Three years after “Spider-Man: Miles Morales” featured at the launch of Sony’s new PS5 console, the talented studio Insomniac Games is back with “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2”. Two superheroes united in a single, very high level game.
At Marvel, the mood hasn’t exactly been festive for some time. Already on the big screen side, with the weariness of superheroic productions. In the field of video games, its division is looking gloomy, with the very poor performance of the game Marvel’s Avengers from Crystal Dynamics released in 2020, although highly anticipated and whose support was disconnected at the end of last September.
The completely unjustified failure of Guardians of the Galaxy released in October 2021, which nonetheless exuded unconditional love for its original material. The excellent Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a tactical role-playing game developed by Firaxis Games released in July 2022, was a flop. And we’re not talking about the different variations of the license on mobile games, several of which have also been disconnected…
Released in September 2018 and developed by the very talented studio Insomniac Games, Marvel’s Spider-Manexclusive to Sony’s PS4 console, was nevertheless a colossal sales success: in August 2019, a little less than a year after its release, the game had sold more than 13.2 million copies.
Insomniac Games
A little over two years later, spearhead of its new PS5 console, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, thought of as a Stand Alone And Spin off, allowed you to play for the first time this comic book hero, made very popular by the fantastic animated feature film Spider-Man: New Generation. Graphically superb, rhythmic and punchy, offering endearing characters, bathed in a soundtrack in unison, Spider-Man: Miles Morales was also a big success, completely deserved.
Bought by Sony Playstation for a little over $200 million in 2019, it is an understatement to say that the Insomniac studio has become in a few years a real martingale for the firm, an essential pillar, having ultra powerful franchises in its bag, like Ratchet & Clank, the last of which, Rift Apart (2021) was great and technically very impressive.
A know-how which comes precisely to perform a new and quite stunning demonstration of force with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Contrary to what its title would suggest, it is actually the third part of the saga initiated in 2018.
Here (again) is the trailer…
Two Spideys for the price of one
Taking place shortly after the conclusion of the game Spider-Man: Miles Morales (of which you can have a nice recap of the events via a video “previously we…” accessible from the start menu), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 therefore offers two Spider-Mans for the price of one; united for better and often for worse during a story deploying its trappings with mastery over more than thirty hours of gameplay.
For both characters, time and maturity. Miles tries to find time to write his college entrance essay, but he keeps procrastinating and focusing on his job as Spider-Man instead. Meanwhile, Peter is underwater with bills to pay for Aunt May’s house, but logically feels unable to sell it. MJ wants to help Peter with the mortgage, but his job is on the line now that J. Jonah Jameson is back at the Daily Bugle and looking to clean house…
Doubts and personal introspections will logically be severely tested over the course of the story, particularly thanks to the entry on the scene of the main antagonist, particularly devious and above all perfectly ruthless: Kraven the hunter.
Insomniac Games
One of the most iconic supervillains in the Marvel universe, fueled by a fierce desire to add Spider-Man to his hunt. We will also note the gentle irony that the game gently pulls the rug out from under the feet of the future film about the character that JC Chandor is preparing in his corner, supposed to be released in August 2024.
In any case, we hope that he will be as charismatic as the one in the game, always being one step ahead or almost in the face of his best enemies. The images of the game had also revealed the symbiote and the presence of Venom. We will obviously be careful not to reveal when and how he arrives in the plot, otherwise we will spoil the pleasure of the discovery. At most we can say that it is skillfully brought about, giving a tremendous new impetus to the story.
Insomniac Games
Regularly boosted by intense fights and very spectacularly staged with sometimes hair-raising framing, like the confrontation opening the game against the Sandman or that of the Lizard, the story also knows how to manage its effects by offering truly weightless sequences.
Like this wonderful quest where we briefly lead Hailey, Miles’ deaf and mute friend, communicating in sign language. Immersed in his silent world, without any music, the player understands Hailey’s emotions and those of his interlocutors through the prism of emojis / pictograms supposed to represent them. Easier to experience with the controller in hand than to describe, the experience, although short, is really interesting. And even touching.
Black is Beautiful
If Insomniac is careful not to have a more or less hidden political agenda, the studio remains in the wake of the previous part, always with this concern to bring a real touch of inclusiveness and celebrations of ethnic minorities which have largely constituted in over the decades the crucible ofAmerican Way of Lifeand more particularly that of the Big Apple.
As revealed for example by this excellent mission reserved for Miles, where we must find a collection of very precious, iconic musical objects, stolen and intended for an exhibition organized in the heart of his neighborhood, in Harlem. Her name ? “Community Pride, Worldwide Impact”.
Fine and intelligent way of celebrating the very important – even essential – contribution of African-Americans to the country’s culture, since it is about legends such as the saxophonist musician Charlie Parkernovelist Claude McKaythe pianist and singer Hazel Scottor Langston Hughes.
Insomniac Games
Side effects one could say, but which in reality fit perfectly into the interstices of a solid and well-executed main plot. Far from being a proper force-feeding, like a frenzied filling of the game, the vast majority of secondary quests aim on the contrary to always give a little more thickness and flesh to its main characters. And it hits the mark.
In fact, through its sense of drama, the stakes deployed, the reflection and questioning of its heroes, its sense of framing and staging, it appeared to us more than once that this Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 had more of a connection with the cinematographic saga driven by Sam Raimi than the later parts which followed. And that’s not the least of the game’s qualities.
A Big Apple that caresses the retina
Because there is obviously the absolutely superb setting. In a New York City divided into 14 neighborhoods, twice the size of the previous games (this time adding Queens and Brooklyn), the technological leap is truly spectacular. Especially with the 2018 game, including its remastered version released on PS5. The gap is less significant with the more recent Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but it exists.
The streets are denser, the attention to detail is even greater; the impression of having a more “organic” city teeming with life, adorned with numerous light management and weather effects, relying on so-called Ray Tracing technology.
It’s always a real pleasure to travel through the city with the characters, whose flexibility is absolutely exhilarating. A pleasure noticeably enhanced on this subject by a little novelty, the wing suitwhich allows, as its name suggests, to hover between the buildings of the city to go even faster.
Insomniac Games
In terms of gameplay, Insomniac is certainly not reinventing the wheel; we remain on already familiar ground, despite some new developments. Three talent trees – one for each character and a common core -, gadgets to gradually unlock, enemy hideouts to clean, heists to stop… Certain missions are specific to each of the two Spideys, while on others, it is possible to change characters. A change that only affects the way you play, since each Spidey has its own characteristics and special moves.
Epilogue…
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the best superhero game? Probably not. But he climbs without any problem to the very top of the basket. In three games, the studio was able to lay the foundations of a formidable saga, capable of being sufficient in itself. We still doubt that he will stop there without trying to further deepen the mythology around the character. Not to mention that he also has in preparation, it should be remembered, a game based on Wolverine.
“Be Greater” – “Exceed your limits” balance the catchline affixed to the game poster, addressed to the players. At Insomniac, we seem to have elevated this invitation to the rank of mantra. We couldn’t have hoped for better.