We’re like, ‘People are going to be like: What!?’ And then we were laughing. “I mean this is a problem with, you know, developing a story four or five years ago. “Ha hah!” he bellows when I put the question to him. "I remember watching WandaVision, and I was like, ‘You’ve got to be shitting me.’" Now, we all know Marvel has a bad habit of making films that are more or less pure setup for the next MCU instalment, but Solomon assures me this wasn’t at all planned in the slightest. Without veering into spoiler territory, the last 12 months haven’t just put Wanda on the MCU map, but also introduced orbiting parts of Scarlet Witch lore, including Agatha Harkness and all-consuming book of evil the Darkhold – both of which feature heavily in Midnight Suns. While the game’s name is a reference to Solomon’s favourite 90s Marvel comic - Midnight Sons: Spirits Of Vengeance – he tells me that “Wanda’s story is the story of Midnight Suns.” If you’re not ITK about the MCU, Wanda Maximoff, aka: the Scarlet Witch, has become a key player, both in last year’s WandaVision miniseries and this year’s Dr Strange movie The Multiverse Of Madness. And it’s all down to a fish witch called Wanda. But speaking to creative director Jake Solomon, the extra polishing time they set aside gave them an unexpected benefit. No sooner had Firaxis announced the game it was delayed in the snap of Thanos' fingers (from March to the second half of 2022, now confirmed as October 7th at tonight’s Summer Game Fest). It’s a strategic evolution I’ll talk about in a second, but this switch-up in approach isn’t the only part of Midnight Suns story that’s been subject to the whims of (mis)fortune. All your other attacks, represented here as a deck of cards, are guaranteed hits. In the four hours I spent playing the opening of Midnight Suns last week, I saw precisely one scenario that had any kind of per cent number attached to it – and that was booting a goon (100%) or Venom, one of the newly confirmed villains of the game (0%), off a rooftop. Not only is it their first game to mix substantial RPG elements into its tactical combat, but there’s nary a hit percentage in sight. Marvel’s Midnight Suns, however, could be the Civilization studio’s biggest gamble yet. Just ask the many thousands of players who missed a shot with a 90% success chance in one of their XCOM reboots. Chance has always been an integral part of Firaxis’ turn-based tactics games.
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