Here's our first look at Marvel's Midnight Suns and its card-based battle system

One of the biggest announcements during Gamescom last week was the reveal of Marvel's Midnight Suns from Firaxis and 2K Games. This is the long-rumored Marvel XCOM game that was said to be in the works at Firaxis, but unfortunately, that announcement came with sparse details about the game itself. Today we're learning a little bit more about Marvel's Midnight Suns, thanks to a pair of new trailers.

While 2K says that this is Midnight Suns' gameplay reveal, you might want to temper your expectations going in. There isn't a ton of gameplay on display – or at least less than we expect when we hear the words "gameplay reveal trailer." While there are some glimpes at gameplay, much of the trailer is more cinematic in nature. The definition of the word "gameplay" is something 2K seems to struggle with lately, but that's a different topic for another time.

Even though we don't get to see as much gameplay as many of us would like, we see enough for two big realizations: players will create their own customizable superhero in this game, and battles will rely on cards to at least some extent. Battles will still be tactical turn-based affairs like they are in XCOM, but those cards will allow your heroes to use abilities during battle. Between battles, you and the heroes who comprise your team will regroup at The Abbey, where you'll be able to upgrade your cards and chat with the familiar faces of the Marvel Universe.

Unsurprisingly, the reveal of that card battle system has some players worried about the potential for loot boxes – card packs – or other microtransactions in the game. Shortly after the gameplay reveal, Firaxis took to Twitter to confirm that there aren't any loot boxes in Midnight Suns. While it sounds like there will be microtransactions, we're assured that they will only be for cosmetic outfits for heroes that don't affect game balance.

Hey folks, regarding our battle card system, there are no loot boxes in Marvel's @MidnightSuns or related microtransactions to get more cards (i.e. Gamma Coils). We will have purely cosmetic character skins for purchase that do not affect game balance in any way https://t.co/lHhdwbMpSZ

— Marvel's Midnight Suns (@midnightsuns) September 1, 2021

It's an interesting take on the superhero genre, that's for sure. While we'll need to see more of the game in action before we can form an actual opinion on it, we're at least intrigued by Marvel's Midnight Suns so far. We'll let you know when more about the game is shared, so stay tuned.