Do you know what really makes Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 “amazing”? The wait. That vibrant, electrifying pleasure that passes between the moment we start swinging back and forth between the skyscrapers of New York and the moment of revelation, the moment we find answers to all the questions we ask ourselves Of course there will be questions from the beginning of the game. How does Peter get the symbiote? Who is Venom? (Learn more about the supervillain with the special on the history of Venom in the comics.) What challenges do we face? What will we discover once we collect all 42 Spider-Bots scattered around the city? What story is over there waiting to end?
Insomniac knows how to work on the progressive crescendo of intensity, always keeping the attention, tickling the spider senses and most of the time (though not always!) meeting players’ expectations. Not because it uses unexpected twists that could undermine users’ perspective, but because it refines the script and gameplay, constantly stimulating the taste for both playful and narrative discoveries. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 becomes a lesson in how to create a blockbuster It couldn’t be more pop.
How to Make a Sequel – Part 2
In the review of Horizon Forbidden West I had the opportunity to say that, in my very humble opinion, Guerrilla’s work is what a sequel should be: a clear continuity in the service of improvement. Adherence to the characteristic canons of the series, but also the desire, far from being lazy, to perfect the framework of the story and the game design as much as necessary, thus giving shape to a “recognizable horizon” and at the same time… a “better horizon” .
With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the situation is almost similar, although not identical. Forbidden West actually dared a little more and stayed in the footsteps of Zero Dawn. Insomniac chooses the path of what we can call “virtuous conservatism”: it refines and realizes the ambitions of the Spider-Man of 2018 (here you can find our review of Marvel’s Spider-Man) while faithfully respecting its stylistic characteristics. Everything has improved, and not a little: from the combat system to the dynamics of movement between buildings to the narrative and the enjoyment of the side missions. However, the open world remains a stage, the city is more populated but still not very interactive, and the weather and day/night cycles are subject to the will of the plot. The fact that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a game with “cinematic” DNA has been known for some time, and Insomniac has never hidden it. The distortion of the dictation of the first episode That wasn’t in the team’s plan at all. It’s a precise choice of game design that here becomes more understandable and seems less restricted than what we saw in 2018, simply because the rhythms of the story are handled more precisely.
Aside from the need to present the characters in their new Insomniac-branded version, the script flows with lively curiosity, and the downtime is almost completely gone. It is also true that the structure and layout of the game world obeys the rules of the “old school” and If this concept is too stressful for you, simply subtract half a point from the grade you see below.
At least in terms of content, it doesn’t make a big difference: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 achieves almost all the goals it wanted to achieve. That’s why Spider-Man fans are faced with what it currently is the best video game version of the wall climber ever.
How the game improves
Yes, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is twice as big as the first part, but only in terms of size Brooklyn and that Queens that flank Manhattan. That doesn’t mean the game is twice as dense: Insomniac has actually wisely chosen to focus on quality rather than quantity. Without stumbling in any way from diversion, the Burbank collective has peppered the map with more narratively focused secondary pages.
Basically, the form doesn’t change (still liberating hideouts and collecting collectibles), but the content, the ultimate goal of these tasks changes: every single optional activity adds an additional piece to the mosaic of the plot, and does so with greater conviction. Let it be the Sandman memoir Whether it’s getting rescued or scaring off hunters, stopping speeding cars, thwarting robberies or putting out fires, the focus will mostly be on fighting. However, there will be no lack of situational variety.
I want to avoid anticipation of any kind as much as possible, so I won’t bother describing some of the side quests, just make sure to make suggestions Puzzles of various kinds, tests of skill, chases and small sections of a purely narrative nature that touch the right emotional chords.
There is always a thrill in completing these activities that should not be underestimated, and patience in completing them is well rewarded: these are not just rewards in the form of tokens or in (many!) costumes, but – as already mentioned – fragments of this story , more or less important, be it micro-stories about the residents of New York or even glimpses into Spider-Man’s personal life. This great importance given to the story is expressed in a main story that reaches much higher heights than the first chapter. It is not the unpredictability or the twist at all costs that determine the pace of the script, but a careful introspection of the characters, their “great responsibilities”, their doubts, their fears. Kraven’s arrival in the city is just the pretext for an “inner hunt”, in which obviously The symbiote plays a central rolegiven his well-known ability to bring out his host’s dark (yet so animal-human) side.
The darkness of the story is punctuated by quotes, endless spectacle, and humor that’s never out of place in a skillfully edited interactive compendium of Spider-Man stories.
Where you could be braver
In its “virtuous conservatism,” Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 inherits not only a certain open-world stationarity, but also some weaknesses that the team has stubbornly retained, such as: Phases accompanied by Mary Jane Watson. It’s an almost universally agreed opinion that the stealth sequences with MJ in the first chapter were the weakest part of the overall gameplay structure. The less successful moments remain in the sequel, but at least they are not unpleasant to play: Thanks to the time spent in SymkariaThe reporter is now much better able to defend herself, with all that entails in terms of gameplay.
