Players take the role of "The Hunter", the sole offspring of Lilith, as they lead a selection of heroes in various missions to defeat her. The Hunter, a customizable superhero created specifically for Midnight Suns by Firaxis Games in collaboration with Marvel, can be played as either male or female.[5][6][7] Players are able to choose The Hunter's superpowers from over 30 different abilities.[8]
Combat is turn-based similar to Firaxis Games' XCOM series, mixed with deck-building similar to that found in Slay the Spire. Each hero, including the Hunter, has their own customizable deck of eight cards. At the start of each mission, players are allowed to choose three heroes to take into battle, with their decks combined into one that is to be drawn from each round.[9] The cards represent abilities that may affect either enemies or the player's own heroes.[9] Heroes may also move or interact with objects in addition to making attacks.
Between combat missions, players manage their upgradeable base of operations called "The Abbey" which they can walk around in a third-person view to explore the grounds and interact with other heroes.[5] Role-playing elements such as interaction with other characters influence the gameplay and those heroes' abilities.[5] The Abbey is also the main source for acquiring new cards for hero decks and upgrading them.
Playable characters
The base game includes 13 different heroes, including The Hunter, with four additional characters being released as DLC.[10]
Hydra scientist Doctor Faustus uses dark magic and science to resurrect Lilith in the hopes of using her to help Hydra conquer the world. Six months later, a star called the "Midnight Sun" approaches Earth, destabilizing magic and heralding the return of Lilith's master, Chthon.
Doctor Strange and Tony Stark attempt to get a page of the Darkhold called the Parchment of Power from Johnny Blaze, but he refuses. After being alerted to magic converging at the Sanctum Sanctorum, the two are joined by Carol Danvers in returning to aid Wanda Maximoff in fighting Lilith and a Hydra squad until Strange can create a mystic shield to repel them. Realizing the Avengers are outmatched, Strange leaves Maximoff to maintain the shield while he takes the others to the Abbey to recruit the Midnight Suns -- Nico Minoru, Magik, Blade, and Robbie Reyes—and Lilith's estranged sister, the Caretaker, in resurrecting the Hunter, Lilith's child and killer. During the resurrection ritual, the Hunter's collar emits dark magic, forcing Minoru to complete the spell. Strange attempts to contact Maximoff for help in restoring the Hunter's memories, but learns she is in trouble. He, the Hunter, and Blade travel to the Sanctum, where they learn Lilith has enthralled Venom to help her destroy the shield and abduct Maximoff. Venom overpowers the Hunter until Spider-Man intervenes, allowing the heroes to retreat.
After learning the Midnight Sun's gamma energy is preventing Bruce Banner from transforming into the Hulk, the heroes recruit Spider-Man before capturing Faustus to learn Lilith's next objective. While Hydra operative Crossbones kills him before he can talk, they find Faustus' journal and learn Hydra is stealing artifacts from the Sanctum. Meanwhile, Sabretooth is hired to kill the Hunter, but is mortally wounded by Wolverine and rescued by Lilith, who destroys Avengers Tower to steal a gamma accelerator and enthralls Banner. The Hunter, Minoru, and Magik use a divination spell to teleport to a Hydra base, where Banner uses the accelerator to empower a similarly enthralled Maximoff. Unable to reason with her, the heroes retreat.
While stopping an attack by Lilith's demons, they recruit Wolverine and fashion a new suit for the Hunter so they can bypass the Hydra base's mystic defenses, use the accelerator to destroy the Parchment, and free Maximoff. Blaze contacts Reyes and gives him the Parchment, but also attempts to give the Hunter to Mephisto, trapping them in Limbo and preventing Lilith from reaching the Hunter. Nonetheless, Magik frees them so the heroes can enact their plan, banishing Sabretooth to Limbo along the way. Blaze sacrifices himself to destroy the Parchment via the accelerator, but Banner uses the device to transform into a smarter, demonic Hulk.
