Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League | 'Meet the Support Squad' | Behind the Scenes Look
SPOILERS for the story are present in this video after 07:34:
Don't miss the second Suicide Squad Insider episode going over the supporting cast of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The supporting cast will give the Squad the tools they’ll need to take on the Justice League, as well as reveal some familiar returning faces. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is launching on February 2, 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.
Don't miss the second Suicide Squad Insider episode going over the supporting cast of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The supporting cast will give the Squad the tools they’ll need to take on the Justice League, as well as reveal some familiar returning faces. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is launching on February 2, 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.
Transcript
00:00 [VIDEO PLAYBACK]
00:02 - Ha-ha!
00:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:07 - All the fun is right here.
00:09 - Hello, I'm Axel Rydby, Game Director here
00:11 at Rocksteady Studios.
00:13 - I'm Darius Zedivian, Studio Director at Rocksteady Studios.
00:18 - We're so excited to welcome you all to episode two
00:20 of our ongoing series--
00:21 - Hey!
00:22 - --Suicide Squad Insider.
00:24 In our last episode, we gave you a look at our combat system
00:27 that combines story, powerful traversal abilities,
00:30 iconic melee attacks, and explosive gunplay
00:32 to offer something truly unique.
00:35 - Hello, beautiful.
00:36 - We wanted to challenge ourselves.
00:38 We wanted to expand and really push ourselves in terms
00:41 of making something new and fresh.
00:43 - Light him up!
00:43 - When first introduced, the free-for-combat
00:45 Batman Arkham Asylum broke new ground
00:47 and set a standard that is still popular today.
00:50 In that spirit, the Rocksteady team
00:51 decided to delve into new mechanics.
00:53 - If you're playing solo, you have the power
00:55 to make combat in our game unique to you
00:57 while making your way through our story campaign.
01:00 If you decide to play co-op with friends,
01:02 you can each become an expert with your play style
01:04 and customize builds, creating a powerful squad
01:06 unlike any other.
01:08 - Each person can offer a different benefit
01:10 to the play experience.
01:12 - We're super excited to see those sort of team play
01:15 synergistic effects happen.
01:17 - You want a high five?
01:18 - Up high.
01:19 - In the Suicide Squad, the world, the narrative,
01:22 all our features evolve through the lens of DC lore.
01:25 - Fans of the DC universe are going
01:27 to be really excited for this.
01:28 Not only are we bringing characters back
01:30 that we've used in the Arkham series,
01:32 but we're introducing new ones.
01:34 - You can call me Colonel Rick Flagg.
01:36 - We want players to feel like they explored the DC universe
01:40 with us, not just through the story,
01:41 but also through the mechanics.
01:43 - Ah, no lasso?
01:48 You gotta be kidding me.
01:49 [GRUNTING]
01:51 [THUD]
01:52 - In this episode, we'll meet some
01:54 of the iconic DC characters who will
01:56 be helping our anti-heroes to take
01:58 on their impossible mission.
01:59 - Awesome.
02:00 - Through conversations with our team, our voice cast,
02:02 and our play testers, along with extended gameplay,
02:05 we'll give you a preview of some of the amazing new
02:07 possibilities we're excited about with Suicide
02:09 Squad Kill the Justice League.
02:12 - Wait, which superheroes did you say you were again?
02:17 - This is Suicide Squad Insider, episode two.
02:19 - The RPG systems are the connective tissue
02:28 inside of the game.
02:29 - Things like weapon customization,
02:31 talent customization, things that really
02:33 let players get into how they want their character to play.
02:37 - Now, let's begin.
02:40 - We built this game with near limitless
02:42 strategic and personal options.
02:45 Players craft their own character within a character.
02:49 Everyone can pick not only their favorite,
02:51 but really make a character that's their own.
02:54 - There's really high skill ceiling mechanics in this game
02:56 where, as you learn to traverse, as you
02:57 learn to combine your character's abilities more
03:00 and more, you become better, your character becomes stronger,
03:03 and in the story of the game, you're taking
03:05 on stronger and stronger threats.
