Marvel’s Midnight Suns Review – Super-Powered Strategy

You will soon notice the games that require a lot from you. Within minutes, I knew Firaxis’ comic book-powered adventure with the Marvel superheroes would be one of those games, filled as it is with numerous currencies, cosmetics, and gameplay systems. Midnight Suns, a strategy/RPG, is rich in character development and storytelling, with many hours of gameplay. The combat is great, despite the fact that the narrative structure can sometimes be tedious. It injects the slow-paced XCOM tactical experience Firaxis is known for with a gamma-powered boost, leading to rewarding battles that stay fresh even after you’ve sunk countless hours into the experience.

An ancient evil has awoken, threatening to plunge the world into the darkness of an Elder God’s malice. Iron Man, Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider are familiar heroes who must resurrect the Hunter, the man who defeated this threat many centuries ago. You control this revived hero as they lead Earth’s mightiest against the danger.

Combat follows the turn-based tactical loop of Firaxis’ XCOM games but abandons giant battlefields and cover points for tighter arenas and a card-based action selection inspired by deck-building gameplay. Each character has an array of card attacks, skills, and heroic abilities that leverage their unique talents, and it’s tremendously fun to stack each character deck to greater heights of dominance.

While there’s plenty of time to consider each move carefully, the action feels more bombastic and faster moving than most tactical games. Every card has a unique animation accentuating the character’s uniqueness, and the battles look beautiful as they play out. Wolverine emerges from a KO with new power. Magik’s portals send enemies hurtling across the field. Captain America throws his shield between the hapless Hydra forces and taunts them. And everyone leaps over barriers, hurling boulders and blasting explosive barrels to add to the chaos – just like any good cinematic superhero fight.

This system is becoming more complex over time. You will be faced with new objectives and unique enemies. You might be asked to damage a helicopter before it takes off, or confront a demon who summons forth obelisks every turn that must be smashed if you don’t want to be overwhelmed. If you get deep enough, you’ll start to notice some interesting puzzle challenges that require you to complete certain tasks with only certain cards. Firaxis developed a strong and thrilling combat engine. They also used multiple ways to keep the game fresh and interesting.

Between battles you can return to the Abbey for socializing and exploring. Here, you can upgrade and train your heroes, build new combat items, and unlock an impressive array of cosmetic tweaks for characters and home décor. You will also find a mysteriously infused adventure game on the grounds. This includes secret clues, arcane treasure troves and stories about the past. However, it can be distracting from main story flow.

In addition to being a huge friendship simulation, the Abbey allows you to play with Blade and Spider-Man in a series of interpersonal dramas. It can be a bit overwhelming to hear the dialog selections and the choice of light or dark conversations responses, which is a nod to BioWare games such as Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age. These interactions are numerous and build your character, which then reflects in combat skills. The focus on character building was what I enjoyed most. However, with such a big game, it was hard to get tired of listening to the same old conversations over and over again after every mission.

Midnight Suns, despite its emphasis on demonic threats and supernatural magic, is an entertaining and fun ride. XCOM strategy fans won’t be disappointed; the format changes still result in a gratifying combat flow. The story is more accessible and focuses on the characters than Firaxis, which features some of the best-known celebrities of pop culture. It’s big, boisterous, and a little bit silly at times, but just like the best of Marvel’s output in recent years, it’s also a rousing good time.