The first of four DLC packs for Marvel’s Midnight Suns launches today, and while I wasn’t sure what to expect from such a piecemeal release, it turned out to be fairly substantial. The Good, The Bad, and The Undead features Deadpool in conflict with a new vampire enemy faction, kicking off a storyline that will carry through each of the four DLCs. It’s an intriguing start, especially for Marvel fans, and despite being fairly brief, serves as the perfect spotlight for the ever-divisive Merc with the Mouth.
The new campaign blends into the main story seamlessly, so whether you’re still working through the game or you’ve already finished, Deadpool’s intro will feel natural without any big difficulty spikes or odd narrative segues. The Suns run into Deadpool while chasing a lead on Hydra super villain Sin, granddaughter of the Red Skull, and find out the regenerating degenerate has been hired by a certain Latverian Warlord to hunt down an object of power before Sin and her vampire army can find it. The main campaign did a lot to slowly build up Doctor Doom, and the DLC is making his invisible hand even more present. The plot beats of Midnight Suns are always pretty straight forward, but Firaxis is proving to be masters of fan service.
Nolan North has been playing Deadpool in video games and animated movies for over ten years, and he’s got a great hold on the character’s unique brand of charmingly obnoxious. Deadpool fits into the world of Midnight Suns better than I expected, even with all of his usual campy, fourth-wall breaking antics. The Bugs Bunny routine is a tough one to balance, but Firaxis doesn’t let the Deadpool show overshadow Midnight Suns’ core qualities. The interpersonal conflicts and team dynamics still drive the story, and as usual, you find yourself playing mediator between some big personalities. Deadpool’s conflict with the Suns is easy enough to grasp: everyone hates him because he’s very annoying. While it’s a short chapter - just three story missions - the fact that it spends so much time digging into the root of why Deadpool acts the way he does is what makes Midnight Suns one of my favorite games.
In combat, Deadpool’s gimmick is all about momentum. Every kill gives Deadpool a stack of En Fuego, which multiplies the effects of his abilities. En Fuego stacks are lost when he takes damage, so there’s a lot of opportunities for synergy with tanks and other defensive heroes. His moves aren’t quite as silly as I expected - he doesn’t ride into battle on a rainbow unicorn or slap anyone with a burrito - but that’s probably for the best. With his heavy hits, combo potential, and passive healing factor, Deadpool feels like a mix of Blade and Wolverine, while still fitting into his own niche on the team.
The new vampire faction is a godsend for people like me who have already put a hundred hours into mastering combat. The Vampyre are even more chaotic than the Lilin thanks to their bloodlust ability that allows them to attack during your turn and their ability to respawn when they die. They mix with the beefier Hydra faction well and there’s even some new corrupted Hydra enemies, and I’m excited to see how they interact with the Lilin in the future chapters.
It should be easy to get through The Good, The Bad, and The Undead in a couple of hours, and if you’ve already finished the campaign, one could make an argument for waiting until the entire DLC campaign is available and playing through all of it in one go. If you’re still working through the campaign or doing a New Game + like me, Deadpool and the Vampyre add some fresh variety into the mix. There’s also a big reveal at the end of this chapter that makes me even more eager for the next one to come out. Marvel comics fans will be delighted - though likely not surprised - to find out who’s behind this new vampiric threat. I didn’t expect the season pass to add much more than some new characters to play with, but it’s already shaping up to be a worthwhile story, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.