03:07 - We have this perspective of always tying back
03:10 to the narrative and always giving
03:11 context around the mechanics.
03:13 With the DC world out there, it just
03:15 gave us unlimited potential.
03:17 With the Arkham games, you could modify some elements
03:19 of Batman himself.
03:21 We knew early on going with an action shooter
03:23 was an opportunity to go down a new path
03:25 and try out new mechanics with a new type of game.
03:29 - Someone's been busy.
03:31 How'd you have time to make all this?
03:33 - In our last episode, we show the Suicide Squad recruiting
03:35 the Penguin for Argus.
03:37 - OK, Waller, we bag Penguin.
03:40 - He goes back to the Hall of Justice
03:42 to start helping the squad out.
03:43 - I'm taking authority.
03:45 - Since we last showed you the Justice League's HQ,
03:48 it's had a makeover from Amanda Waller and her team,
03:50 and it's now the forward operating base for Argus'
03:53 fight against Brayden.
03:54 - So when considering gameplay, we
03:58 knew we needed an arms dealer.
04:00 - You need a good gun runner.
04:02 - For us, it's been great to bring Penguin back
04:04 from the Arkham days.
04:05 We love working with this character.
04:07 - What he gives you is lots of options
04:09 for upgrading individual weapons, crafting.
04:12 It feels like you're actually interacting with Penguin
04:15 when you're crafting these items.
04:16 And that's really where Penguin as a character
04:18 comes to life in the game.
04:20 - You get to build them up, creating
04:22 some really unique combinations.
04:23 And you can play the game in a way that's unique to you.
04:26 We have weapons based on different manufacturers.
04:31 - Star Labs have Amortek, they have Lexicorp, they have DCPD.
04:34 And they all come with different flavors.
04:36 - Lex is a very scientific man, right?
04:38 Their guns are very scientific in nature.
04:39 They have very specific recoil patterns and spread patterns,
04:42 almost like they are calculated.
04:43 Then we have Amortek, which is more improvised weaponry.
04:47 Really fast fire rates, high ammo capacity,
04:49 but it kicks like a donkey.
04:50 - And once you've unlocked those manufacturers,
04:52 you can go to Penguin and ask him to sort of craft
04:54 specific weapons in those manufacturers.
04:56 - Different guns will play with different styles.
04:58 Maybe you've got a Deadshot focused on critical hits,
05:00 on headshots.
05:01 That might mean that you want to favor a legendary gun,
05:03 which works with that play style.
05:05 - Nice, nice, nice.
05:08 - Penguin is only one member of what we call the support squad.
05:11 - Toot, toot, scumbags!
05:13 - They're various supervillains that the squad have
05:16 bagged, stolen, or borrowed from.
05:19 - For players who just want to play through the story,
05:21 they'll get the full arsenal to be able to take on the Justice
05:24 League.
05:24 But for players who really want to sort of maximize
05:26 their characters, the support squad
05:28 emissions unlock really cool features.
05:29 - Our designers have put a lot of effort
05:31 into making sure that when you play the game,
05:34 you can have a very different experience from someone else.
05:36 - Let's meet the rest of the support squad.
05:38 Here we can see the scientist Gizmo,
05:40 who has set up shop in the basement of the Hall of Justice.
05:43 - You're perfect.
05:44 - We know.
05:44 - His primary contribution to the squad
05:46 is the sort of airdropped vehicles
05:48 that you can use for combat.
05:50 - You're getting into this flying vehicle
05:52 with rockets and turrets.
05:54 You can sort of blow shit up.
05:56 And the havoc you can create is outstanding.
05:59 - Each character from the DC universe
06:01 offers the player a different way
06:02 of interacting with the game.
06:04 - I've been trying on the name Toy Man.
06:07 - More like Annoy Man.
06:09 - Am I right?
06:11 - Toy Man is one character that helps you actually
06:13 figure out ways of defeating the Justice League.
