The level received significant critical attention for its high stakes, in which any number of characters, including Shepard themselves, can die due to a lack of preparation or incorrect choices on the part of the player, which are then carried over into the sequel, Mass Effect 3.
The entirety of Mass Effect 2 functions as preparation for the Suicide Mission to stop the Collectors; Shepard is tasked by the Cerberus organization with recruiting a skilled crew of experts in various disciplines, and mining raw materials to upgrade the Normandy SR-2's systems.
Situations emerge where a single squad member must split up to assist Shepard's progress or hold off the Collectors; their loyalty and suitability for the task determines whether they live or perish.
The Collector Base in which the Suicide Mission took place was initially planned as being full of lush greenery, and similar in appearance to Ōsanbashi Pier, which inspired art director Derek Watts with its mixture of building and nature.
While attempting to avoid the cliché of aliens resembling the structures they reside in, they ultimately decided to make the base look more organic to match the Collectors, believing it would be more visually interesting.
Describing the level as "unparalleled in terms of its labyrinthine choice complexity", he said that the best thing about it was that even if the player prepared for the mission, they would have a "gnawing doubt" that not everyone would make it out alive, and called it "a thrill to see this family you have spent dozens of hours with come together as the Normandy is plunged into danger".
He called the lead-up to the Collector Base a "brutal introduction" if the player was underprepared, describing the potential consequences of the mission as "utterly audacious" and "like BioWare making its own version of Empire Strikes Back which kills off Han, Leia and Chewie and still leads into Return of the Jedi".