Marvel’s Midnight Suns is finally getting the attention it deserves
Dealt a poor hand on release, it looks like Firaxis’ turn based tactics/card battler hybrid is finding an audience.
It seems like Marvel’s Midnight Suns, the troubled superhero RPG from the XCOM people, is getting an upswell of goodwill on social media following a stint of discounts and its inclusion in the current Humble Choice bundle. Jake Solomon, the game’s director who left Firaxis following the game’s disappointing release responded in disbelief, posting “As a dev that’s all you want.” on X (formerly Twitter).
It’s a pity it took this long for people to realise how great it really is, but we’re not surprised. Much of the gaming audience winces at the prospect of “turn based”, but Midnight Suns was a strange blend of XCOM style tactics on one hand, and a Bioware style relationship sim on the other. Also a card battler. Barbie’s Dream House in a big gothic dormitory with a legally distinct MCU roster, where one minute you're throwing down with Venom, and the next you're going fishing with Ghost Rider. And he fancies you, and it's a bit awks, cos you've got a bit of a Thing happening with Captain Marvel.
It kinda has to be played to be properly understood and appreciated. And games that defy explanation, no matter how good they are, are often hard sells. We opined at the time that MCU fatigue might also be a factor going against the game’s chances, but we nevertheless loved it, giving the game a stellar four-star review.
The game is currently cheap as hell on Steam, and I can attest to the fact that it plays very nicely on Steam Deck, not just in terms of how it runs but also in terms of how well it works as an on-the-go experience. It's nicely designed for piecemeal sessions that you can always pick up from where you left off. Is it just me, or is it really cool when a AAA home console release turns out to be a great Accidental Handheld Game? Having said that, there was a cancelled Switch port in the works at one time, so maybe it's not so accidental.
Anyway. If you fancy checking out 2022’s most tragically overlooked gem, there has never been a better time.