06:16 - He's a tech boy genius who wants nothing more
06:19 than to help save Metropolis.
06:21 He can't quite come to terms with the fact
06:23 that his heroes are now the villains.
06:26 - Changing Stuff is my middle name.
06:30 - You can unlock more and more things
06:33 you can do with Toy Man to enhance your gear.
06:35 - If you want to really perfect your gear
06:38 to really suit how you like to play the game,
06:40 Toy Man's the character to talk to.
06:42 - I'm Hack.
06:44 - Hack is this sort of electronic actual projection.
06:47 Anything that has electricity, Hack can manifest through.
06:51 - By working with Hack and increasing your talent points
06:53 over the course of the game,
06:55 you can unlock a whole myriad of different abilities.
06:58 - For example, with Harley,
06:59 you can increase her grenade damage.
07:01 - Thank you!
07:02 - Alongside the talent tree,
07:04 we have what we call the combat combo system.
07:06 As you're doing these more intricate moves,
07:08 you build up your combo faster,
07:10 and the higher that combo is,
07:11 the more talents you activate.
07:12 - Ah, this stuff's loud!
07:15 - Hack also uses her abilities
07:16 to literally hack Brainiac's comms,
07:19 so you get to listen in
07:20 on what the Justice League is talking about,
07:22 and you also get to hear
07:23 their sort of corrupted personalities
07:25 and how different they are from the heroes you once knew.
07:27 - We have complete control, Brainiac.
07:29 - Now let's talk about one more member of our support squad,
07:32 another infamous DC villain
07:34 that Director Waller once recruited.
07:36 (suspenseful music)
07:39 At this point in the game,
07:42 the squad has discovered evidence
07:44 that Poison Ivy may be alive.
07:46 - Ivy?
07:47 Poison Ivy?
07:48 Dead Poison Ivy after Scarecrow gave Gotham a crop dustin'.
07:53 - The fans who pay close attention to Arkham Knight,
07:55 they will remember that when Poison Ivy died,
07:59 she left behind a little sprout.
08:00 - I got a real strong hunch
08:02 she ain't pushing up daisies no more.
08:04 - And in this game, you discover that that sprouting
08:07 has been cared for by some people
08:09 who may have had their own motivations for doing so,
08:11 but in the chaos of Metropolis, she's escaped.
08:14 - Find her.
08:15 Bring her to me for questioning.
08:17 - Using special technology they've acquired,
08:19 the Suicide Squad is tracking Ivy back.
08:21 - If Ivy's in the city, this tracker will lead you to her.
08:25 - Unless y'all wanna end up a poorly plated spring mix,
08:28 you better put me in charge and let me talk to Ives first.
08:31 - So in playing solo,
08:32 players can switch between any of the characters
08:35 and you'll get to experience all the different play styles
08:38 across all of the different missions.
08:40 - And here we go!
08:41 - So here she is.
08:49 Thought she'd be taller.
08:51 - Are you serious right now?
08:53 Poison Ivy is a redhead.
08:55 This is a plant.
08:56 You might be the dumbest.
08:58 (grunting)
09:01 (screaming)
09:03 (laughing)
09:29 - There's my...
09:31 girl.
09:35 - She is not made of meat.
09:41 Is this what you call a vegetarian option?
09:45 - I don't know you, but my pheromones remember you.
09:50 Strange emotions.
09:54 - Tell me about it.
09:55 Wasn't expecting you to come in fun size.
09:58 - You really don't know me?
10:00 Harley and Ivy forever?
10:02 In 10 story burning letters?
10:06 - Nope.
10:11 - Geez, Lex Lex Corp really did a number on you, huh Red?
10:18 He dress you up in that outfit too?
10:20 - No, I took it when I broke out.
10:24 He shut me in a room in his tower.
10:28 If I worked on the things he wanted,
10:29 I got a whole hour of sunlight every day.
10:33 - What did he want?
10:35 - Weapons, making them more effective
10:37 against the alien invaders.
10:39 You know, they're very susceptible to plant toxins.
10:42 And I know all about plant toxins.
