DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos review for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation, Xbox

Even though I was keen to play DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos, I?d be lying if I said I had very high expectations for it. Outright Games? output as a publisher isn?t exactly filled with GOTY candidates, and their last DC game, DC League of Super-Pets, was a dull, repetitive on-rails shooter. While I was hoping for Cosmic Chaos to be better, I still wasn?t expecting all that much.

Turns out, the game surpassed even my wildest expectations: it?s good. In fact, here?s how much I enjoyed Justice League: Cosmic Chaos: my only complaint about it is that there?s no co-op in story mode, which means you can?t play through it with any kids who might want to play it with you. There?s an ?Instant Action? mode, where you can go in and beat up the bad guys, but it?s really not the same.

This is because while the gameplay is fine, where Justice League: Cosmic Chaos really shines is in its story. Or, more specifically, in how the story ? about Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman trying to thwart Mr. Mxyzptlk?s nefarious plans for Happy Harbour (the location of the Justice League?s Secret Sanctuary, obviously) ? allows plenty of time for DC?s holy trinity to banter back and forth.

And, believe it or not, that banter is frequently hilarious. You have Superman being a font of corny jokes, Batman making frequent references to a backstory that?s awfully weird if you think about it for even a moment, and Wonder Woman constantly trying to keep the other two on track. Add all that together, plus the inclusion of Mr. Mxyzptlk adding in his own jokes ? which, again, are surprisingly funny ? and you have the recipe for one of the more amusing games I?ve played in quite some time.

To be sure, the game is helped by a very, very good voice-acting cast. Both Wonder Woman and Batman are voiced by actors who?ve done those characters before in various animated series and consequently know them well (Vanessa Marshall and Diedrich Bader, respectively), while Nolan North as Superman nails Superman?s goofy persona. Couple that with Dana Snyder essentially using Mr Mxyzptlk as a reason to reprise his role as Master Shake in Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and you can see why I?m so high on Justice League: Cosmic Chaos from that perspective.

As for the gameplay, it will seem fairly familiar to anyone who?s ever played other superhero team-up games like Justice League Heroes, X-Men Legends, or the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance series. You have an isometric point of view, you battle waves of enemies as you explore the world, you switch between characters depending on what abilities you want to use: it?s not ground-breaking, but it works well enough.

In fact, I?d say it?s more than good enough, since it?s easy enough to pick up that it doesn?t get in the way of the fun story. Again, it?d be nice if Justice League: Cosmic Chaos allowed you to play through that story with a friend (or, better still, a son/daughter/niece/nephew just getting into gaming), but even as a solo experience, this is a surprisingly good time.

Outright Games provided us with a DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos Switch code for review purposes.