Ironically, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn’t the Tone DC Games Need Right Now

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was once an interesting prospect, but since its launch back in February, the game has quickly become notorious as one of the first big disappointments of the year. From the controversial decision to make the game a single-player live service game to questionable character choices, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has left a fork in the road for Warner Bros. and Rocksteady when it comes to future games based on DC Comics.

The Suicide Squad franchise in general had a rocky start with its first movie adaptation garnering heavily mixed reviews, but the success of James Gunn’s adaptation of the iconic team of villains turned everything around. Gunn’s film was sprinkled with some fantastic humor, but Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad game trying to follow this same formula has arguably been part of the title’s downfall.

Rocksteady Should Take Inspiration From DC’s Darkness

There are a variety of things that have not gone over particularly well in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. One of the main issues that can make the game feel awkward is Rocksteady trying to capitalize on the humor of Gunn’s film adaptation. It’s a difficult tone to match, and Rocksteady was unfortunately not able to pull it off. Rocksteady’s strange character choices have plagued the game since launch, and returning to the dark tone of DC Comics may be the move Rocksteady needs to make.

A Return to Form for Rocksteady

Going back to the drawing board and using a darker tone for future projects is not something new to Rocksteady. The Arkham trilogy remains some of the best examples of adapting comic books into video games, and Rocksteady was the developer behind these great titles. The developer clearly has the ability to craft incredible superhero stories that are wrapped in more mature tones, but the studio has steered off course and needs to correct itself.

The darkness of DC Comics sets it apart from its main competitor, Marvel. DC Comics has offered a rich history of gritty superhero stories filled with terrifying villains. Although James Gunn’s Suicide Squad movie is a hilarious take on the crew, the games based around this franchise need to stand on their own. Instead of trying to keep the comedic tone of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League similar to its movie counterpart, it needs to offer a take on the characters that uses DC’s gloomy foundation as its source material.

As it stands, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League may not have that much longer of a lifespan. It might be too late for Rocksteady to get back on track with this entry, but this could present a new opportunity to embrace the darkness of DC once again. Even if the next DC Comics game isn’t a new Arkham title, using the trilogy as a blueprint could be a useful tool for future development.

The future of DC games is now in an incredibly tricky spot, and something drastic needs to happen in order to get Rocksteady back to its former glory. This isn’t to say that humor or ensemble banter doesn’t belong in video games, it just doesn’t seem to be working for this particular interpretation of the characters in the Suicide Squad. If a game is going to be canon in the Arkham universe, then it only makes sense that its tone does its predecessor justice.