Summary
- Marvel Mystic Mayhem is a free-to-play, team-based tactical RPG focusing on Marvel's magic users.
- Players battle the sinister Nightmare in the Dreams Dimension, teaming up with heroes like Doctor Strange.
- Mystic Mayhem may involve gacha mechanics, drawing parallels to Midnight Suns' supernatural elements.
Marvel has had a variety of hit mobile games under their belt, including Marvel Snap and Marvel Strike Force. But the recently announced Marvel Mystic Mayhem seems to be more comparable to one of the corporation’s console installments. Though Mystic Mayhem has the distinction of focusing on Marvel’ s magic users, the new title’s genre gives would-be-players a guide to look at.
Mystic Mayhem has been described by Marvel and NetEase Games as “a mobile, free-to-play, Team-Based Tactical RPG set in the heart of the Marvel Universe.” Though the promotional imaging and the game’s announcement feature some non-magic using characters from the franchise, Mystic Mayhem’s promotion has been largely tied to characters like Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch.
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Players will control the Marvel Universe’s various superheroes as they fight against the “sinister forces of Nightmare, the malevolent lord of the Dream Dimension” as he tries to take over the world. The deepest fears of the franchise’s superheroes will be revealed by Nightmare, which then manifests as dungeons that players will have to battle through. By drawing energy from a game mechanic known as the “Mindscape”, protagonists Doctor Strange and Sleepwalker will gather and arm allies with dream energy to form a battle trio.
Mystic Mayhem Shares in the Supernatural with Midnight Suns
Marvel has released tactical role-playing games previously, but the most memorable installment is Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Released in 2022, players take on the role of “The Hunter” on a mission to defeat their mother Lilith. Game play focuses on The Hunter gathering a roster of superheroes to assist in missions and side quests that lead to stopping Lilith, in a turn-based mode.
Though speculation leads many to believe that Mystic Mayhem will lean towards gacha mechanics rather than something like Midnight Suns’ mission-based recruitment, the story and supernatural elements of both stories mirror each other significantly. Mystic Mayhem’s announcement did not reveal how Nightmare was awakened from the Dream Dimension, but the backstory of Lilith in Midnight Suns may shed some light on the subject.
Lilith vs Nightmare
In Midnight Suns, Lilith is resurrected by Hydra scientists using the sinister magic of the Darkhold. After making a deal with Chthon, the creator of the Darkhold, in order to save her child, Lilith was trapped within the dark magical tome and transformed into the Mother of Demons. Hydra hopes to use Lilith to fulfill their mission of taking over the world.
Nightmare, the antagonist of Mystic Mayhem, has a similar goal to Hydra’s. Where Hydra seeks to rule Earth with a fascist dictatorial thumb in Midnight Suns, Nightmare wants to take over the Earth and transform it into a terrifying version of the Dream Dimension. Like Lilith, Nightmare could have been brought into Mystic Mayhem’s world after misuse of the Darkhold. Marvel has used the magical item previously as one of the main MacGuffins in the Marvel Cinematic Universe installment Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. With Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch being so prominent in Mystic Mayhem’s promotion, misuse of the Darkhold is a realistic reason why Nightmare is scouring the mortal domain.
Though similar in nature, Midnight Suns and Mystic Mayhem obviously won’t be direct copies of each other. For example, Mystic Mayhem includes characters that weren’t on Midnight Suns’ roster, like Sleepwalker. Including Sleepwalker in Mystic Mayhem also adds intrigue to the game's possible plot, as this suggests that the Mindscape mentioned in the Mystic Mayhem announcement could be a region. In Marvel Comics canon, Sleepwalkers are creatures from the Mindscape, a dimension that borders on the minds of all living things. The Mindscape could be merged with the Dream Dimension to be the main region of the game, or they could function as two different settings.
Witchier fans of the Marvel franchise should be sure to keep their eyes peeled for Marvel Mystic Mayhem. Until the game has a release date, eager players should pre-register for the game, or try out Marvel Midnight Suns to get a head start on this new title.
Marvel's Midnight Suns
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
- Released
- December 2, 2022
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Language, Mild Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Publisher(s)
- 2K Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Marvel
WHERE TO PLAY
UNLEASH THE DARKER SIDE OF MARVEL
When the demonic Lilith and her fearsome horde unite with the evil armies of Hydra, it’s time to unleash Marvel’s dark side. As The Hunter, your mission is to lead an unlikely team of seasoned Super Heroes and dangerous supernatural warriors to victory. Can legends such as Doctor Strange, Iron Man, and Blade put aside their differences in the face of a growing apocalyptic threat? If you’re going to save the world, you'll have to forge alliances and lead the team into battle as the legendary Midnight Suns.
With an array of upgradeable characters and skills allowing you to build your own unique version of The Hunter, you will choose how to send Lilith’s army back to the underworld.
