Is Midnight Suns Worth It? Yes, This Surprisingly Fun Superhero RPG Deserves Your Attention
If you‘re on the fence about picking up Marvel‘s Midnight Suns, a new tactical RPG featuring iconic heroes like Iron Man, Wolverine, and Doctor Strange, I‘m happy to report that the game is absolutely worth your time and money. Despite some flaws, Midnight Suns‘ excellent writing, nuanced gameplay, and sheer amount of content make it one of the better superhero games out there. This in-depth review will cover everything you need to know to decide if Midnight Suns is right for you.
What Exactly is Marvel‘s Midnight Suns?
Midnight Suns comes from developer Firaxis Games, best known for the XCOM series. It combines turn-based tactical combat reminiscent of XCOM with extensive hero customization and relationship-building systems.
You take on the role of The Hunter, a powerful demon-hunting hero that can be extensively customized. The Hunter joins forces with iconic Marvel characters like Iron Man, Captain Marvel, and Blade to take on Lilith, Mother of Demons, and stop her evil plans.
Missions feature grid-based combat where you cleverly play ability cards to defeat enemies. In between battles, you can explore the Abbey headquarters, bond with your heroic squadmates, and outfit them with new skills and outfits tailored to your preferred playstyle.
Critics Highly Praise Midnight Suns‘ Story and Characters
Reviewers widely agree that Midnight Suns‘ greatest strength lies in its storytelling and character writing. The game has an 85 average critic score on Metacritic along with an 8.1 user score based on 320 ratings.
IGN calls its narrative "one of the best stories in Marvel gaming" and praises the "fantastic character development." Game Informer says Midnight Suns‘ "characters steal the show" and features "some of the best character work I‘ve seen in a Marvel game."
This sentiment was echoed by most major gaming publications. Midnight Suns takes the time to flesh out the inner lives of heroes like Iron Man and Wolverine outside of combat through regular conversations and text exchanges. Small details make the heroes feel multilayered and human.
Midnight Suns Delivers Deep, Engaging Tactical Combat
The card-based battle system stands out for its strategic depth while still being accessible. Each hero has a unique deck reflecting their abilities that you can fully customize by tweaking cards and equipping new skills.
Reviewers found combat highly engaging. GameSpot calls it "entertaining and strategic throughout" the entire 50+ hour campaign. Shacknews mentions "smart combat that values strategy."
You‘ll need to carefully consider positioning, ability combos, and power synergies between heroes to prevail in the challenging late-game encounters. In my experience, the battles demand equal parts thoughtful tactics and clever improvisation.
Areas for Improvement: Repetition and Technical Issues
While Midnight Suns gets high marks overall, some issues do drag the experience down a bit. The mission environments lack diversity, with many combat encounters taking place in similar cave and underground settings.
Many critics also cited the lack of enemy variety as a downside. You‘ll mostly be battling different flavors of Hydra agents. More diverse foes would‘ve added tactical variety.
On the technical side, Midnight Suns suffers from some expected launch bugs. Some players have experienced crashes, audio glitches, animation hiccups, and frame rate dips. Firaxis has issued post-release patches to smooth out these problems, but they remain a point of frustration.
Tons of Content and Replayability
With its lengthy campaign spanning over 50 hours and extensive post-game content, Midnight Suns offers tremendous value for the price. Completing all the side missions and character relationships can easily extend your playtime to 70-80 hours.
The game encourages replayability whether you want to experience the story again with a different Hunter or try higher difficulties. Upcoming paid DLC will add heroes like Venom and Storm plus new story missions throughout 2023 as well, expanding Midnight Suns‘ already generous content.
In-Depth Verdict: Midnight Suns is an Excellent Superhero RPG
While not quite flawless, Midnight Suns succeeds far more than it stumbles when looked at holistically. It offers an engaging story you won‘t find in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, strategic combat with tons of customization, and memorable heroes that feel true to their comic counterparts.
Despite some repetitive environments and technical bugs, this is an ambitious superhero RPG made with clear passion and care for the Marvel universe. If you‘re a fan of XCOM‘s tactical combat or just love Marvel heroes, picking up Midnight Suns is an easy recommendation. This may just be the best Marvel game in years thanks to its strategic gameplay and excellent writing.