The heroes track Hydra and Lilith to her tomb, where Reyes tries to seal her and the Hulk in a cave before they can restore the Darkhold, but she unleashes demons around the world. After defeating Crossbones and his forces, the heroes steal a dagger imbued with Chthon's power while Maximoff and the Hunter subdue and free Banner. The heroes confront Lilith, who reveals her plot to destroy Chthon upon learning of his plans for her child and destroys the Hunter's collar, learning too late that it kept Chthon from possessing them. Nonetheless, the Hunter expels him while Lilith uses the dagger to destroy the Darkhold, restoring her human form. Realizing she and her child were corrupted by the grimoire, Lilith sends the heroes back to the Abbey while she, the Hunter, and Chthon's realm are consumed by the Darkhold. Nevertheless, the Caretaker believes that they are still alive.
Elsewhere, Doctor Doom witnesses the events that transpired and takes the Darkhold for himself, deeming the other users "amateurs".
The Good, the Bad, and the Undead
While investigating an art collection that a Hydra battalion led by Sin has stolen, the Hunter encounters Deadpool, who was hired by Doom to recover a magic statue called the Magna Corrigo in the collection. After Sin betrays Hydra, steals the Magna Corrigo, and unleashes a group of infected "vampyres", the Hunter offers Deadpool sanctuary at the Abbey to protect him from Doom over the heroes' protests. With the Magna Corrigo in their possession, the emboldened vampyres publicly attack innocents and establish nests across Manhattan. With Deadpool's help, the Midnight Suns eventually track Sin to Transia, where she intends to use the Magna Corrigo in a ritual to empower the vampyres until Deadpool destroys it. Sin escapes and reports back to her master Dracula, who assures her the Magna Corrigo was not vital to his plans.
Redemption
Spider-Man and the Hunter locate Venom, who went underground and became infected from eating vampyres. Mephisto appears, offering to cure Venom in exchange for the heroes killing Dracula's forces, which Spider-Man agrees to. Upon being cured, Venom calls for a truce and joins the Midnight Suns. Seeking revenge for Dracula breaking a deal between them, Mephisto helps the Hunter, Venom, and Spider-Man find the vampyres' primary nest and Dracula himself. Working together, the trio destroy the nest and force Dracula to retreat.
The Hunger
As the vampyres convert Hydra troopers and attack New York, Spider-Man convinces Blade to help him recruit a mutual acquaintance of theirs, Dr. Michael Morbius. The heroes accompany Morbius to his lab, only to find the vampyres have stolen his research and a prototype "sunlight serum" capable of dampening his and the vampyres' lethal photosensitivity. After the trio fend off vampyres who came to kill Morbius and destroy his remaining equipment, Spider-Man offers Morbius sanctuary at the Abbey despite Blade and the Hunter's reluctance. Deducing the vampyres intend to mass-produce the sunlight serum, Spider-Man locates a Hydra facility under attack from vampyres led by Sin. He, Morbius, and the Hunter mobilize to stop them and recover the prototype serum, though they learn too late that she had already delivered several completed batches of sunlight serum to Dracula. Nonetheless, while fighting off Dracula and his empowered forces, the heroes discover the vampyres had diluted Morbius' sample while mass-producing it, weakening its effects. Defeated, Dracula escapes to the sewers.
Blood Storm
Magik and Wolverine are requested by their fellow X-Man, Storm, to assist her in finding Dahlia, a mutant orphan who has gone missing. After helping them defeat vampyres while investigating the orphanage where Dahlia last stayed, Storm joins the Midnight Suns and aids them in their quest while continuing her search. Eventually, they locate Dahlia in New York's sewers, where she lives alongside the Morlocks, mutants with monstrous appearances who were rejected by society and refused to join the X-Men. Though initially resentful of the X-Men, Dahlia later opens up to Storm and accepts her offer to help. Sometime later, Dahlia is kidnapped by Dracula, who wants to use her healing power to create a perfect vampyre race. Storm, the Hunter, and Blade confront and defeat Dracula and Sin, freeing Dahlia in the process. Afterwards, Dahlia accepts Storm's invitation to take refuge at Charles Xavier's school.
Tomb of Dracula
Following a lengthy investigation, Blade, Deadpool, Venom, Morbius, and Storm travel to Dracula's castle to kill him and end the vampyre threat. After successfully killing Dracula, the team escape the collapsing castle and return to the Abbey to celebrate. Meanwhile, a severely injured and disfigured Sin vows to find a new master.
