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Marvel’s Midnight Suns is finally over its delays and now only a few months away. The tactical RPG will arrive later this fall, bringing iconic heroes like Wolverine, Spider-Man, Blade, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and more together for a demonic hunt and strategic combat. This is all centered around the Hunter, an original and customizable Marvel hero who you’ll shape through your story decisions and interactions with other heroes.
With the release date approaching, developer Firaxis has pulled back the curtain a bit and revealed more about the card-powered tactics RPG. We’ve played the game, spoken to its director, and dissected every last trailer to deliver everything you need to know about its heroes, mechanics, and more. Here’s everything you need to know about Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
Who is making Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Marvels’ Midnight Suns is coming from the studio that created XCOM, Firaxis Games.
“Midnight Suns is basically the opposite of XCOM,” game director Jake Solomon revealed. “You’re not stuck on this map with terrifying aliens – the bad guys are terrified of you. Mechanically, thematically, it’s just XCOM completely reversed.”
“I grew up reading and loving Marvel comics,” said Solomon, “To be entrusted with these characters and their stories is an honor for me and the team. If you’re a Marvel fan, or an RPG fan, or a fan of tactics games, Marvel’s Midnight Suns will make these beloved characters come alive in a way that you’ve never seen before.”
Marvel’s Midnight Suns release date
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is coming to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, and PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store) on October 7, 2022. A Switch version will arrive at a “later date.”
Marvel’s Midnight Suns was originally scheduled for release in March 2022 by Firaxis Games and 2K Games, but Firaxis later announced that it had been pushed back to the second half of 2022.
“We decided to push our launch because we need more time to make this the best game possible,” the studio said. “We believe in our creative vision for Marvel’s Midnight Suns and want to do justice in delivering an unforgettable adventure set in the supernatural side of Marvel.”
Marvel’s Midnight Suns characters
Marvel’s Midnight Suns will feature 12 Marvel heroes alongside your character, the Hunter. So far the following heroes have been confirmed for Marvel’s Midnight Suns characters:
- Captain America
- Captain Marvel
- Iron Man
- Dr. Strange
- Wolverine
- Ghost Rider
- Magik
- Blade
- Nico Minoru
- Spider-Man
- Scarlet Witch (seemingly more of a story character than a playable one)
Aside from the mystery characters who will no doubt be teased before release, we may see post-launch content that keeps the game spicy with new heroes to add to your team. If Marvel has anything, it’s plenty of heroes.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns also features plenty of classic Marvel villains, many of whom wind up demonized by the influence of the main villain, Lilith. Venom, the Hulk, Scarlet Witch, and Sabretooth have been confirmed, not to mention the myriad forces of Hydra.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns gameplay
The game is a tactical RPG where you’ll choose three of the available Marvel heroes to accompany you on your missions. Their superhero abilities are represented by cards, and you can pick and choose which ability cards to use, allowing you to tailor your team’s skills as you see fit.
“In Marvel’s Midnight Suns, you aren’t learning how to fight or gradually grow stronger – you and your fellow heroes are already legends, and must combine everything in your arsenal to stop Lilith,” Solomon explains.
“Cards provide a new and refreshing way to approach tactics, allowing us to really go all-out in designing a combat system that makes every hero feel, look, and play differently.”
When you’re not on the battlefield, you’ll be hanging out at the Abbey, a hub area where you can interact with your team of heroes.
“I think the equally powerful fantasy for fans of Marvel is not just fighting, it’s actually how the heroes live with each other,” Solomon told GamesRadar. “We have a large roster of heroes, 12 Marvel heroes in addition to The Hunter, and you have to choose between these heroes in terms of who you’re going to focus on developing relationships with.”
Those relationships can be developed with dialogue, spending time together, and gift-giving, but alas, not romance.
“With all these heroes from across the Avengers, X-Men, Runaways, and more – this is a particularly interesting and diverse group of heroes who don’t always see eye-to-eye,” explained Chad Rocco, director of narrative at Firaxis Games. “As the Hunter, it will be up to you to help bridge the gap between the old guard and the new kids on the block.”
How long is Marvel’s Midnight Suns?
According to Firaxis, a normal playthrough of Marvel’s Midnight Suns can take roughly 60 hours, and the studio is promising replayability that extends far beyond that. You can use and level up different heroes, combine randomly generated cards, and pursue different versions of the Hunter by switching up some story decisions.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns hands-on
We played Marvel’s Midnight Suns for several hours earlier this year, and while its slick combat impressed us, it was the quietly engrossing RPG side of the game that really set the hook. Check out our full Marvel’s Midnight Suns hands-on preview for more details on building heroes, hanging out at the Abbey hub area, balancing deck-building and strategy, and more.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns interview
During our visit to Firaxis, we sat down with Solomon once again, joined by art director Dennis Moellers, to talk about how Marvel’s Midnight Suns evolved and the work that went into it. As it turns out, there’s a surprisingly prominent Japanese influence behind the game, from the relationship systems of JRPGs to the flourish of modern anime. Check out our full interview for more details on how anime and JRPGs made Marvel’s Midnight Suns a better strategy game.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns story
The story for Marvel’s Midnight Suns centers around Lilith, Mother of Demons, and also the mother of the player character, the Hunter. You’ve been resurrected by the Avengers and the Midnight Suns because you’re the only hero to have ever beaten mommy dearest, and they need to stop her before she can summon her master, the demonic Chthon.
The game is based on the Marvel comics series The Midnight Sons, who first appeared in the Ghost Rider comics in 1992. The game’s release date, 2022, marks the 30th anniversary of the dark superhero team, so expect to see plenty more Midnight Sons and Suns around that time.
