Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a game that unexpectedly came into my focus not knowing what to expect. The game’s arrival was a big surprise but the game itself was an even bigger surprise because it did so many things right that I couldn’t keep my paws off it. Let’s see what the game is all about…
Nowadays, you can’t really get a grip on what a game is going to be after it is launched. We live in a world where games leave the developer’s table unfinished but under the disguise of a “Living World”- franchise. In other words, players need to buy an undeveloped game hoping that future patches would fix the game and eventually get their money’s worth. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. The trailer for Marvel’s Midnight Suns gave me a mix between excitement and doubt. Excitement because Marvel’s universe was getting a new game that would focus on a different part of this extended world but doubts because titling a game as a turn-based card game made a lot of mental red alerts go off. Somehow, I had already decided on the game’s grey future because my mind was already thinking about microtransaction pathways like exclusive card deals, unlockable money-bought skins, a living world concept, unfinished… However, after a couple of hours into the game, I’m so glad I can tell people how deeply wrong my intuition was.
“In other words, it’s time to dust off your caging demon skills, team up with your fellow allies and get back in action.”
Marvel’s Midnight Suns place the player into the role of The Hunter. It’s not a hero you would find in the comics, it’s an original concept that the developers developed specifically for this game set in the Marvel universe. The organization is facing imminent destruction and it’s all been set in motion by a vicious demon called Lilith. The Hunter is being revived after years of slumber and it’s up to you to fight off the demons with your fighting and/or sorcery capabilities. As you were called upon by your known allies such as Iron Man, Blade, and Doctor Strange, … so did Lilith call upon the evil threats that all heroes faced at a certain moment in time such as Venom, Scarlet Witch, Sabretooth, … In other words, it’s time to dust off your caging demon skills, team up with your fellow allies and get back in action.
The game features a combat system that mixes up elements of a tactical RPG and pours it into a card-based combat system. It features a tactical system because you’ll have to strategically place your heroes on the battlefield to get the most out of their attacks but they also need to clear the area when an allied attack will hit the ground because collateral damage is a thing in Marvel’s Midnight Suns. You will also need to plan your future attacks and take into account the RNG effect your card based-deck may have. Using items and surroundings on the battlefield is also a must to get an advantage over the enemy’s team. There are also RPG elements because you’ll need to take allies with you to gain experience and eventually unlock better cards. You’ll be able to dress up, forge equipment, experiment with cards, and even upgrade them, … but you’ll also have to maintain your relationships within the covenant. This emotional management will be key to getting that victory over Lilith.
“Most skills don’t require anything except the “special hero abilities”.”
How does the game progress? Well, you have your mission panel where you can choose between main and side missions. Before the start of any mission, you’ll be able to choose between different characters that can accompany you. Some missions require certain heroes, so in that aspect, you’ll be limited but most of the time you’ll be able to choose your own heroes to battle with. Each character comes with a set of abilities or special effects. These skills take on the form of cards. At the beginning of a battle, you’ll get a hand of cards and it’s up to you to choose what card to play. Most skills don’t require anything except the “special hero abilities”. These take superhero power that you can charge while playing other cards. The special hero ability is the best card a hero can play. During your turn, you’ll be able to play a limited number of moves and move one of your characters only once. Some cards will even recover the ability for you to play skill cards.
The battlefield allows the character to plan ahead and take certain actions that take into account the surroundings. For example, you can replace your hero to be out of the targeted zone from an ally’s attack. You can push containers, crawl over obstacles, explode barrels, … etc. You can also use your abilities to stun enemies or even knock them back against an explosive barrel to do extra damage. Not only will you be able to knock them back against hazardous elements, but you can also push them back against another enemy to get the same effect and even move them further away from your hero.
“The game allows you to find that combination between characters and definitely benefit from the synergy between those two characters.”
Your deck of cards can be improved over time. Some cards can be acquired by doing missions but other moves can be acquired by fusing two of the same abilities with each other to get a stronger version of the used cards. These fusions come in multiple versions of the same cards, so you can choose a card that has attributes that will complement your own playstyle. These improvements can be “added statuses”, “improved power”, … etc. In other words, you’ll have plenty of options to batter those elements into a unique playstyle. It’s good to know that each hero has unique traits and moves. The game allows you to find that combination between characters and definitely benefit from the synergy between those two characters. Some attacks might be better when used in combination with an attack from another hero.
Missions will most of the time have the objective to defeat every wave of enemies before the mission is completed. However, you’ll also have objectives to gather intel before a couple of turns have ended or rescue a civilian. It’s great to have some variety between these objectives because the game would quickly run stale. These different objectives make you step out of your comfort zone and think out of the box. For example, when the objective is all about surviving the enemy’s waves, your main focus is to survive as long as you can and take the more experienced fighters out first. However, when your main focus is to “get something done within the time limit” then you’re probably thinking about how to get the best damage output and get most of the enemies to hit in one turn. It’s a different vibe that requires a different tactic.
“You can definitely tell that the developers put time and effort into the dialogue between characters.”
The missions are built up decently as some missions progress the story and some introduce you to a new character or boss monster. It’s great to have the option to choose between missions because you’ll be able to “slowly but surely” build a better deck. It’s great to start off a mission when the deck has strong capabilities. It’s also good to know that you can grind for the hero cards during your playthrough.
After doing your missions, you’ll transport yourself to your covenant in the Abbey. The Abbey is the place where you can settle down and gather your mind around things. You’ll be able to forge equipment, fuse cards, and choose another mission but also interact with your team members. You can definitely tell that the developers put time and effort into the dialogue between characters. From the moment, you do your first mission you’ll have something to care for. The way the story is being told by introducing all of these characters and getting to know the relation between them and yourself has been written in an interesting way. It’s up to the player to choose whether he/ she wants to invest in a certain side story arc. By conversing with other players, you’ll have the option to ask certain questions which will lead to special moments. The game is not only about the combat but it’s also about the history of all of these characters.
The game looks great and runs very well on the PC.
Talking about characters, the first thing I noticed was the presentation of some of the characters. You wouldn’t find any character that would resemble one of the Marvel characters from the movie. Each character has somewhat been based on the comic version with a touch of “modern society”. In the beginning, I found it very odd to see a different kind of Iron Man than the movie character, but I’m glad that they went in this direction. We shouldn’t compare these characters firsthand with the Marvel movies because the comics were first! I do want to mention that the characters wouldn’t stand out if the developers didn’t put so much time into creating a fitting dialogue.
The game looks great and runs very well on the PC. I just had some stuttering in the beginning but it fixed itself along the way. The sound design has been top-notch! I’m not only talking about the sound effects of the abilities, environment, and action-packed scenes, … but also the voiced-over dialogues.
Conclusion:
Firaxis Studio did a great job with this collaboration between the known Marvel Universe and their own directed touch. They have launched a game that’s truly complete with content but also complete with quality. Like I said in the beginning, these qualitative elements are hard to find in nowadays games. The developers delivered an action-packed turn-based tactical RPG along with a decent story and deep characters. All of these little stories between missions make the game strong. The characters have been well designed and all of the other elements like the card-based combat, the abbey, and the storytelling, … go hand in hand.
Is the game perfect? No, but that’s okay! Some missions could have been shorter, and some characters may miss some “spice”, … but in the end, the game is great. You just want your money’s worth out of a game and they can definitely check this box. The game looks great, feels great and it’s definitely challenging and deep enough that’ll keep you coming back for more. The game is a great strategy game that’s true to the Marvel Universe and true to the developers’ goal!
9/10
Tested on PC
