The amazing Spider-Man has seen his fair share of video game outings in the past. With powers and stories that lend themselves perfectly to some playable action, we’ve seen a wide spectrum of offerings spanning back a couple decades. When in the right hands, these games are absolute gems of open-world sandbox design and dynamic combat. When they’re not done so well, we’re given linear movie cash-ins with clunky controls that feel outdated even at launch. But when Marvel announced that they’d be teaming up with Insomniac (legendary creators of Ratchet & Clank and Spyro the Dragon) to produce the latest entry in the series, we knew that we were in for something special. So it came as no surprise when the game became a roaring success, lifting the web-slinger to even greater heights last year while proving that Marvel can work their magic both on and off the silver screen. One year on and with Spidey’s latest adventure hitting cinemas this week, we couldn’t help feeling the urge to step back into his shoes once again in Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Opting to avoid telling yet another rehash of the hero’s origin story, Marvel’s Spider-Man chooses to follow an experienced, established Peter Parker in a time long after that infamous spider bite. This decision gives Insomniac free reign to craft their own interesting and all-new story, without being bound by the expectations of players and fans. The plot fires up pretty quickly, with you taking control of the titular hero on the way to a siege in the middle of the city’s business district. This opening acts as a pretty intense tutorial for the game’s combat, and the resulting arrest of underworld boss ‘Kingpin’ also serves as the start of the story’s big events. Taken away in cuffs, Kingpin warns that removing him from the scene will send the city into total chaos – and we learn he was right pretty quickly. From there, you’re thrown straight into the sprawling streets of New York just as crime on the streets really starts to dial up.
Firstly – let’s talk about the incredible open sandbox world. There’s a crazy amount of detail in everything from the design of different buildings, pedestrians walking the sidewalk, traffic at Times Square and even the greenery of Central Park. The world really feels alive, and you can easily lose hours exploring all of the city’s secrets and nods to the Marvel Universe. Want to climb to the top of Avengers tower? Go for it. The office of legal duo Nelson & Murdoch from Daredevil? It’s there. You can even track down Uncle Ben’s final resting place if you like, where Peter will offer up a few words as you pass by. There’s obviously so much history to draw from when it comes to Spider-Man alone, so it’s a feat that the game manages to work in so many references to the wider Marvel Universe as well. Fans will be hunting down the game’s countless hidden extras and collectibles – most having direct ties to comics or Spidey lore – however there are also rewards designed to draw in other players such as new suits, upgrades and helpful gadgets. Having exploration directly reward your skills and abilities is a huge plus, and you’ll need some boosts for all the scraps you’re likely to run into.
Zipping up to higher ground is a totally viable option in any fight, and it is recommended for some of the tougher ones. Stay out of sight long enough and you can start working with the game’s solid stealth mechanics. More fleshed out and useful than it has been in any other playable Spider-Man entry, stealth will allow you to knock out a number of enemies without breaking a sweat. You’re able to string up enemies when perched above, silently knock them out when sneaking from behind or surprise them with a well placed gadget trap. Most scenarios will generally descend into fisticuffs, but the option to play the stealth card is almost always worth the effort – plus there are a number of suits, gadgets and upgrades that lend a hand to this approach. Where you will see it used the most is during a number of the main story missions, generally when infiltrating well-guarded buildings and hideouts. What is slightly surprising here is that a number of these sections are not led by the headlining hero at all – instead moving you into the shoes of series regulars Mary Jane Watson (MJ) and the young Miles Morales. MJ is an investigative journalist who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty to get to the truth, and so playing as her often means sneaking through some unsavoury locations for a big piece of evidence. With his sections playing pretty similarly to MJ, Miles also has a bone to pick with some of the city’s underworld and he finds himself helping Peter and MJ bring the city back under control. Splitting the focus onto these other characters is an interesting move that really pays off, giving players a grounded perspective in what would otherwise be another larger-than-life superhero tale.
This perspective is also noticeable during the numerous sections where you’ll play as Peter himself, without the red tights and mask. The relationship between Peter and Aunt May is fully fleshed out, and her relevance to the unfolding events of the plot means you’re invested as Peter struggles to play hero and devoted nephew at the same time. The other major relationship at play is between Peter and his science mentor Otto Octavius. Working in a lab together designing high tech prosthetics, the resolute and seemingly level-headed Octavius is very proud of his talented protégé, with the two having a close bond that is explored over the course of the story. Even those with only a passing knowledge of Spider-Man lore will have an idea of how this eventually goes, but the path to that point has never been told in the way it has been here. A number of other familiar villains make an appearance throughout the game, however a few of these boss fights can become somewhat repetitive and uninspired when you’re not buried in the spectacle of it all. A few will simply boil down to throwing lumps of debris at the boss until they go down, while others rely heavily on quick time events and button prompts again and again until the fight is over. Some are a bit more creative, with one blending stealth and strategy together for some tense results and another playing very similarly to the fantastic Scarecrow segments from 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum. Thankfully the final few battles see the adventure go out with a bang, deftly weaving big story moments with frantic, edge-of-your-seat gameplay.
If you’re still craving more outside of the admittedly deep and lengthy story already on offer, Insomniac have also put together a number of DLC scenarios to keep the adventure going. Further exploring some of the characters and relationships introduced during the core game, these extras provide a great reason to return to the Big Apple – featuring some nice bonuses and challenges for those interested. Otherwise there’s a nice little new game plus feature that was added after launch, allowing players to roll back through the campaign with all their gear and skills intact. Maybe you’re looking to find every collectible backpack hidden across the city, or perhaps you could try your hand at fighting through each optional gang hideout or Taskmaster combat challenge. It could just be that you feel like soaring through the skies of the city at top speed, brushing past skyscrapers as you launch from one web to the next. When a game has been made with as much care and detail as this has, any excuse will do.
Perfectly capturing what it feels like to be a superhero, Marvel’s Spider-Man is leaps and bounds above what we’d often expect from a game tied so closely to a movie franchise. With an original story that rivals that of its big screen counterparts and gameplay that stands tall amongst other modern playable adventures, we’ve been given a fantastic Spidey outing that is as much a love letter to fans as it is a finely crafted and challenging experience. Whether you’re planning to dip your toe in for the first time – or you’re just thinking of a revisit to scratch that web-swinging itch brought on by recent big screen showings – there’s never a dull moment when you step into the shoes of everyone’s favourite friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.
Marvel’s Spider-Man is available now on PS4.