"Marvel's Midnight Suns" was one of the most unexpected announcements at gamescom 2021, but it quickly proved to be an exciting one. Midnight Suns is a dark, occult take on the Marvel universe of evil sorcery, forbidden magic, and morally gray heroes. It is also a strategy/RPG, which is relatively unexplored territory for superheroes with a penchant for action.

"Midnight Suns" is like an unusual take on the familiar Marvel mythos, and comes from Firaxis, the developer behind "XCOM." As such, it has a strong pedigree in both setting and gameplay. We have yet to see the game in action, but the big reveal of the gameplay is coming in a few days. Until then, here's what we know about Marvel's Midnight Suns.

According to the game's developers, Marvel's Midnight Suns will be a turn-based strategy/RPG. Players will control original playable heroes called Hunters, which can be customized to their preferences and play style.

The trailer we saw consisted of pre-rendered cutscenes, so we don't know much more about Midnight Suns' gameplay beyond that. However, Firaxis will host a gameplay reveal live stream on September 1. If you want to watch the live stream, check the Midnight Suns website on September 1 at 11:30 p.m. PT. (Admittedly, it is quite late, but a recording is expected to be available the next day.)

While the full list of playable characters for Midnight Suns has not yet been released, many familiar faces appeared in the trailer. The game's protagonist will be a new customizable character called "Hunter." In the process, he will recruit Marvel's dark heroes and anti-heroes, including Doctor Strange, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, Blade, and Magik. Traditional characters such as Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel will also make appearances.

We also know that the game's villain will be a resurrected entity called Lilith. Comic book fans may know Lilith as the Ghost Rider villain who first appeared in the 90s. More details about the cast will be revealed in the first gameplay delivery.

While gameplay is still to be released, "Marvel's Midnight Suns" did get a fairly substantial story trailer during the Gamescom 2021 keynote. It can be seen on Marvel's YouTube channel:

The trailer shows the Avengers teaming up to seal Lilith. Years later, Lilith is resurrected and Doctor Strange unleashes a new hero, The Hunter, from a forgotten sarcophagus. The Hunter collects various Marvel heroes, especially those with magical and occult themes, such as Magik, Blade, and Ghost Rider. It sets up what we can expect to be a different kind of superhero story than we usually see.

According to the trailer, Marvel's Midnight Suns will be released in March 2022. This is a pretty narrow window, but we're guessing we'll get a firm date within the next few months. Perhaps Firaxis will reveal the exact date in a gameplay stream on September 1. Stay tuned to Tom's Guide for more news about this game.