Marvel’s Midnight Suns recently got its official reveal trailer, and now we have even more information on what gameplay is going to look like when players get their hands on the game. Firaxis, the game’s developer, has previously worked on the king of top-down strategy: X-Com, so it should be no surprise that Midnight Suns will take a similar approach to combat, though there are some major differences to cover. First and foremost, the heroes will use a deck of cards to draw and use their attacks. These cards will have dozens of different effects, from straight-forward attacks to team buffing abilities, and players will be able to build and modify their decks for each individual playable character, which Firaxis explains will help to differentiate the heroes and highlight their unique strengths and weaknesses.
These abilities pair beautifully with environmental hazards sprinkled across the field, which players can take advantage of to get bonuses, like some extra damage. In the trailer, we see Wolverine use a claw attack to push an enemy into an exploding tanker, dealing more damage not just to them, but to every enemy surrounding it.
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.
As Game Informer reports, players will get to bring in three heroes to control each mission, and bringing the right character for the job might mean the difference between victory and defeat. Make no mistake, though: These heroes are “already legends,” says the game’s Creative Director Jake Solomon.
In Marvel’s Midnight Suns, you aren’t learning how to fight or gradually grow stronger – you and your fellow heroes… must combine everything in your arsenal to stop Lilith.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a proper Marvel game without some super villains to go toe-to-toe with, and Midnight Suns will have plenty of those. Along with the mother of demons, Sabretooth has been confirmed as a boss battle, though at the time of writing we have yet to see gameplay. In blog post, Firaxis confirmed the Sabretooth fight would be featured in an upcoming gameplay stream airing September 7th at 11:30 am PT. The developers promise that “even in a two-on-one battle, Sabretooth should prove to be a fierce opponent.” As for how boss battles will differ from basic gameplay is still to be seen, but as of now, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is shaping up to be another excellent strategy game.