If you missed out on Marvel’s Midnight Suns, the 2022 turn-based RPG from XCOM developer Firaxis Games — and based on the poor sales numbers, a lot of you did — you can now play it for free thanks to the Epic Games Store.
The storefront has a new free game for users to claim every week, and this time it’s Marvel’s Midnight Suns. However, you only have until June 13 to claim the game for free. The deal only applies to the base game, although the two editions with extras are also on sale. The digital+ version comes with 11 premium skins and is on sale for $20 (down from the $80 full price). If you want access to all the post-launch characters — Deadpool, Venom, Morbius, and Storm — along with those premium skins, you can purchase the legendary edition for $25 (down from $100).
Marvel’s Midnight Suns came out at the tail end of 2022 and, unlike other Marvel games, featured an original character and a new adventure not adapted from any previous story (although it featured many references and grabbed ideas from the larger comics universe). Players took on the role of the Hunter, a customizable hero who has to team up with heroes from across the Marvelverse, like Magik, Blade, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man. It features turn-based combat during missions, with the units players control being superheroes.
Two things set it apart from other turn-based RPGs. The first was its card-based combat system, where players would choose from a deck of moves to make their way through levels. The second was its writing, which was filled with excellent humor and gave its characters a ton of humanity to connect with. Players could also dress up these sometimes-serious characters in ridiculous but very on-brand outfits.
While it got good reviews from critics, it wasn’t a hit with players. Many were put off by the art style, which didn’t look up to the standards of other modern releases at the time, and the card system. Former Firaxis creative director Jake Solomon told Digital Trends that the card system and stigma of it being “Marvel XCOM” were to blame for its poor sales.
“The truth is, Midnight Suns is a really interesting game, and I’m very proud of it from a critical standpoint,” Solomon said. “It was very personal for me, but it was one of those things where if I were to look and ask why it underperformed, I would simply say cards. I think cards were a big part of it. We designed a card system, and it was awesome, worked really well, and was super fun. But I don’t think I fully appreciated the way that looks. There was a sizable portion of players who were like, ‘I’m not playing cards’ or ‘I’m not doing that.’”
