Review - Midnight Suns... Burnin' the Midnight Oil

 

Image credit: Firaxis Games

Now I've never really been much of a Marvel fan. Hell, I'm not much of a superhero fan in general. So many of the movies end up being corny and ridiculous. And there are also just SO many of them in general. I know I might be in the minority, here, but I'm just trying to lay some groundwork on where I stand.

    Stood, anyway.

    Midnight Suns is a game that operates as a strategy-type, and that makes sense since it comes from the creators of XCOM. Instead of a bunch of crunchy grunts, however, you have your pick of over a dozen superheroes from Marvel's roster that go from the obscure like Nico Minoru or Magik to the world-famous and amazing like Spider-Man.

    In typical Marvel fashion, the world is ending yet again. This time, it has to do with an age-old witch from a different race of elder gods trying to wreak havoc across the planet. Lilith is ready to release Chthon upon the populace, bringing about the Midnight Sun that will spell doom and gloom for all, but there are a group of heroes ready and willing to stand in her way. These heroes, so-called Midnight Suns themselves (that's not confusing, Marvel...), do their utmost to coordinate attacks and tactically outwit the enemy in order to hold another apocalypse at bay.

The Good

This game displays an incredible amount of value. In more ways than one.

    Combat is very fun. You are able to utilize any amount of environmental interactions to take down badguys from Hydra, vampires (if you have the DLC), and the Lilin spawn of Lilith herself. The enemies are varied and nuanced enough to promote distinct approaches to the fights, but familiar in a way that not every fight will make you feel like you're out of your depth. One of the other pluses is also being able to increase or decrease the difficulty as needed. There are benefits to increasing the difficulty, but you can experience the entire game with the training wheels on if you feel like it.

    One of the most fun aspects of the game also lies in the boss fights. Slapping Venom, Sabretooth, and Crossbones around is a good time, especially when you're able to change up your roster as you do it. Want to hammer someone down with Iron-Man's energy blasts? Go for it. Feel like kneeing someone in the face? Captain Marvel is ready to go. Each hero brings their own variations in the form of deck-building and as long as you manage your card draws and plays well, you'll be more than capable of knocking out several enemies in every turn.

    Visuals are another plus for the game. While they could have potentially been refined in some areas, they do more than serve their purpose in bringing to life these characters that are beloved by so many. This is especially true when you look at how many different skins the characters can get as well as the color arrangements on each of them. This goes for both your super suits as you swap them out as well as the day to day outfits for walking around the Abbey.

    Sound is great all around for the title. The soundtrack matches the tone and feel of the game. Sound effects deliver the satisfaction of throwing someone into an exploding tank or slashing them with Blade's katana. And the voice acting is superb. Everyone, from Deadpool's Nolan North to Magik's Laura Bailey, put in the work to bring these characters to life. I also appreciated another Critical Role alum found in Matt Mercer and his delivery as the Hunter. Peter Parker's Yuri Lowenthal was a pleasant surprise as well.

    Saving the best for last? Oof, maybe. I'm not sure if it's the best of the good, but the overall narrative and character arcs of the game were amazing. Hunter's story, from the resurrection to the cataclysmic ending, is a compelling one that deserves to be felt by all. Not just the fans of Marvel. I think I myself might be the proof in that pudding.

The Bad

The game is not perfect. This I know.

    The only true flaws, however, have to do with simple things like some glitches and pacing.

    There were not many glitches, and certainly no game-breaking ones, but there were a couple of times that the immersion was broken due to some simple things that should have been ironed out by Firaxis. I get it, though, every studio has an issue here or there.

    Pacing was the only other issue I found. There were times when the rush was on and I felt like I couldn't side-story too much. At the same time, there were other moments where my compulsion to propel through the main story was fired up but the brakes were put on because X, Y, or Z needed to be completed before any continuation was allowed. Those moments weren't often, but they were frustrating when they occurred.

The Epic

Overall, Midnight Suns is a must-play for any fan of the genre. Whether you like Marvel, or just enjoy strategy games and deckbuilders, it is an absolute banger. Will it make a Marvel fan of me? The jury's still out on that one... but if Marvel as a whole produced this level of awesome more consistently... I could see it happening. Maybe even in this universe.

9/10

Epic