Development
Rumors that Firaxis Games, the studio responsible for the Civilization and XCOM series of turn-based tactical strategy games, was developing a Marvel Universe-based game similar to XCOM emerged in early June 2021 ahead of E3 2021. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier confirmed that such a game was in development though was not sure when it was planned for the announcement.[12]
The game includes a tribute to Luke Wiltshire, who had died from long-term complications from neuroblastoma in November 2021 at the age of 23. Wiltshire had been told earlier that all treatment options had run out and was transitioned to end-of-life care. As part of his last wishes, he said he wanted to play Midnight Suns. The charity Solving Kids' Cancer put out a request on LinkedIn, which was seen by executives at 2K. 2K, Firaxis, and Marvel worked to create a playable build of the first act of the game within 24 hours and brought it to Wiltshire to play before he died.[18]
Marketing and release
On September 1, 2021, a first game-play trailer was released showcasing the card system used in combat.[9]Midnight Suns is directed by Jake Solomon.[5] In November 2021, it was announced that the game had been delayed until the second half of 2022. The game was reintroduced during Summer Game Fest in June 2022 with new footage, additionally confirming the October 7, 2022 launch date for all platforms excluding Nintendo Switch,[19] and revealing the additions of Venom, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man to the roster of characters.[20] On August 8, 2022, the game was further delayed to the following year, with the PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions slated to launch during Take-Two Interactive's next fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, while the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were left undated.[21] On September 10, 2022, it was announced that the PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game would launch on December 2, 2022.[22] On May 2, 2023, it was announced that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions would release on May 11, 2023. The Nintendo Switch version was canceled.[23][24]
Reception
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2022)
Marvel's Midnight Suns received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[25]
Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two Interactive's CEO, said that despite the game being a critical success, it was a commercial flop. Zelnick thinks "it's possible the release window wasn't perfect" and that it could have a long tail (like other Firaxis games).[3][4]
An application launcher in the PC version was described as a major cause for stuttering and general performance issues in the game.[39][40]
Blade is a fictional character and antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character, but he later went on to star in his own storylines. Devoting his life to ridding the world of all vampires, Blade utilizes his unique physiology to become the perfect vampire hunter. In Marvel comics, he is proficient in weaponry ranging from firearms to swords, and a master of martial arts. While originally depicted as a human immune to vampire bites, Blade was retroactively established to be a dhampir following his adaptation as such in Spider-Man: The Animated Series and the Blade film series. He is the father of Brielle "Bri" Brooks (Bloodline).
The Sinister Six are a group of supervillains in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, mainly those featuring Spider-Man. The members are drawn from the character's list of enemies, with the original members forming the team in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. Led by Doctor Octopus, the team in its premiere followed swiftly the very early appearances of many of the most enduring members of Spider-Man's rogues gallery: the Vulture, the Sandman, Electro, Mysterio, and Kraven the Hunter. While Doctor Octopus has generally remained its leader, the Sinister Six has had multiple variations of composition.
Vampire Tales was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 11 issues and one annual publication from 1973 to 1975, and featuring vampires as both protagonists and antagonists.
Vampires are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The concept of the vampire has been depicted by Marvel to varying degrees of significance. Bearing a strong resemblance to their literary counterparts, Marvel vampires are mostly an undead species of humans that sustain their immortality and paranormal power by drinking the blood of living humans. Unlike most other depictions of the creature, these vampires have their roots in both the supernatural and biology. Victims are converted to vampirism via enzymes carried in the vampire's saliva, which cause reanimation once introduced into the bloodstream during feedings.
The Werewolf by Night is the name of two werewolves appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Werewolf by Night, Jack Russell, first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #2. The second incarnation, Jake Gomez, first appeared in Werewolf by Night #1.