10:46 - We know.
10:47 That's why they call you Poison Ivy.
10:50 - It's just Ivy, weirdo.
10:55 - Where's Lex now?
10:57 - I don't know.
10:58 Something spooked him, I guess.
11:00 He got in his big robot suit and stomped off.
11:04 - Ooh, I know that look.
11:06 Who you murdering?
11:08 - The corrupted things that are coming.
11:10 All of them.
11:11 They're poisoning the earth with their gross bodies.
11:15 So I lured them here.
11:16 - The wrath of nature.
11:25 I like it.
11:27 - Oh, this is my friend Daphne.
11:29 We'll make all the aliens choke to death on spores.
11:32 You make sure Daphne doesn't die, or you're next.
11:36 - Waller, be advised Lex is AWOL in a power suit
11:39 and Ivy's an eco-terrorist middle schooler.
11:41 Dead shot out.
11:43 - How'd we end up hogging a giant plant?
11:46 I have allergies.
11:48 Anyone care?
11:51 - Here's a brief look at the mission
11:56 that follows your first encounter with Ivy.
11:58 You'll see a variety of custom builds and loadouts
12:02 that draw on the power of DC villains.
12:04 Ivy's plans need protection.
12:08 Split up your squad to attack from different directions.
12:11 - Our asses won't get kicked just standing here.
12:13 Now go defend!
12:15 - Combat in this game revolves around three core pillars.
12:20 Traversal, gunplay, and melee.
12:24 Someone like Deadshot can take advantage point.
12:27 Can provide cover fire.
12:29 You can find wild ways to upgrade your melee attacks.
12:37 With the Great Suspender, a single boomerang
12:40 can launch several enemies off the ground.
12:42 - A job well done, Roy!
12:46 - Harley's gun is from the Bane's Rage set.
12:51 Landing a critical hit spawns a power-up
12:54 that can infuse other weapons like grenades
12:56 with Bane's Rage,
12:58 making them more powerful.
13:01 - Get the invaders locked at me, quickly!
13:04 Those aliens pollute everything.
13:08 - King Shark's loadout here includes
13:09 Black Mask's Bullet Storm
13:10 and the Heatwave's Molten Shield to synergize.
13:13 He has triggered the Bullet Storm effect,
13:15 which means that he's now immune from damage
13:17 thanks to the Heatwave's Molten Shield,
13:20 making this a perfect opportunity to get in close.
13:23 (gunfire)
13:25 - Saber it!
13:27 - This mission is where we introduce Afflictions,
13:33 elemental attacks from Ivy's plants
13:35 that draw on the powers of different DC villains.
13:37 Use an Affliction to freeze your enemies
13:39 before you deliver an explosive finale.
13:41 - Task Force X, report.
13:46 Have you secured Ivy?
13:53 - Yeah, kind of a funny story.
13:56 - Although she doesn't remember her old life,
13:58 Ivy is still a deadly expert with toxins
14:01 and she can offer your builds an interesting new feature,
14:04 Afflictions.
14:05 - The results are so neat.
14:07 - When you manage to recruit her,
14:10 she comes back to the Hall of Justice
14:11 as kind of like a loose cannon, precocious toddler
14:14 who also has terrifying genetic engineering powers.
14:17 - Then we introduce the concept of Afflictions.
14:20 Players can apply these Afflictions
14:21 to their melee weapons, their grenades.
14:23 So they can mix and match different things
14:25 for the encounter.
14:26 And each Affliction ties back to a desecrated group.
14:31 - So we have four Afflictions.
14:32 Diablo Blaze sets people on fire, burns them over time.
14:35 But you can't shield harvest them.
14:36 We have Deep Freeze, freezes people.
14:38 You can shatter them with your guns,
14:40 but they are pretty resistant to melee damage.
14:42 They won't drop ammo when they die.
14:44 - At any point, you can have up to two
14:45 different elemental Afflictions,
14:47 then add in the three other players.
14:48 So what you've got there is lots of different ways
14:50 to engage with enemies.
