Since the unexpected announcement of Firaxis Games’ Marvel’s Midnight Suns at Gamescom 2021 in August, excitement has been growing for this multi-platform tactical RPG. Featuring the first customizable original hero in the Marvel universe, the skilled development team behind the XCOM and many of the Civilization games is expected to bring the polish and depth Firaxis is known for, while also introducing new game mechanics to the tactics genre.
Midnight Suns will feature tactical combat similar to the XCOM titles, with players able to make effective use of the environment to bring down enemies. Unlike the six-member squad in XCOM, however, Firaxis is limiting team size to three heroes in Midnight Suns. These heroes will form bonds outside of combat and can then team up to create powerful combo attacks in battle.
Combat will be both familiar and new to fans of tactical role-playing games. At the beginning of each round, players will be dealt a hand of cards with a random selection of hero abilities. The number of moves that can be made during each round is limited, and players will spend their time outside of combat upgrading cards and unlocking new hero abilities. The deckbuilding and card-based combat of Midnight Suns is more similar to MegaCrit’s 2019 roguelike Slay the Spire than Hearthstone.
When learning about Midnight Suns’ battle card system, many gamers expressed worry that microtransactions would be required to add new, more powerful cards to the deck. However, Firaxis Games has clarified that Midnight Suns will not have microtransactions or loot boxes to unlock more cards. Only cosmetic character skins will be available for purchase in the game, and these will not impact gameplay or balance. Even so, some people expressed displeasure that there would be microtransactions in a single-player game at all.
Midnight Suns will offer deep roleplaying as gamers set out to beat back the forces of the Underworld. The ancient Prophecy of the Midnight Sun foretells the end of the world, and Hydra awakens Lilith from centuries of sleep using a combination of dark magic and science. Lilith, Mother of All Demons, has one goal in mind: to bring back her master Chthon, one of the Elder Gods. She summons lesser demons called Lilin, who form a demonic army to carry out her wishes.
The Avengers, in desperation, awaken one of the only beings who has ever defeated Lilith. Players will take on the role of The Hunter, daughter of Lilith, who has also spent many centuries asleep in a sarcophagus in The Abbey. The Hunter will be joined by a diverse cast of Marvel heroes from The Avengers, X-Men, and Runaways, hanging out in The Abbey during downtime to explore, establish a base, and form friendships.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns releases in March 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.