One of the main side activities of Marvel's Midnight Suns are club meetings, which feature various heroes bonding over a shared interest. Players can get together with the EMO Kids to learn how their character died, they can meet up with Shop Class to design a new gadget for combat, and they can sit around the library in Book Club to bond over the week's reading. While some of these Club meetings seem to be working toward discovering new things that will help in the fight against Lilith, Marvel's Midnight Suns' Book Club is entirely different.
The Book Club is not working against Lilith, and none of the heroes are focused on the overarching conflict during these meetings. It feels like something truly special given it isn't what players would expect from a supernatural superhero game. It works so well that more superhero games should consider adopting similar activities to really shake up the genre and allow their heroes a break.
Book Club Is a Nice Break From Midnight Suns' Conflict
Book Club in Marvel's Midnight Suns is pretty simple; players meet up with Captain Marvel, Blade, and Captain America every so often to discuss a book. They analyze the passages and watch as everyone grows closer. Once the club meeting is over, players get a card and their next book is assigned. Players have to make sure they actually read the book in the Abbey's library, and Blade will reach out when it is time to discuss it. Eventually, other heroes like Wolverine join the Book Club and lend their own insight.
Many players may choose to skip this simple side activity, as from the outside it does not seem like it offers anything particularly engaging. But this is where it shines, it simply features a couple of iconic heroes taking a break from the world-ending conflict of Marvel's Midnight Suns to bond. It is not high-stakes, it does not push the plot forward, and all player does is answer dialogue prompts. However, it is such a cute little activity that offers a break from the superhero story that more games should really consider taking notes.
More Superhero Games Need Simple Side Activities
Almost every superhero game is filled with activities for players to do alongside the main story. Marvel's Spider-Man has things like Oscorp Research Stations, Marvel's Avengers has loads of side missions, Gotham Knights has various side quests that delve further into the Batman mythos, and various LEGO superhero games feature expansive worlds with fun mini-games to complete. While all of these activities are fun and give players things to do, they are often combat-based or built around the core gameplay.
The main characters in most superhero games seldom get to sit around and enjoy their respective cities. Even the Oscorp Research Stations have Peter Parker racing against a clock to fix something within Manhattan. While these may be far more engaging activities than Marvel's Midnight Suns Book Club, the Book Club is unique and offers great character interactions that help them come together as a team. The Book Club helps make these powerful beings more human.
Not every side activity needs to be conflict-based or help progress a major side plot. Even if the activity is not particularly engaging from a gameplay perspective, it gives players something different to do that helps break up the constant high-stakes stories superhero titles often offer. It also allows players to see another side of these powerful heroes that they may not have seen before, and that could lead to much stronger bonds.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions coming later.
