Gamers itching to dive back into the Arkhamverse were given a better look at what lies ahead for them at the recent DC FanDome. As well as providing more insight into Gotham Knights and what players will be going up against in Gotham City, fans also got to see more of Rocksteady’s take on DC’s resident anti-hero team in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. From the trailer, it appears that the developer might be introducing some interesting new concepts.
Players will have a heavy burden to handle in Suicide Squad, as Amanda Waller charges Task Force X with putting down the Justice League. The reasoning behind the chaos is one of DC’s most powerful villains, Brainiac, has arrived on Earth, using his mind-controlling abilities to take over the Justice League and bend them to his will. As such, Task Force X has been assembled to take them out, by any means necessary. While the premise is a fairly familiar Suicide Squad tale, the trailer shows that Rocksteady might be adding their own flare to how the team operates.
Not everything we’re seeing is entirely new. We get another glimpse of Captain Boomerang’s amped-up arsenal, as seen in the original reveal trailer at last year’s Fandome. In the new trailer, we see more of Boomerang’s new ability to dash and/or teleport short distances, first seen with him disappearing into a bright blue blur speeding towards something. We see him later on fleeing from danger via the same methods. Whatever it may be, although this was a cinematic trailer, it gives a bit of an idea of what gameplay may be like.
The ability may be something upgradable as part of Boomerang’s skill set, a way of helping differentiate what it feels like to play as the four members of Task Force X. It also suggests that Boomerang as a character might be an archetype built around evasion and speed, dashing around skirmishes whilst his teammates provide alternative playstyles to handle different situations. It also gives insight into how Rocksteady might be powering up this version of the Suicide Squad and making them viable opponents to DC’s most powerful heroes, with perhaps even more upgrades to be seen.
Another possible deviation that Rocksteady has taken with the classic Suicide Squad formula is a change to Waller’s insurance policy. Traditionally, Waller has always kept her recruits in line through the threat of a bomb implanted at the base of their skulls, detonating it if they defect from the mission at hand. However, a line in the trailer hints at a possible change to this formula.
Once the team is deployed in the field, Waller is heard over the radio informing them that ‘[their] heads are ticking’, referring to the bombs. But, the term ‘ticking’ is of particular interest, insinuating that there is some sort of timer related to the detonation of these devices. Could this be instead of Waller’s remote trigger, or in tandem with it? The trailer does give us a glimpse at these bombs in action, with a Lexcorp employee pleading with Waller, grabbing onto her seconds before their head turns to mush in explosive fashion. Waller’s aghast expression perhaps indicates she has less control than usual, but, considering what she just witnessed in front of her eyes, it’s a fairly understandable reaction regardless.
With Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League still possessing a fairly broad window of 2022 for its PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and PC release, there is sure to be more details revealed about Rocksteady’s take on the Suicide Squad in the coming months. So far we have only witnessed the game in action via cinematics, with gameplay still yet to be seen, meaning these teases may be waiting for a while before being confirmed or denied.
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