Insomniac Games has been on my radar for a long, long time. From their mascot platformer days, you could consider me a fan, and when they started to shift into more serious narratives with Resistance, I was along for the ride. But it wasn’t until Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018 that I perked up and realized what they could do. With the standalone Miles Morales game and now the full Spider-Man sequel, they’re really proving that they’re one of the biggest forces in game development right now.
Yep! Even though there are a few lingering series issues present here, they didn’t screw up the follow-up.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (PS5)
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony
Released: October 20, 2023
MSRP: $59.99
Even the recap has heart in Spider-Man 2. It’s been a while since I’ve been in this world, but I was immediately caught up with the Spider-Man duo of Peter Parker and Miles Morales and felt like I never missed a beat. This is the storyline I was really waiting for: the OG Peter operating as a mentor for Miles. Seeing Peter thrive and struggle as a teacher adds a little spice to the story, and separates it from the abundant “Peter in High School or is already a fully-fledged adult” storylines from popular media.
Look, I’m still not thrilled that the original Peter Parker was essentially erased from the series. But at this point, Yuri Lowenthal has made the role his own, and absolutely smashed it in the sequel. As you can imagine with the symbiote being front and center this is a fairly demanding role that requires a lot of emotion, and Lowenthal nailed it (even if I was secretly hoping for an “I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth” cheeseball moment). In fact, his performance draws upon some of the best parts of Christopher Daniel Barnes’ work in the FOX Kids show, especially when the mask is on. Speaking of great voicework, Nadji Jeter is arguably the best Miles Morales actor right now, and he has fantastic chemistry with Lowenthal from the jump.
As you may have heard, one of Spider-Man 2‘s big gimmicks is allowing you to swap between Peter and Miles throughout the game. So does Insomniac pull it off? Well, mostly. As you can imagine, adapting the whole “Peter gets the Venom symbiote” storyline (which is heavily featured in the game’s marketing) is still going to shift a lot of focus on Peter, while Miles starts to take a backseat at the midpoint of the story.
It’s a fine balance, right? Because in the end, Spider-Man 2 doesn’t feel bloated. It’s kind of amazing how Insomniac pulled it off, because the temptation to just shove stuff into a “bigger better” sequel until you can’t is strong. Story points are allowed to run their course without going on too long, and things are mostly wrapped up by the end. While I would have liked a little more of a Miles focus overall, he does play a huge part in the narrative and the denouement.
With the added web wings gliding mechanic, locomotion is even smoother than past entries. Given that the sandbox of New York has been expanded a bit it’s just as well, but I forgot just how fun it is to zoom around in these games and do absolutely nothing. Very rarely am I enamored enough with an open world to drift around aimlessly for extended periods of time, but I found myself caught in that loop all over again. I mean, 2004’s Spider-Man 2 was really on to something with the whole “hey, swinging around on webs is fun if done right” mentality, so I’m glad Insomniac picked that legacy back up off the ground.
Without spoiling anything, Kraven (one of the big bads of this entry) and Venom slot nicely into the sequel, and don’t overpower each other. The best part of Kraven is his goons: his army of hunters adds an air of urgency to regular old street fights, and gels nicely with the idea of them actually having the ability to hunt super-beings. Kraven isn’t as interesting as he could have been, but he is formidable, and the angle of wanting to hunt every super-powered person (hero or villain), is interesting enough to carry a chunk of the story.
Combat is a little more fine-tuned in the sequel too. The parry mechanic kept me on my toes, even on the game’s normal difficulty. In short, some attacks have a yellow flash, telegraphing that they need to be leaped over or parried (using the block button right before they hit). This all ties back into the idea that the hunters can actually wreck you, and it makes perfect sense as you eventually work your way through each combat tutorial/concept.
There is a familiar annoyance factor here though (which has always bled through the series) that can feel off in Spider-Man 2. That not only applies to some over-tutorialization during some intense fights (taking a bit of the edge off), but minigames. Yes, minigames return, and although the vast majority of them are optional sidequests, you’ll need to slowly acclimate to them through the forced tutorials before you can be left to your own devices.
Of course, just like the old games, once you’re through that hump, it all smoothes over. Given that sidequests and extra objectives are plainly communicated on the map, it’s easy to zip around and come across stuff you either want to skip or finish in short order. The suit system is also vastly improved, with regular unlocks that are doled out to both Peter and Miles, and the ability to customize your build without being tied to a specific suit. Speaking of builds, there’s a Peter skill tree, a Miles skill tree, and a tree for both. All three of them aren’t overwhelmingly large, which is a good thing in my mind. Again, there was likely a temptation to go bigger with everything here, and I admire the restraint.
If you’ve played either of the prior Insomniac Spider-Man games before, you’re probably familiar with the deluge of boss fights, often featuring iconic villains from Peter’s rogues gallery. Well, they’re back! There were a few moments in Spider-Man 2 where I thought to myself “how were they allowed to make this?,” and I mean that as a compliment! Some boss fights are over-the-top arcadey, with silly transitions and hidden mechanics (like objects you can pull down to score a chunk of damage), just like an old-school beat ’em up.
That type of “old meets new” blueprint is why I think this particular series of games has been so successful. It can be jarring at times, but these games are unpredictable and silly, just like the Spider-Man franchise at large. Insomniac never takes itself too seriously, even with the heavier themes of loss and anxiety that echo throughout this sequel, as a result of the events of prior games. One minute you could be fighting one of the goofiest villains in comic history, and the next, you’re watching someone reckon with the loss of a close family member. It’s a rollercoaster of a game.
It’s abundantly clear that this series isn’t over yet, and I hope that Insomniac never really stops working on superhero games. There’s so much of the Spider-Man mythos that’s untapped so far, and you could keep this gravy train running with some crazier ideas once this presumed trilogy is over. As long as Insomniac is on board, I’ll be along for the ride.
[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]
Published: Oct 16, 2023 09:00 am