Marvel’s Spider-Man Review

It’s tough to make a superhero game. I mean, it probably shouldn’t be, but let’s be honest, there haven’t been many triple-A super-hero titles over the past 20-30 years. It seems like it wasn’t until Batman: Arkham Asylum that people started seeing the potential of superhero video games and how great they can be if given to the right developer. The same has happened with Spider-Man, with many decent titles across the past few generations, but nothing that has truly stood out until now with Marvel’s Spider-Man on the PS4, in a game that captures everything that makes Spider-Man such a beloved superhero, with a few too many open-world activities.

Gameplay

One of the most prominent aspects of playing Spider-Man is swinging through New York, and Insomniac nailed the swinging mechanics in Marvel’s Spider-Man. It’s pretty easy to get right into the swing of things (see what I did there?) and traverse the city quickly and accurately. I was most impressed with the transitions. You can jump into a swing, roll out of a swing, corner a building, quickly use a web zip, and drop into a wall run with minimal effort. It all feels so organic, and it’s the most fun I’ve ever had moving around a map in a video game. I spent the first 30 minutes of the game just jumping off buildings and swinging around because of how much fun I had. I appreciated how there weren’t many dead zones in the city. There’s always something to sling your web off of, which hasn’t always been the case in Spider-Man games from other developers.

New York

New York itself is beautiful to explore. There are tons of skyscrapers to perch atop and sling webs off of. It’s not a complete city recreation, but most recognizable landmarks are included. There were even things like the Radio City Music Hall and the Avengers Tower, which were cool to see and not wholly expected. Sitting on top of a building at sunset and watching the boats navigate down the river was an excellent experience. Seeing the sun glisten off the water was beautiful. It’s some of the most stunning scenery I’ve seen in a video game. I couldn’t have asked for a much better NYC.

Stealth Missions

As much freedom as you’re given in the outside world, Spider-Man’s indoor locations are equally fun to play. Many main story missions take place in big interior spaces. This allows you to map out how you want to complete them. The general idea of most of them is that they’re stealth missions where you’re trying to take out all the enemies as quietly as possible. I enjoyed these scenarios as I could use all the tools I needed however I saw fit. Sometimes, I’d wrap an enemy in a web and attach them to a post. Other times, I’d launch a quick web strike to take one out. If things went wrong, sometimes I’d pull a scaffold down on several unsuspecting enemies for quick takedowns. I especially liked the instances where I could crawl through vents, pull them back up through the vent, and stick them to the ceiling. No matter how many times I did these scenarios, no two were ever completely the same. The different types of enemies, like brutes and rocket-launching enemies, kept me on my toes.

Combat

The combat is much more than just a couple of moves. You’ll be fighting enemies early and often in Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Insomniac has ensured you have enough moves and gadgets to take down even the most formidable enemies. The game is somewhat slow in developing your skills. I spent most of the first act just hitting and dodging enemies while occasionally webbing them up. I didn’t use the web that much because it ran out of shots and had to recharge quickly before being upgraded. Of course, there is much more to combat than just that.

Gadgets

There are a bunch of gadgets to obtain that help you get rid of those pesky enemies faster and more efficiently. You can upgrade your web shooters to shoot more times before a recharge, and even an impact web that shoots a more extensive web that can wrap enemies up on a wall in one shot. I was using trip mines to pin enemies to the wall, a spider drone to provide suppressive fire, and web bombs to entangle large groups of enemies (which made open-world tasks much more manageable). There is even a concussive blast that knocks enemies away from you and a suspension matrix that suspends them in the air. They’re strange abilities for Spider-Man to have, but I can forgive them for the sake of fun. Beyond gadgets, there’s also a skill tree that gives Spider-Man new moves like the ability to take guns away from enemies, throw rockets back at launchers, kick an enemy from the air, and even a ground slam to knock back a bunch of enemies at once, to name a few.

Suits

If all of that wasn’t enough, there are also a bunch of suits to unlock in Marvel’s Spider-Man, and each one comes with a new ability. I’ve always preferred the traditional Spidey suits. I never cared too much about having a bunch of suits, but I was impressed with the selection in the game. You have everything from the basic suit to Spider-Man 2099 to a cel-shaded animated Spider-Man, which is my favorite. That’s not even counting the DLC costumes and the brand-new “Raimi” suit from the mid-2000s Spider-Man movies. The great thing is that all these suits have abilities that can be swapped between costumes. If you like one, look aesthetically, but don’t want the ability to swap it out. On some missions, I may want the ability for my combo not to be reset by a hit. Other times, I may want to be immune to bullet damage for a short period. I’m in control of what works best for me.

Story Mode

The primary campaign is about 15 hours long and consists of three acts. The first act starts slowly, but the pace picks up in the second act. I found that the boss battles weren’t balanced. There were a few at the beginning, a large number at the end, and nothing in the middle. I initially thought this was an issue, but I’m satisfied after playing the whole game. Insomniac paced the game so that you would understand the dynamic between Spider-Man and a specific villain before you’re thrust into battle. There’s a lot of character development, which I appreciate a lot. Playing as Peter ends up being equally satisfying as being Spider-Man due to the relationships you develop. 

MJ & Peter

The central relationship is between MJ and Peter, and Peter constantly navigates between wanting to be in a relationship with MJ and saving the world as Spider-Man. I love the banter between these two during their downtime. It was some of the best dialogue in the game. They’re trying to figure out what they have together while the rest of the story unfolds. It’s a story within a story. MJ ends up being a pretty central figure in the universe, and you even get to play her in a few stealth missions that break up the gameplay a little bit. Miles Morales is also featured in the game; you can utilize him in a few stealth missions. I don’t want to spoil anything with him, but his relationship with Peter is also a central point of the game.

Side Activities

Outside the main story, there are a lot of open-world activities and a few side missions to play through. These missions and activities are often repetitive and require 15-20 hours of work. Find the backpacks, take photos, eliminate outposts, and stop the crime. It takes only a few minutes, but it becomes repetitive when you multiply that by dozens of times. It’s not heroic anymore when you stop a drug deal for the tenth time. Maybe NYC needs more cops? Some suitable open-world activities, such as the Taskmaster combat, stealth, and racing challenges, exist. They’re demanding, and if you don’t get the highest rank, you want to play more and more. I also enjoyed the science-based puzzle challenges that didn’t overstay their welcome. There’s so much to do beyond the main campaign that it becomes tedious, no matter how fun the gameplay is. Insomniac would have done well to cut those activities in half, and it would have been much more tolerable.

Photo Mode

Photo Mode was added in a day-one patch, and it’s a nice addition to the game. It allows you to take some spectacular pictures. You can even create comic book panels and covers if you feel inclined to make your own Spidey comic, which is a cool touch, especially with the cel-shaded suit.

Final Thoughts

Marvel’s Spider-Man is easily the best Spider-Man game to date, with fun gameplay, a great story, and a ton of content. While the open-world activities become tedious, and I did have a few instances of enemies getting stuck in walls, it’s still the most fun I’ve ever had playing Spider-Man. I’d recommend this one to anyone who enjoys open-world or superhero games; it’s one of the best out there.