The game studio best known for Civilization and XCOM is developing a new strategy game set in a dark corner of the Marvel Comics universe. Marvel’s Midnight Suns features characters like Ghost Rider and Blade in a strategic but stylish experience that’s vastly different from something like Marvel’s Avengers. While the game was delayed from its initial release window, we still know quite a bit about Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
Before E3 2021, many leaks spoiled that Firaxis was developing a Marvel game in the style of XCOM. According to a June 2021 Reddit post and tweet from journalist Jason Schreier, the game was real. While it wasn’t shown at E3 2021, the strategy game was revealed during Gamescom 2021’s Opening Night Live. After being delayed Firaxis has finally shared some more concrete information about Midnight Suns. Here’s what to expect from the game.
When is the Marvel’s Midnight Suns release date?
Midnight Suns made an appearance during Summer Game Fest 2022 to drop a new trailer as well as a new release date of October 7, 2022.
While Marvel’s Midnight Suns was initially given a March 2022 release window, it was delayed to the second half of 2022 just over two months after its reveal.
Is there a Marvel’s Midnight Suns trailer?
Yes, there is! The most recent trailer was shown at Summer Game Fest 2022 and reveals new characters as well as more information on the villain Lillith.
What are the Marvel’s Midnight Suns platforms?
The most recent trailer indicates Midnight Suns will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series consoles. Strategy games like this tend to play best on PC, but it’s good that players have the option to try it on any platform.
What does Marvel’s Midnight Suns gameplay look like?
Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ gameplay is the most divisive thing about the game. The team went to great lengths to tell sites like Polygon that it was extremely different from XCOM, and that really turned out to be the case. It’s still a turn-based strategy game, but there’s no permadeath, and combat is completely centered around cards.
Every hero has flashy and powerful attacks, all of which are tied to cards that are randomly dealt to the player at the start of each turn. It’s supposed to be a more accessible system, but hardcore strategy game fans are a bit wary about its randomness. Thankfully, there will be no microtransactions in Marvel’s Midnight Suns at launch.
Outside of levels, players will also be able to explore a home base called The Abbey from a third-person perspective and hang out with every hero in the game’s roster. For a better idea of how this card system actually works within a level, you can check out Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ extensive gameplay showcase below:
What’s the Marvel’s Midnight Suns story?
Marvel’s Midnight Suns will tell a supernatural story that ties all ends of the Marvel Universe together. The press release revealing the game includes an official description:
“Through a twisted marriage of magic and science, the nefarious force known as Hydra has revived Lilith, Mother of Demons, after centuries of slumber. Lilith will stop at nothing to complete an ancient prophecy and summon her evil master, Chthon. Pushed to the brink, the Avengers desperately look to fight fire with Hellfire by enlisting the help of the Midnight Suns – Nico Minoru, Blade, Magik, and Ghost Rider – young heroes with powers deeply rooted in the supernatural, formed to prevent the very prophecy Lilith aims to fulfill. Together, they resurrect an ancient warrior – the Hunter, Lilith’s forsaken child and the only hero known to have ever defeated her.”
While we’ve received tons of Marvel video games over the years, few have ever tapped into the darker, supernatural side of the superhero universe. It’s a corner that even the MCU didn’t touch until relatively recently. The story is inspired by “The Rise of the Midnight Sons” event from the 1990s, where superheroes like Blade, Ghost Rider, and Doctor Strange team up to defeat Lilith.
“That is my favorite comic book event from when I was reading comic books as a kid,” Creative Director Jake Solomon told IGN in an interview. “From the very beginning, when we started working with Marvel, we knew that was the story we wanted to tell. We wanted to go to a corner of the Marvel Universe where we felt nobody else was at that moment, and it gave us our little space that we could tell our own story.”
Who are the Marvel’s Midnight Suns characters?
So far, 12 heroes have been confirmed for Marvel’s Midnight Suns:
- Iron Man
- Captain America
- Doctor Strange
- Ghost Rider
- Blade
- Magik
- Captain Marvel
- Nico Minoru
- Wolverine
- Spider-Man
- The Caretaker
- The Hunter
The Hunter is a brand-new character that players can customize. As The Hunter, players can develop friendships with the heroes for bonuses in battle and can customize their powers.
In addition to these playable heroes, trailers have shown Lillith teaming up with Marvel characters like Venom, Hulk, and Scarlet Witch.
Can I romance the other superheroes in Marvel’s Midnight Suns?
Sadly, you won’t be able to romance your favorite heroes. “I totally, totally get why you’re asking that,” Solomon said to IGN when asked about this during an interview. “I think that in your mind, you can be whatever you want to be. But we’re just saying that you’re very, very, very, close friends.”
Who is the Marvel’s Midnight Suns developer?
Marvel Games is working with Firaxis Games and 2K to release Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Firaxis Games’ last game was XCOM: Chimera Squad in 2020. However, the last AAA releases were XCOM 2 and Civilization VI in 2016, so the team has had some time to work on Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns will be released on October 7, 2022.
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