Marvel’s Midnight Suns Review

Updated on

December 2nd, 2022, is when Marvel’s Midnight Sons will finally be available in Stores and on Steam. Hopefully, there will not be any more surprises and delays, so this is the right time to share my judgment about what we learned so far.

Naturally, game reviews are written after the game release, but due to the promotion of the game, we already have enough information so we can set up our scores on the most important aspects of the game. 

Development

The game will be published by 2K studios (Borderlands/Wonderlands, PGA tour 2K23, NBA 2K23, The Quarry, X-Com -Chimera Squad …). The guys behind the development are the famous Firaxis (Civilization, UFO, Gettysburg, X-Com ….).

I already talked about the true potential of these Devs and this Publisher, but it is important to say that both of them now have an exclusive arrangement with Marvel. This means that Marvel’s Midnight Suns will officially be a part of the Marvel franchise which implies that there will be cooperation between different Marvel Branches. For example, it is already confirmed that The Hunter (the main protagonist in the game and daughter of Lilith) will be introduced in comics as well.

Knowing all this, it is immediately obvious that Marvel’s Midnight Suns is the title whose success should not be questioned. Some of the most important names from the gaming industry are making a game for the most popular franchise at the moment. A lot of money is involved and there can’t be room for mistakes.

Due to the importance of the project, Firaxis was forced to implement some new mechanics they weren’t used before. The game will be a turn-based RPG strategy (similar to X-Com) but the combat itself will be somewhat different. Instead of the usual ability mechanics, we will see card mechanics for the first time in this game genre.

It is not entirely original because there are some other games with a similar way of playing (Harry Potter – Magic Awakened for example), but still, it is definitely new for Firaxis and their X-Com trademark.

Atmosphere

This is not a new X-Com title where the story is irrelevant and where you tend to maximize your team from available options to beat the game in the fastest and easiest way.

Using Marvel characters in this genre brings us something that was not common in earlier Firaxis titles. Each character has its own personality, lore, and agenda. While you are controlling the decisions of the protagonist (The Hunter) you will try to improve your relations with one of the most Iconic Marvel characters by doing them favors and fulfilling their requests. Not only that you will learn the original lore behind Marvel Super Heroes, but you will improve your chances of success by unlocking their secret powers. Only when your relationship is close to some characters, will they act in battles without restraints.

This brings Marvel Midnight Suns to an entirely new level – it is no longer a simple turn-based strategy with Marvel characters. It is now a complete RPG, where your decisions crucially influence your progress and your options.

I don’t know about you, but every game where my options are not linear and where I can solve problems in various ways is a game worth playing.

The sole fact that you are fully affecting the behavior of superheroes like Iron Man, Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, etc … brings the atmosphere and incertitude to the peak if you are a fan of Marvel.

If you are not a Marvel fan, then the Marvel Midnight Suns is just another game where “dull” dialogues affect assembling the strongest setup.

Honestly, it is just a matter of perspective. For me, it is the realization of all my dreams, for someone else, it is nothing special, especially since it is seen so many times until now.

As a true Marvel fan, I found the atmosphere in Marvel Midnight Suns unbelievable. 

Gameplay

I have already started the subject of game-play. Basically, it should be a common X-Com cousin with cards instead of common skills. Fortunately, it is much more than that.

Same as in X-Com you have your base of operation where you plan a course of the play, equip yourself and members of your team and improve your relations with other characters. 

Your base of operation is an Abbey – a small church adjusted by Billionaire Tony Stark to be your command center, your laboratory, and your place for rest and meditation. This is where you can chit-chat with available characters trying to persuade them to trust you (after all you are a daughter of Lilith) and where you can discuss your next missions.

Like in X-Com you will have an option to upgrade existing rooms in the Abbey, which will help you in various ways.

Basically, it is a “housing” game segment that is extremely important for easier progression.

When you decide what you should do next, you will pick a team of 3 and proceed to the next mission. Here we come to the RPG context of marvel Midnight Suns.

What is unique about this game is that you will be the leading member of any team. You are the protagonist and daughter of Lilith. Your name will be The Hunter. At the start, you will choose your look and your abilities. Once you create your character, The Hunter will be a permanent member of any team composition you send to fight enemies.

This means that you will need to add 2 more characters from the Abey. Depending on the build of your Hunter and your relationships with other members of Midnight Suns, you will have almost endless options for creating useful and deadly synergies.

At its core that is the personification of the word RPG.

