2K and Firaxis are making a new Marvel game, Marvel’s Midnight Suns. This interesting selection of a developer could have just lead us to a Marvel-skinned XCOM but as seen in the new gameplay posted by IGN, it’s much more than that.
And likely not something any XCOM or Firaxis fans would have expected them to do.
UPDATE 3/9/2021: The story has been updated with a few more information as revealed by publisher 2K
At its core, Midnight Suns is still a strategy RPG, you take turns fighting on the map. But for the team composition, you’re limited to three characters (one is permanently reserved for The Hunter, the new customisable Marvel hero and player-character).
Also, the heroes’ abilities are manifested in cards. Like a card game. And it’s not just for presentation either. You have to build a deck of abilities, then when you’re on the grounds, be dealt with a random hand for each character. Expect a lot of keywords usage.
There are also flashy special finisher attacks that you can pull off reminisce of a Marvel VS Capcom super, plus there are team-up attacks. And from the glimpses of gameplay we see in the trailer, no more hit percentage. Superheroes don’t miss their shots most likely.
Back at the base, The Abbey, you’re not navigating menus. You control The Hunter in the third person, navigating the location while seeing the Marvel heroes chill and live. You can talk (with multiple dialogue choices) and spend time with them too like in Mass Effect. No confirmation if you can romance any of these heroes, however, but each hero has their preferences.
You can also unlock more cards and upgrade them in The Abbey. And you can upgrade The Abbey itself as well.
Midnight Suns looks like a fresh take of the XCOM formula that makes it more like Fire Emblem than ever before. But how much you might enjoy this relies on how into Marvel you are and do you like a card system in your video games. It’s still a strategy RPG, but it’s no Marvel XCOM.
Firaxis will be showing more of the gameplay live on stream on September 7, 11.30 AM PT (2.30 AM Malaysia Time, +8 GMT) to be hosted on the game’s official website. If past Firaxis game streams are of any indication, expect a proper deep dive on how Midnight Suns will play like.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is set for release in March 2022 for the PS4, PS5, PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.