Morbius is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and originally designed by penciler Gil Kane, he debuted as a tragic, sympathetic adversary of the superhero Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man #101. For years, Morbius frequently clashed with Spider-Man and other superheroes while occasionally regaining his reason and helping those he regarded as allies. The 1992 Marvel Comics "Rise of the Midnight Sons" crossover event then revived and revised several horror-themed Marvel characters to present them as lead protagonists in new titles. The event launched the new series Morbius the Living Vampire, which ran from 1992 to 1995 and now presented the title character as a lethal anti-hero and vigilante. After the cancellation of this series, various stories shifted back and forth between portraying Morbius as a conflicted and brutal anti-hero or a tragic character subject to episodes of madness and murder.
Shriek is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man, and the lover of Cletus Kasady.
The Midnight Sons are a team of supernatural superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Including Ghost Riders Danny Ketch and Johnny Blaze, Blade, and Morbius, the original team first formed as part of the Rise of the Midnight Sons story arc, culminating in the first full team appearance in Ghost Rider #31. Following the success of the crossovers, Marvel branded all stories involving the group with a distinct family imprint and cover treatment, which lasted from December 1993 to August 1994. The team has been revived several times with different characters, but the most frequent members include Morbius, Blade, and at least one Spirit of Vengeance.
Lilith is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version is the daughter of Dracula. The second version is a demon.
Agatha Harkness is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #94. Agatha Harkness is a powerful witch and one of the original witches from the Salem witch trials.
Dracula is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker. After the initial run of the series The Tomb of Dracula, the character has been depicted primarily as an antagonist to superheroes in the Marvel Universe.
Lego Spider-Man is a product range of the Lego construction toy, based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. When the theme first launched in 2002, it was inspired by the Spider-Man film released the same year and was part of the Lego Studios line. Additional sets were released two years later, based on the film's sequel, Spider-Man 2. The theme was discontinued before the release of Spider-Man 3, and the rights were sold to rival Mega Brands, who entered a multi-year licensing deal with Marvel Enterprises, giving them the rights to produce playsets, vehicles, and other building-themed products based upon various Marvel characters for their Mega Bloks toys.
Modred the Mystic is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Bill Mantlo, Yong Montano, and Marv Wolfman, the character first appeared in Marvel Chillers #1. Mordred the Mystic is an ancient sorcerer from the Sixth Century, originating from Arthurian legend. Recognized by Merlin for his magical potential, he chose not to apprentice under him, instead becoming obsessed with the Darkhold, a book of dark magic. This connection made him vulnerable to Chthon, an Elder God who created the Darkhold. Mordred the Mystic, after millennia in suspended animation, was resurrected in the 20th century. Throughout his various adventures, he alternates between fighting against and serving Chthon, and is characterized as an anti-hero.
Anti-Venom is a fictional antihero appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #569, and was created by Dan Slott and John Romita Jr. The creature belongs to a race of amorphous extraterrestrial parasites known as the Symbiotes and is regarded as Venom's symbiotic brother. His physical features include white "skin", a black face, and spider symbol across his chest.
Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless are American writers best known for writing films together. After box office successes like Dracula Untold (2014) and The Last Witch Hunter (2015), Sazama and Sharpless wrote Gods of Egypt (2016), Morbius (2022) and Madame Web (2024), all of which became box office bombs and received negative reception from critics. The duo also wrote a reboot of Lost in Space for Netflix.
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the films are based on various Marvel Comics characters and properties commonly associated with the character Spider-Man, who is not prominently featured in the franchise.
Morbius is a 2022 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment, Arad Productions, and Matt Tolmach Productions, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the third film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). Directed by Daniel Espinosa and written by the writing team of Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, the film stars Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius, alongside Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson. In the film, Michael and his surrogate brother Milo (Smith) become living vampires after curing themselves of a rare blood disease.
Jacob Solomon, better known as Jake Solomon, is an American game designer. A long-time employee of Maryland-based Firaxis Games who applied due to his interest in the XCOM series of turn-based strategy games, he is best known for his work on the design of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, a reboot of the series, and its sequel, XCOM 2. In 2023, he left Firaxis to become an indie developer for Midsummer Studios, working on an unannounced life simulation game.
↑ Wilde, Tyler (25 August 2021). "Here are the Marvel heroes who'll be in Midnight Suns". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021. ...a new customizable hero named The Hunter. She appears as a woman in the trailer, but can also be given a male identity...
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
