Between its mixed critical reviews, player base that quickly plummeted into the hundreds, severe networking issues and Warner Bros. Discovery saying it “fell short of expectations,” Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has had it rough since launch. While live service titles seemed out of place in today’s crowded gaming space, it was also shown up by Arrowhead Game Studios’ immensely successful Helldivers 2 in short order.
Nevertheless, there was always the hope that Season 1, aka Season of the Joker, would revitalize the game and bring back lapsed players, if not generate interest from newcomers. After all, it’s The Joker! No, not any recognizable or established version of The Joker, but an Elseworlds version instead. Based on early gameplay footage, he looked solid enough. Surely, his story would also be interesting and accompanied by new gear, activities and story content.
Well, Season of the Joker is now live and suffice it to say that even the most dedicated players have thrown up their hands in exasperation. What happened? As it turns out, this season…doesn’t have much going on. The “new” activities and story content leave something to be desired with how little there is of both.
Here’s how it works: this is the launch of Episode 1 of Season of the Joker, dubbed Fear. It features new Infamy Gear themed around Scarecrow, with new set bonuses focused on poisoning enemies, and some Notorious gear from characters like Merlyn, Mad Hatter, Polka-Dot Man, Two-Face and Reverse Flash. There’s also the new Battle Pass, which Deluxe Edition holders can activate for some admittedly cheesy-looking WayneTech outfits.
However, the new Elseworlds missions are little more than the content players have been trudging through for weeks. They range from destroying an artillery gun by depositing Terminaut bits to killing enemies within a time limit in missions like Laugh Riot and – get this – killing Brutes in Impostor Syndrome. Sure, the world is dotted with Joker-themed structures and decorations to give the impression of a “new world”, but fundamentally, it’s the same space. The exact same enemy types.
Despite the new buffs you can pick up, like Infinite Ammo or a Diablo Blaze Flame Aura, there isn’t anything mind-blowingly different about the gameplay. Unfortunately, those in it for the story surrounding this new Joker will be disappointed as well.
You get a new motion comic-style intro showcasing how The Joker wreaked havoc against Brainiac’s forces, got captured and, well, stayed that way (as he’s known to do). Now, you must grind through those same mission types again to increase your Fear ranks. At Rank 35, players unlock The Joker and can also fight Brainiac in a new boss fight. Sorry, when we say “new”, we mean another reskinned version of an existing fight (in this case Green Lantern). Rocksteady couldn’t even give Brainiac some new constructs or mechanics to play around with.
After that and an awkward cutscene where The Joker is officially part of the squad, the latter is finally playable. That’s it. No new story missions or even any other cutscenes. Just some lame banter, and that’s it. As far as post-launch seasons go, it’s embarrassingly lackluster, even as far as failed live-service titles go.
But wait – there’s more. The Joker is technically free – you just have to unlock him by grinding out the same boring activities again. Assuming you take the quickest mission – in my case, the one focused on killing several Brute enemies, which took about two minutes – and progress through 35 Fear Episode Ranks, it should be about an hour and a half. Accounting for some Promethium in case you run out, of course.
However, Rocksteady also gives you the option, nay, the privilege to pay for instant access. That’s right – with a mere 1000 LuthorCoins, the same price as the Premium Battle Pass, you can unlock The Joker and play with him immediately. That’ll be $10, please, and thank you. It’s a scummy move, with the developer preying on those who wouldn’t know better.
Then again, there’s another potential reason Rocksteady didn’t provide immediate and free access to the Clown Prince of Crime – the daily active user count. It doesn’t want players to log in and play with the new character before logging out. It wants to force them to stick around as if showcasing that the game has some life.
Of course, the other reason is the utter lack of content. If players logged in and saw nothing but the same activities, they would drop this new Season almost immediately. Forcing them to grind but not making the grind excessive makes sticking around look more appealing. Of course, if you can monetize those who are impatient or unaware, then even better.
Maybe Rocksteady took inspiration from the likes of Overwatch 2 and how they pushed players to grind through the Battle Pass to unlock new heroes when they dropped. However, not only is that a PvP title, but if you purchase the Premium Battle Pass, you get immediate access. Meanwhile, Suicide Squad asks for more money on top of the Battle Pass to play as The Joker.
Also, the amount of backlash that Blizzard received for this approach was so consistent over time that it’s going back to making new heroes free and immediately available to all players. We’re now at the point where Blizzard Entertainment, of all developers, is doing things better. Let that sink in for the moment.
You could argue that Season of the Joker is just the first season – or the first episode of the first season as if things aren’t annoyingly convoluted enough. Yet for months, especially following the controversial gameplay showcase at PlayStation’s State of Play last year, it touted the post-launch support and how the story was “bigger” than the Suicide Squad. How the Elseworlds approach allowed for limitless possibilities and whatnot.
Not only did it learn no lessons from the likes of Destiny 2 or even The Division 2 in terms of offering new story content and activities, but it’s trying to scam its hardcore players – the only ones that are left – for just a few more bucks. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad. Alas, not only are fans rejecting its practices and calling out the utter lack of content but for all its posturing and “marketing,” Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League averaged a measly 2,717 peak concurrent players on Steam for Season 1’s launch.
Maybe things will improve in Episode 2 of Season of the Joker. Maybe Rocksteady has this intricate storyline that it will tell, especially with the grind and set-up – such that it is – out of the way. However, with yet another reskinned boss fight, this time with Superman, you have to wonder if that’s the case. The first impression is usually the last, especially when it comes to live-service titles – just look at Destiny 2’s new player experience. While Suicide Squad fumbled badly at launch, it had the opportunity to showcase its post-launch potential.
Unfortunately, if this first “Episode” is any indication, Rocksteady’s live service ambitions may go the way of Anthem and Marvel’s Avengers sooner than we thought. And that is truly the killing joke.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
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