14:51 (gunshots)
14:53 - Your fight is far from over.
14:57 - So at Rocksteady, what we sort of pride ourselves on
15:00 is investigating how players play.
15:02 Do they get the language that we're trying to create?
15:04 We had an amazing opportunity to get a group
15:06 of proper gamers from the community involved
15:09 in the development process pretty early.
15:11 - Some of the characters, the mission types,
15:12 join the story.
15:13 I'd definitely say this has got a Rocksteady stamp on it.
15:16 - The experience of Suicide Squad,
15:17 because of Justice League, is really fluid, really smooth,
15:20 and it feels really polished.
15:21 It's chaos, but in a good way.
15:24 - It's very fast and very momentum-based.
15:27 And I think there's a lot of verticality to it.
15:29 - No other game that makes you feel so free and powerful.
15:33 - Yes!
15:34 - You also have this deep building of your character
15:38 with a more superhero twist.
15:40 For example, I kind of gravitated towards Dead Shark
15:43 because I'm a big fan of shooting guns and big grip builds.
15:46 You can use the juggling mechanic
15:48 to get 100% crit chance, and then from there, do big damage.
15:51 - The knowledge that we gained seeing players
15:53 explore the mechanics gave us a little taste
15:56 of what it's going to be like when we get
15:58 a bigger community to share the game with.
16:01 - Now listen, how about a team up?
16:03 - When the studio made the Arkham series,
16:05 we were very much focused on single character,
16:07 a single perspective.
16:08 And with this game, we saw that opportunity
16:12 to get the community more involved.
16:14 - For us, it was about expanding and enhancing
16:16 into something new and different.
16:18 And we wanted this experience to be shared
16:20 with more than just one person.
16:22 - One of the coolest experiences in the game
16:26 is when you're playing with friends
16:28 and each character can tackle the problems
16:31 that you're facing together differently.
16:33 - You are learning how to overcome challenges together.
16:37 All these characters are geared up
16:39 to be able to complement each other.
16:40 - Because each of them is moving differently,
16:43 sometimes another character might come in
16:44 from a direction you don't expect.
16:46 You can create unintentional cinematic moments
16:48 with your friends.
16:49 When you really are in sync with your squad,
16:54 it's such a special feeling.
16:56 And I think something I haven't experienced
16:58 in any other game.
16:59 - Multiplayer is new for the studio,
17:01 but it's super exciting because we get to see
17:03 rock steady hallmarks of story driven game,
17:05 but from multiple perspectives.
17:07 And getting to share that with your friends
17:09 is pretty unique.
17:11 - We hope you enjoyed episode two
17:13 of Suicide Squad Insider.
17:14 - Phew, I need a smoke.
17:16 - I need more therapy.
17:19 - In our next episode, we'll take a look
17:21 at what you can expect from our game after launch.
17:23 - This is the biggest cinematic experience
17:26 that Rocksteady has ever created
17:27 with more hours of cinematic cut scenes than ever before.
17:31 But I think we leave the setting of our story open enough
17:34 that for post launch content,
17:36 players will be excited to come back
17:37 and find out what we're gonna do next.
17:39 - You wanna talk about it?
17:41 Know what Quinn?
17:42 (alarm beeping)
17:43 I do.
17:44 - I don't think players are ready
17:46 for the new playable characters they're gonna get,
17:48 or even the places they're gonna get to take them.
17:49 - This game is much bigger than the world
17:52 of the Suicide Squad.
17:53 Rocksteady will continue to build on the story.
17:56 - We're delivering you a full game,
17:58 but for those that wanna go further,
17:59 we're gonna have lots of new updates
18:01 that are free to our players.
18:02 And we really wanna engage with our community
18:04 to give them new experiences regularly.
18:06 - At the end of the game, everyone goes,
18:08 "Wow, this was a hell of a ride."
18:11 (laughing)
18:13 - Let's play again.
18:14 (upbeat music)
18:17 (upbeat music)
18:19 (upbeat music)