MARVEL’S MIDNIGHT SUNS
The Plight Of The Hunter
RELEASED OUT NOW! Reviewed on PC
Also on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Publisher 2K Games
VIDEOGAME Given the chance to share a house with a bunch of Marvel heroes, what would excite you more? The prospect of fighting alongside them against Hydra and various supernatural threats? Or the prospect of buying them outfits which you can then demand that they wear? Well, here you can do both!
As the Hunter – the child of Lilith, a character created specifically for this game – you’ll team up with names both big and relatively small in order to prevent your mum from calling the elder god Chthon into the world. Given the imminent apocalypse, there’s a surprising emphasis on socialising with the heroes.
The turn-based battles are easy to navigate, without sacrificing difficulty or tactical options. Moves and skills are presented as cards, each of which clearly lays out important information such as damage, buffs, debuffs and so on. While you can theoretically only play three cards each time, there are ways to extend your turn. “Quick” attacks refund a play if used to KO an enemy, for example; and some cards allow enemies to be marked for a play refund on KO, regardless of the attack used. This, alongside environmental hazards that can be used to your advantage, encourages and rewards tactical play.
Attacks and abilities are well suited to each character. Spiderman has attacks that allow him to swing from enemy to enemy, and one to web up a foe to prevent them from moving; Magik uses portals to move enemies and herself around; Wolverine heals himself when swapping one of his cards; and so on.
Between fights, you’ll be chatting to your team at the Abbey. There’s an enormous, well-written script (including some great jokes, and a few surprisingly deep moments) and a progressive friendship system that feeds into stats and abilities on the battlefield. It’s a huge game, and one you won’t begrudge spending a single moment of your time on.
There’s a sly nod to Moon Knight, in the form of banners for a Khonshu exhibit at the Mid-manhattan Museum.