DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos | PS5 Review

The Justice League doesn’t get as many chances in the video game realm as you would expect from one of the most storied superhero teams in history. Looking to correct that mistake is Justice League: Cosmic Chaos from PHL Collective and Outright Games. They bill it as an open-world game, but it actually has far more in common with a dungeon crawler, granted without the exciting loot.

Crisis on Infinite Earths

Mr. Mxyzptlk has taken over the joyous little town of Happy Harbor using his powers from the 5th dimension. Y’know, as he does. This includes taking over the members of the Justice League such as Green Lantern, Aquaman, and The Flash. This leaves things up to DC’s iconic Trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman (with tactical assistance from Cyborg) to save the town and their fellow heroes.

Justice League: Cosmic Chaos is deeply entrenched in DC lore, much to its benefit. There are many deep cut references and easter eggs for lifelong fans to enjoy, and opportunities for newbies to ask characters for more information if they’re curious. It’s a cute entrypoint to the wider DC Universe that doesn’t get as much attention as the more well-known aspects. It’s refreshing and exciting to see a developer show such love and reference for this historic property.

Identity Crisis

Once you get past the somewhat uncomfortable babies-wearing-costume look of the Justice League, the game has a pretty cute aesthetic to it. The thick black lines around characters conjures to mind illustrations from comic books, which is highly appreciated. There’s also an all-star lineup of voice talent involved in Justice League: Cosmic Chaos, featuring iconic voices for the Justice League. DC fans are already familiar with Diedrich Bader as Batman, Nolan North as Superman, and Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman. They’re all playing it a little over the top for the kid audience, which is unfortunate but understandable. The real standout star is Dana Snyder as Mr. Mxyzptlk, which is good because you’ll be hearing him constantly. In fact, probably half the 10 hour runtime is spent in dialogue, for good or bad.

The gameplay itself is pretty simple to understand. There’s a hub area that allows you explore to your heart’s content, as well as areas that serve as standalone “dungeons” to traverse. All you’ll be doing is fighting enemies or flipping switches no matter where you go, but it rides the line well between fun and simple. You level up in a simple way approachable by gamers of all ages, with a straightforward skill tree that unlocks new abilities regularly.

Infinite Crisis

Your heroes’ abilities are on cooldown timers, as is their ultimate attack. It’s exactly what you would expect from a dungeon crawler, right down to the isometric viewpoint. Though there’s not much loot to accumulate beyond superfluously different upgrade materials and comic books. Though at least those comic books allow you to unlock new costumes.

Baffling, however, is the decision to have the main campaign be exclusively single-player. With the game having three leads, it screams for co-op. Yet, for some reason beyond my understanding, co-op is relegated to an “Instant Action” mode in Justice League: Cosmic Chaos. It seems logical this would be a great game for a parent to play with their child, but I guess Outright Games disagrees.

This game should be an easy sell to any nerdy family, but severe bugs hold it back. I’m not talking about the fun sort of bugs or glitches you can easily laugh off, either. I had several trophies that refused to unlock. Abilities like Superman’s Heat Vision straight up wouldn’t work for hours, even on reloading. Most offensive of all, however, was a game-breaking bug near the end of the game. I had an objective that refused to count as cleared, no matter what I did. The game is linear at this specific point, and without save slots or mission restarts, I was left completely without recourse. To say it was infuriating would be an understatement.

Final Crisis

If Pokemon is “baby’s first RPG”, then Justice League: Cosmic Chaos is “baby’s first dungeon crawler.” That should tell you whether or not this game is for you pretty succinctly. It’s gonna carry a lot more excitement for a seasoned DC fan, but it can be a really good time for anyone looking for a more kid-oriented video game. Unfortunately, with its severe bugs that can hamper or hinder enjoyment or completion, it’s a tough game for me to recommend wholeheartedly. I realize most people won’t encounter these bugs, but for me it was a complete outrage. Roll the dice of your own accord.

To hear me talk more about DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos, be sure to listen to the March 14, 2023 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 54:58 time stamp.

This review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy of DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos provided by Clever Communications for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.