Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform: PS4
Tested on: PS4
Marvel’s Spider-Man – Review
Spider-Man has always been one of Marvel’s most beloved heroes, perhaps even the most loved one by the common crowd. Peter Parker, the man under the mask, has always been the most relatable superhero, as he is a standard (very intelligent) teenager/young adult, who tries to get his shit together and never actually manages to do so. When he becomes a superhero on top of all his daily activities, juggling between his normal life and his vigilante persona becomes very hard and you can see the cracks in the foundation of what is Peter Parker’s life. This relatable aspect makes Spider-Man a lot more human than many of the other heroes in the Marvel universe. We can’t claim that this title hasn’t been one that many people haven’t been looking forward to, and we were quite curious ourselves to see how Spider-Man would translate to the game world once again in a new jacket, after recently being added to Disney’s cinematic universe. Keep in mind that the game and the new movie(s) aren’t tied together, and this is a standalone interpretation of the web-slinging superhero.
Story
As always something is going awry in the city of Manhattan and you, Spider-Man, are probably the only force that stands between the city and utter chaos. Once again you suit up and head to the disturbance, which has to do with Wilson Fisk, otherwise known as the Kingpin. You decide to take him down once and for all, now that he isn’t able to hide between his goons. Sadly, while you meant well to take this evil presence down, it also kicked in the door for other villains to enter the stage. You’ll have your work cut out for you.
The main story is something you’d expect from a game revolving around the hectic life of Peter Parker. He’ll still have to juggle his normal life together with his life as a superhero. He has to make hard choices and this time, locking up one baddie has made the path clear for others to seize the opportunity of making a name for themselves. The flow is fairly pleasant, and you’ll have hours of content to plow through.
Graphics
Marvel’s Spider-Man looks the part and feels rather true to the source material. Nonetheless, while some aspects of the game look impressive, others feel cheap and somewhat lackluster compared to the otherwise great character design and the fluent movements of the characters. You’ll notice that the character design is great, the city feels hustling and bustling, but when certain actions happen, such as explosions, collapsing structures etc, it feels like a totally different team has created these effects. These occurrences feel a lot cheaper and less detailed than the rest of the game, and it seems like the development team didn’t have the right people on board to make this project a visual beauty, so instead they focused on the characters and the overall appeal of the city.
Sound
Truth be told, the soundtrack is barely noticeable when you’re soaring through the skies, trying not to slam into buildings or crash-land on the streets. The only background music you’ll need in this game is the rhythmic punching you’ll do when you get into fights, the grunts of your enemies when you web them right before your foot meets their face, and of course, the proper voice acting the game treats you to. The game is fully brought to life thanks to decent voice acting, that feels very familiar because of Yuri Lowenthal, who has played Spider-Man on many occasions before the release of this videogame.
Gameplay
Marvel’s Spider-Man is pretty much an action adventure title with some RPG elements embedded in the mix. You’ll be able to use the city as your own personal playground for you to soar through, all while stopping crimes and going from one location to another to progress with the main story.
We’ll start off with the mechanics of how you fly through the city by using your web abilities. The system is fairly reminiscent of the one in the recent Attack on Titan games, where you’ll have to anchor yourself on buildings or other solid structures in order to keep the momentum going. That being said, compared to the AoT games, the ‘need for speed’ feeling feels a bit lacking and sometimes you get too many anchor points as an option, which can cause you to anchor to the wrong one, slightly altering your direction. Nonetheless, when you get the hang of things, the system is very enjoyable and it truly grants you the feeling of ‘freedom’ to use the city in whatever way you see fit. Exploring is certainly advised because of the different landmarks that can be found within the game’s world.
The combat system in Spider-Man does the trick and does feel a bit like it should in a game revolving around Spider-Man. You’ll never be a powerhouse like other superheroes, but you’re nimble and you can of course use your webbing abilities in the heat of battle. While the combat can be tricky, unforgiving and a bit brutal when taking damage, it all fits the global picture of the superhero. It takes some time to get used to dodging a lot, and choosing the right enemies to pick off, allowing you to survive, but it ends up being worth it. Of course, you’ll get stronger and combat becomes more interesting than the simple punch-and-dodge when you level up and unlock new things in your skill trees.
When outside your role as a superhero, the game also throws some puzzles at you, which feel a bit tedious to do as they hamper the game’s otherwise good flow. Nonetheless, it’s a change of pace and a certain adaptation of not always being a superhero that does work to a certain extent.
Conclusion
Marvel’s Spider-Man is a decent addition to the action adventure genre, because of an interesting storyline, a fairly big world to explore, familiar enemies, respect for the source material and overall decent mechanics. While the combat can be repetitive, and the puzzles a bit bland, the game has more than enough content to offer, and the story will push you forward in your quest to save the day once again. If you love superhero games, and you’re a fan of the hooded wall-crawler, then this game might just make your week, as it has more than enough content to play for days in a row.
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