During a two hour demo of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we got to see exactly how Insomniac is doubling down on its superhero power fantasy.
Despite the fact that they star superheroes enduring tragic losses, Marvel’s Spider-Man and its Miles Morales spinoff aren’t dark games. Both are playful summer blockbusters full of comedic quips, light-hearted teen drama, and colorful action set pieces that even surpass the excitement of the web-slinger’s cinematic outings. They’re open-world playgrounds that allow players to gleefully zip around while foiling the occasional bad guy.
You want it darker? My demo began a few hours into the game. Peter Parker, already wearing his new black Symbiote suit, walks into a dark church and has a run-in with the sequel’s new villain, Kraven the Hunter. After a tussle, Parker tosses Kraven into a church bell and the sound seemingly triggers some innate power in the parasitic suit. It was an unsettling moment and one that would properly prepare me for what was to come.
Parker is a force of nature in battle, seamlessly weaving together punches and web shots with powers that feel far more dangerous. All of that comes together in a climactic fight against a newly mutated Lizard at the end of my demo, where I need to parry his powerful attacks and punch above my weight class with the help of the Symbiote. It’s almost an unnerving amount of power, and that’s the point, according to Project Director Jeannette Lee.
A tonal balance Though the story seems to be going in some morally complicated directions, Insomniac hasn’t thrown away the playfulness at the heart of the series. That’s especially preserved with a fully playable Miles Morales, who acts as a perfect foil to Parker here. Where Peter is tortured, slowly morphing into a lone wolf, Miles is still an exuberant teen eager to help friends and community.
And I only got a small taste of what’s new this time around. Looking through menus, it’s clear that Insomniac has expanded just about every system. Both characters have their own massive skill trees, including one that grants them shared abilities. It appears that I can unlock and equip even more combat abilities to tweak my play style. Though most exciting is its new approach to costumes.
With so much ground to cover, players might be tempted to fast-travel more – a slow process that killed momentum in the first game. Insomniac has solved that with almost instant fast travel with no load screens. It’s an astounding tech trick, but one that doesn’t come as too much of a shock. The studio already proved it knew how to leverage the power of the PS5 with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, an adventure full of technical magic tricks.
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