Map size is a recurring topic with open-world games, and creative director Bryan Intihar was no exception in his interviews with IGN, Eurogamer, and Famitsu. To increase the playing surface, Insomniac Games did not need to invent fictitious districts of New York. It was enough to start by venturing into the boroughs that had not been present until now, such as Queens and Brooklyn.
” We’ve added Queens and Brooklyn this time around, making the map size roughly twice as large as previous titles. Both of these areas being smaller and more residential, I think you will find them different from Manhattan. We have prepared new situations, such as a battle on the river between two parts of the city “.
Space, therefore, for a sequel that no longer features one but two spider-men. As we saw during the presentation of the PlayStation Showcase, the passage from Peter Parker to Miles Morales will sometimes be dictated by history. But the rest of the time, the player will be able to switch from one to the other freely, and of course without loading time thanks to our good friend the SSD. We also learn that Peter and Miles will each have specific quests and activities, but others can be carried out independently of the character we control.
An unhealthy mind in an unhealthy body
One of the challenges will of course be to highlight the differences in gameplay between the two protagonists. In addition to the fact that Miles is faster than Peter and that he has his own electrical powers, the appearance of the black outfit, that of the symbiote, is the striking example of this differentiation as it opens the door to unprecedented tentacular abilities. and unique to Peter Parker. A Parker whose state of mind is also affected in contact with the symbiote, resulting in a suddenly darker behavior (which however will not spread throughout the adventure). According to the pundits of Insomniac Games, the presence of the symbiote, of Venom but also of Kraven the hunter are all elements that will not fail to open the door to darker themes, in particular that of the addiction caused by this alien life form, though the studio is still striving for an ideal balance of darkness and lightness.
” So it’s about playing on the themes of addiction, the impact it can have on someone’s personality, on the people around them, and you’re going to see that it doesn’t affect only Peter, but also his relatives. You will see this playing out throughout the game commented director Ryan Smith. ” We understand that the expectations for the symbiote are very high and we wanted it to be different from what we usually see adds Bryan Intihar. ” Peter and Miles have so many moves based on fluidity, speed, acrobatics, whereas the Symbiote is power, strength, aggression, and I think we wanted to make sure that was represented from the gameplay point of view. »