Marvel's Midnight Suns should not have been for everybody. As a turn-based strategy game made by one of the best in the business, Firaxis Games' latest project you might have expected Marvel's Midnight Suns to simply excel in its own niche. After all, not everyone is a fan of tactical games. But, after reading through all the reviews, it appears Firaxis found a way to make the game appeal enough to both the casual gaming audience as well as the handful who are out for a more hardcore tactical gameplay experience.
Perhaps the best part about Marvel's Midnight Suns is that it combines three completely foreign concepts and merges them with each other. Naturally, one of its pillars is XCOM's combat system. But, at the same time, it also borrows a card-battle system similar to the ones found in Inscryption and Slay the Spire. To top everything off, Marvel's Midnight Suns has an expansive cast of an all-time Marvel crew, a new character, and an original storyline. But, while most would've had a hard time blending these elements, Firaxis found a way to give each one a chance to shine.
This probably explains why IGN said in its review that, "With Marvel's Midnight Suns, Firaxis has put itself in the league of RPG developers like BioWare, Obsidian, Bethesda, and Larian."
Here's a round-up of all the notable reviews of Marvel's Midnight Suns and its scores:
- VGC - 5/5
- God is a Geek - 9.5/10
- PCGamesN - 9/10
- PCGamer - 88/100
- GameSpot - 8/10
- RPG Site - 8/10
- IGN - 8/10
- GamesRadar - 4/5
- Destructoid - 7.5/10
Marvel's Midnight Suns is a certified hit among critics. It's pulled in more than 50 reviews on Metacritic at the time of writing and an average score of 83%. It's not GOTY material but it should earn a nomination or two in the "Best Strategy Game" category. However, saying Marvel's Midnight Suns probably won't win awards like X-COM isn't a slight. It would've been very easy for Firaxis to cash in on the Marvel hype and literally turn it into an X-COM game but with Marvel characters. Instead, Marvel's Midnight Suns is its own game with superb voice acting and just the right amount of character-building in between missions.
After getting a mixed bag with Marvel's Avengers and enjoying a solid outing with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel's Midnight Suns feels like a step in the right direction.
Hopefully, the future Marvel games will continue the trend and be just as good if not better. After all, everybody wins if all the Marvel games that come out are of the same quality as Insomniac Games' take on the storied comic book franchise.
With that said, it's safe to say Marvel fans should play Marvel's Midnight Suns when it's out on December 2.
