What if Solid Snake was a Roomba? Or maybe if, instead of being a cute falling kid, Macaulay Culkin was a cute, murderous, falling vacuum cleaner? We will, Justice Sucks is here to answer those questions. Spoiler alert: it answers these questions really very good!
“Justice Sucks is set in a very accessible isometric perspective, which allows you to see a lot of the area around you and plan your attacks accordingly.”
Your name is Dusty McClean and you are a robot vacuum cleaner. You are essentially a Roomba that is connected remotely to the other devices in your home. What this means is that you can hack into these devices at any time and use them to your advantage. This is especially useful when your home is raided and your family is kidnapped.
You can hack your way into the system, slam doors on enemies, shoot beams of fire from the furnace, or turn on electrical outlets to electrocute your victims! Think watchdogs, but instead of being a grizzly old man or a joking teenager, you’re a Roomba. You know, the little robot that bounces against walls all the time.
All of this takes place in a very accessible isometric perspective, allowing you to see much of the area around you and plan your attacks accordingly. When entering the Hack menu, the time slows down slightly so that you can access the best trap for your current situation. The traps vary in damage effect and can even be overpowered by adding other elemental actions. For example, if you turn off a sprinkler and then overload an outlet, the electrical damage will increase if your enemy is standing in the puddle left by the sprinkler.
“The cat spitting animation is especially hilarious because your enemies are being scratched at ribbons by a smoking cat.“
But hacking isn’t the only tool at your disposal here. After all, you are a vacuum cleaner. What good would you do if you couldn’t suck up objects and spit them back at your enemies? Such objects range from kitchen knives to plates and random garbage, to… cats. The cat spitting animation is especially hilarious because your enemies are being scratched at ribbons by a smoking cat.
Sure, some hacks take more of your enemy’s health than just throwing things at them, but it’s all part of planning your next move. Spitting out objects is especially useful if you’re spotted and being chased, as it will quickly slow down your pursuers, allowing you to run and hide.
Once all your enemies are defeated, you have one last task to complete: clean up! I keep saying this but you to be a vacuum cleaner! The clearing involves running through the level on a one-minute timer while trying to suck up all the blood and bodies you’ve left behind. It’s as gruesome and humorous as it sounds.
“Different perks and abilities can be selected at the start of each mission, allowing you to tailor your gear to the task at hand.”
This brings me to the “blood skills”. Sucking up your enemies while playing will add to your blood meter. This in turn unlocks several special abilities that you use throughout the game. These are again very varied and add a new level to your potential tactics during a mission.
During your playthrough, you will also unlock several perks in addition to the aforementioned blood skills. Different perks and abilities can be selected at the start of each mission, allowing you to tailor your gear to the task at hand. For example, you might have a mission that focuses solely on cleaning up. It would be very pointless to activate a stealth perk here, as there’s nothing to hide from.
“You take on Family Corp, the evil company that created you and kidnapped your family”
There are a total of five worlds inside Justice Sucks, with each offering a unique set of varied missions. There is the standard “story” mission and then multiple side missions are played on the same map. These range from clearing where the goal is to clear as much blood as possible within the time limit, or stealth missions where you have to deactivate bombs without ever being noticed.
Outside of these worlds, there are a few final mission-only levels as you take on Family Corp, the evil corporation that created you and kidnapped your family. These play out in much the same way as the rest of the game, with a little extra minigame at the end.
The only downside for me would be the lack of extra worlds. One world in particular (set in a club) seemed a little too tight for me to really let go and left me somewhat frustrated as I tried to beat each of the individual missions. Still, there’s plenty to unlock and new missions added after completing the main story.
Each mission also has a rating and leaderboard. So multiple playthroughs are not only possible, but also a lot of fun, as you try to get the coveted “S+” rating on each of the levels
“I can honestly say that while I recognized familiar elements, I’ve never played anything like Justice Sucks.”
All in all, the game is a compelling mix of stealth, humor, and quirkiness. I can honestly say that although I recognized familiar elements, I’ve never played anything like Justice Sucks. The mechanics are solid and the viewpoint never left me frustrated and unable to see what to do. Sure the game lacks some depth, but for something fun, fast and a little crazy you can’t go wrong with Justice Sucks.
Justice Sucks will be released on September 8 for PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch.
*Disclaimer: Rated on PS5; code is provided by the publisher.
Overview
Justice Sucks is a lot of fun and completely insane, with lots of replayable missions and more to keep you coming back again and again. Of course there aren’t as many worlds as you’d hope, and some missions aren’t as deep as others. But if you’re looking for a solid, easy-to-play title, Justice Sucks is definitely for you.
Pros
Quirky and fun
Easy-to-handle mechanics
Enough to unlock
Lots of replay value
cons
More worlds would have been a great addition
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