The battle itself has these new card mechanics. Instead of picking character abilities to be used on certain occasions, you will have to manipulate cards to execute abilities. This means that you will never know what skills you can use (that will depend on the cards in your hand) in advance. These mechanics have their pros and cons. The good side of it is that every battle will be different. The bad side is that you can’t plan your strategy in the long run, because RNG will play an important part.

One thing is certain, Marvel Midnight Suns’ gameplay will grant you a totally new experience every time you start over. This is extremely important for every single-player PC game because that is the only thing that increases the overall playing time. If you don’t have the desire to start the game again once you’ve finished it, that is a certain fact that the game is not good enough.

From what we could see, Marvel Midnight Suns will not be in that category, for sure.

Graphics

For me personally, good Graphics were never mandatory nor changed my opinion about games. I know that I am in a minority regarding this, but other aspects of games were always more important to me.

Nonetheless, I was stunned when I saw Marvel Midnight Suns. Not only is the Graphic amazing and everything runs smoothly, but the Art itself is something completely different if we look at previous 2k and Firaxis products.

The models of Super Heroes are astonishing and original. They are not identical to the images of actors in the MCU, but they look just enough so they are familiar to you. Their costumes are fully original and iconic. When you see any member of Midnight Suns, you will know without a doubt that they are determined to face any threat and save the World whatever the cost is. In short, Marvel characters look amazing, while animations of their abilities take a breath away. Some games have flashy annoying animations that are always skipped. In Marvel Midnight Suns it is completely different – animations draw you to see them in full, which is a really rare thing in games nowadays.

The world environment, Abey, and its surroundings are almost real. Artists really took their time to address every detail. This is especially visible while interacting with surroundings, which is a very important part of battle mechanics. Basically, you will have a feeling that you are in the real world. The surrounding effects repeat rarely and every new action brings a totally new visualization. It is really impressive!

System Requirements

Marvel Midnight Suns will be available on Steam (Microsoft Windows), Play Station 5 and 4, Xbox Series X/S and One, and Nintendo Switch,

The game uses Unreal Engine which means that minimal PC requirements should be:

  • Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor Quad-core; 2.5 GHz+
  • Memory – 8GB +
  • DirectX 11 or 12 compatible graphics cards with the latest Drivers

The new Unreal Engine is demanding, but let’s be honest, it is nothing out of the ordinary nowadays.

The game will be available for older PlayStation and Xbox versions, so it should be available for everyone.

Everything runs smoothly but sometimes when there are a lot of mobs on the screen, some lower-end configurations may witness some problems. There will be no problems whatsoever on any of the mentioned Consoles.

All in all, the game optimization is more than ok (which was not the case with some of the X-Com titles) and everything suggests an amazing gaming experience.

Price

Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a long-expected PC title which means that players will have to buy it. There will be 3 different editions available at the start:

  • Marvel’s Midnight Suns – 59.99$
  • Marvel’s Midnight Suns Enhanced (5 Premium Skins)- 69.66$
  • Marvel’s Midnight Suns Digital+ (11 Premium Skins)- 79.99$
  • Marvel’s Midnight Suns Legendary (23 Premium Skins; Season Pass)- 99.99$

So, the price of the game is 60$ and if you wanna subscribe for 4 DLCs you need to pay 100$ instead. Other editions offer just skins and nothing else.

It is hard for a single-player PC title to be properly monetized and to pay -off the investment. Buying a product is the only way to support the Developers and make sure they will work on add-ons and expansions. Having that in mind, 60$ is a fair price for what we will get in return!

Verdict

Marvel’s Midnight Suns is eagerly expected for a reason. Marvel Community is probably the largest community at the moment. The game offers an actual Adventure with some of the most iconic Marvel characters where a player entirely decides about their power and progression. More importantly, a totally new Marvel character will be introduced who will become an important part of the entire Marvel universe (both Comic and MCU). This is basically the first time that the marvel character will be created for the game first and live their life in Comics and Films later.

That would be a heavy burden to anyone, but Firaxis proved that they are up to the task. The unexpected delays in release were unpleasant but, in the end, we got what we hoped for. The game looks amazing, it brings original mechanics and draws us deep into the Marvel universe.

For a Marvel fan, there is nothing more important than the opportunity to actually live in the Marvel Universe. Marvel’s Midnight Suns brought us closer to that than any other Marvel product.

For me, Marvel’s Midnight Sons is everything I want from a Marvel game – a turn-based non-linear RPG with multiple endings and unlimited potential for DLCs and expansions, whose Graphics are insane. I am really trying to find a flaw, but I can’t. To be honest the only objection that can be found about this game is that it is Marvel (some people hate everything regarding Marvel). Everything else is almost perfect!