through. This shift is largely due to the phenomenal character design and scriptwriting, which bring each member of the cast to life while balancing between being charming and insufferable.

Just picture it: Harley Quinn kills the Justice League. Now, with her boyfriend gone, the sidekick has something to prove. But wait—sidekick? Oh, honey, that’s not quite the case. The late, great Kevin Conroy shines in one of his final performances as the Dark Knight, bringing a darker side to Batman than we’ve seen from him before. “Let their corpses strike fear into those who resist,” he commands. Tara Strong is pitch-perfect as the anarchic Harley Quinn, and Joe Sanoa (aka Samoa Joe) delivers King Shark’s one-liners with dry humor that hits just right.

Playable characters like Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang are fun to control, each bringing unique weapons and abilities to the table. From boomerangs to massive hammers, sniper rifles to sharp-toothed chomps, the characters are visually exciting. However, it’s disappointing that despite the opportunity for more varied gameplay styles, the characters often feel reduced to the same basic blueprint. They all seem to love nothing more than firing guns and occasionally tossing grenades. While each has a signature melee or traversal move—like Harley’s sweeping baseball bat hits or Boomerang’s enemy-chaining boomerang—the focus remains on shooting and collecting an increasingly powerful arsenal of guns.

In comparison to the more methodical combat of the Arkham games, Suicide Squad speeds things up significantly, with you zipping around and unloading bullets in rapid succession. This can be undeniably thrilling at times, especially when chasing combos and stylish takedowns while avoiding damage. Some moments remind me of other great action games, such as Doom or Control, where the best defense is to keep attacking relentlessly.

As typical in a class-based game, each character specializes in different skills, which can be customized through skill trees. For me, the most important factor in choosing a character was testing their movement abilities, as many felt clunky at first. After some experimentation, I settled on Captain Boomerang with his teleporting Speed Force gauntlet, which allowed me to flank enemy hordes with ease. I eventually crafted a close-combat Boomerang build, boosting damage to enemies within a 5-meter radius, paired with a freezing melee attack and a legendary shotgun that obliterated everything in its path. It was satisfying, but by the time I reached the midpoint of the campaign, I had acquired most of the gear needed to breeze through encounters on normal difficulty, rendering the crafting and looting systems largely unnecessary for me.

As a looter-shooter, Suicide Squad offers guns in various rarity tiers, from common and rare to unique, high-powered, notorious, and infamous weapons, many themed around DC villains. However, despite the cool concept, the guns themselves are largely disappointing. While the world and characters are filled with charm and color, this doesn’t translate to the weapons, which mostly consist of bland rifles, SMGs, and pistols. The modifications you can make to your weapons are limited to standard boosts like increased critical damage or faster cooldowns, none of which really capture the wild, unpredictable essence of superheroes and villains.

What I had hoped for were more imaginative weapons—like a Joker-themed gun that fires exploding, chattering teeth, or a Clayface cannon that turns the ground and enemies into clay, immobilizing them. But after finishing the campaign and grinding through some post-game content, I was left disappointed by the lack of creativity in the weaponry. There’s potential here for an exciting loot and combat system, but it’s hidden behind solid yet unspectacular gunplay and weapon designs.

The core problem isn’t the combat itself, but rather the repetitive encounter design. Metropolis is overrun with Brainiac’s purple energy spots and monsters, most of which are placed atop buildings, guarding Brainiac’s weapons or causing other nuisances. This means a lot of my time was spent hopping between rooftops, taking out moles in a repetitive cycle: cutscene, rooftop, battle, repeat. The majority of the campaign’s 10-hour runtime is filled with uninspired encounters, and there’s little ambition in crafting memorable side missions or unique encounters. Unlike the Arkham games, where every environment felt carefully designed for action, Suicide Squad keeps most of the action above the city, moving at high speed, and rarely offers creative, contained action spaces.

While Suicide Squad has a few standout boss battles, most of the encounters take place in circular arenas where you’re just waiting for an opening to attack. A prime example is the Flash fight, where you must quickly time counter-shots before dealing damage. The Green Lantern fight stands out, offering a custom arena with high vantage points that can also be used as cover—this is one of the few moments that successfully combines spectacle with excitement. The heroes are challenging, but never too unfair, with most attacks signposted well to avoid frustration, even if the overall strategy boils down to shooting them in predictable ways.

There are impactful moments filled with wonder, but they pass by in a flash. At around 10 to 11 hours, the main campaign is not especially short, but it feels underwhelming when you consider that fans have been waiting almost nine years for a new Rocksteady game. The ending, which mainly sets up future seasonal updates, leaves much to be desired. Still, despite the underwhelming gameplay in between the rewarding cutscenes, the campaign remains engaging due to its surprises and twists. However, the lack of imaginative encounter design and the repetitive nature of the gameplay ultimately holds the game back from being the thrilling experience it could have been.

Metropolis is a sun-soaked city where superheroes are treated like gods, and monuments to them line the streets. It’s visually stunning, and without the small issue of a massive brain hovering overhead causing widespread chaos, it could probably be a lovely place to spend a weekend. The art direction is superb, with a rich mix of architectural styles that combine to create a uniquely inviting skyline. However, despite its beauty, the city feels oddly lifeless, like a meticulously crafted diorama gathering dust. Much like in the Arkham games, there’s a noticeable lack of civilian activity that would make Metropolis feel like a real, vibrant place in need of protection.