Tactics RPGs have long been a popular, if niche, genre. At their best, the genre blends the core elements of a traditional RPG like quality storytelling and character development with a more nuanced and strategic approach to combat. There's been a slew of high-quality entries in the genre over the past few years, and Marvel's Midnight Suns is shaping up to be one of the biggest yet. While the genre itself is fairly niche, the same definitely can not be said about Marvel.
There are major companies involved with the publishing of tactics RPGs. A good example is the upcoming Project Triangle Strategy, a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy Tactics from Square Enix. But projects like Triangle Strategy or Gears Tactics aren't necessarily major focuses of the studios they hail from, despite the quality of the games. The same is hard to apply to the Marvel IP, as it's easily one of the biggest brands in the world.
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Marvel Enters the Tactics RPG Arena
The sheer size of Marvel's popularity is part of why the announcement of Midnight Suns was so exciting for fans of tactics RPGs. There's inherently going to be a crossover genre fans and Marvel fans, so the idea of taking to a grid-based battle system with the iconic comic book characters is appealing to many. With the high pedigree of Firaxis, creators of XCOM, the game is shaping up to be the first truly AAA entry in the genre in a long time.
This isn't meant to diminish the merits of other games in the space. The aforementioned Gears Tactics is a respectful spin on tactical gameplay, and other releases like Wasteland 3 and The Banner Saga have all made big strides in the space. These titles and others like them have led what's felt like a renaissance in the genre going back to the release of XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Midnight Suns' take on tactical RPG mechanics and presentation feels like the culmination of this movement.
Midnight Suns is coming at a high point for interest in the style of gameplay it's looking to build on. The surge of D&D and Final Fantasy Tactics on streaming sites like Twitch, with the former being a basis for the core of tactical RPG gameplay today, puts the new Marvel title in a good place. Knowing that Marvel doesn't lend out its properties lightly also implies a certain level of quality in graphics and storytelling. The first trailer has already shown off some interesting versions of the characters, and blending the more popular characters from Avengers with the darker, more mystical world of the original Midnight Sons comics is an interesting choice.
Midnight Suns blends new card-based elements into its gameplay, a story that feels straight out of Diablo, and a focus on interpersonal relations between Marvel characters that already feels very distinct from other games on the market. Midnight Suns is also introducing a customizable character, which is a step in the right direction for RPG fans. While the game isn't out yet, early footage and gameplay shown so far inspires a lot of hope that Midnight Suns might be the first truly AAA title for tactics RPGs in a long time.
Marvel's Midnight Suns is set to release in March 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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