In this case too, Insomniac has chosen to perfect and not overturn: The areas in which we can move stealthily are larger and therefore we can choose which path we take to reach the same point. It’s a stealth mini-game of sorts that works much better than in the past, despite remaining in the elemental realm. It’s definitely a shame, also because in the gaming industry the mandatory roles with “Genius Janey” are only available in very small numbers. To stay on the topic of stealth: Even the missions in which it is possible to act silently with Pete and Miles have received who knows what upgrade. The enemy AI turns out to be not very responsive, and the tools available, such as the spider web cable that allows us to connect two very distant points, make silent eliminations quite easy to carry out and also much less fun than fisticuffs. Another limit, if it can be defined as such, is Insomniac’s tendency not to dare to go all the way to the end. I can’t go into detail to avoid unpleasant anticipation, but there are missions where the team goes all out and introduces promising mechanics that unfortunately remain unique and limited to a specific task.
In these cases, expectations are not fulfilled, but rather reinforced. It’s just a shame that sometimes you still have an appetite. The same applies to some extent to the few boss fights: the ones that exist (divided into several phases, complete with life bars) are without exception all of the highest quality. Precisely because of their size, some additional (perhaps secret) clashes would have been very welcome.
Spider-Man and Venom
Take the combat system from the first episode and give it a shot of adrenaline: this is what you can expect from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. We are probably looking at the best combat system ever created for a superhero game. The dodges, strikes and incredible agility of the two Ragnetti are now accompanied by the parry that destabilizes the enemies and a series of “techniques” to be applied to the costumes. very different for both protagonists.
The gameplay of the ancestor is therefore hybridized in a sensational combination with that of Miles Morales. There is no need to list here the individual powers of the heroes, who, between long-range shots, aerial combos and long-range attacks – with unusual spectacularity – can take down Kraven’s hunters and criminals with an elegance that will turn your head.
Just know that the three talent trees (one for each Spider-Man and one for all) increase both the offensive possibilities and the agility of movements, as well as the technologies of the costumes and the various gadgets, in a progression system that abandons the superfluous and focuses on the essential. The diversification of opponents also contributes to the renewed satisfaction that the combat system provides: In addition to Kraven’s mechanical beasts, there are other “archetypes”, from Colossi to Snipers, also equipped with new tools.
And although these typologies will repeat themselves in a very similar way in the different factions that we will encounter, their aggressiveness and design will prove to be so different that the redundancy will not be overly noticeable. Although it doesn’t prove to be a particularly challenging experience at an intermediate level, the difficulty balance seemed more balanced in this second act, with enemies who, thanks to their superior numbers, can make life difficult for us in the advanced stage. Nothing Pete and Miles can’t handle, especially when they fight together and pull off brilliant duo combos (it’s also possible that in the open world they’ll cross paths with the other Spider-Man trying to stop a crime).
To be clear, switching between the two Spider-Mans is certainly not the game’s strong point: First, because he is not free at all during the story, but is subject to the needs of the story, and then because the secondary ones are also appropriately divided into those that can be completed by Peter and those that can be tackled with Morales can be. Only the simplest tasks, like freeing Kraven’s hideouts or finding Sandman’s memories, are the prerogative of both.
What, if anything, is effective is the distinct difference in feel when controlling the spiders, especially from the moment you gain the powers of Peter’s symbiote. They are a joy, there is little to say about them. They can be incorporated into any costume and provide a feeling of power that goes beyond measure. Tentacles, organic bombs, branching explosions, fibrous storms: all contribute to making us a mass of devastation.
Thanks also go to DualSense, which is used expertly: When the “Symbionic Peak” is activated, which expresses Parker’s full rage, the pad roars and vibrates, the sounds are amplified and the haptic feedback translates all of the symbiote’s insatiable brutality into powerful tactile sensations. Simply impressive.
The spider is in the details
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is built on the foundation of Miles Morales a very clear visual experience, exceptionally smooth, blessed with amazing animations. Ray tracing enriches the scene and gives it even more three-dimensionality, and in both Fidelity mode at 30 fps and Performance mode at 60 fps the graphical impact remains very solid, even if it’s not stunning or overwhelming.
Fluidity is the real proof of PS5’s strength, more than the views, the polygonal models of the New Yorkers or the otherwise expressive faces of the protagonists. With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, it’s not so much the power of the look that matters, but rather the attention to detail. The windows of the buildings allow us to look into the interiors (a quirk without playful resonance, but still tasty), the costumes wear out as damage increases, some environments are destructible and the effects achieve very high goals.
The same attention paid to visual details is reflected in the verisimilitude of the game world, giving it a remarkable coherence: for example When he rushes to the scene of a random crime in his symbiote suit and Peter becomes obsessed with it, Spider-Man verbally attacks his preyand even the side missions undergo appropriate variations depending on your level of progression, with dialogue that can change depending on events during the main story.
Although some parts of the technical sector show slight losses in quality, such as: non-optimal performance of water surfaces or the occasional presence of pop-ins when driving through the city, we can only applaud the work of Insomniac, the authors of a title well-rounded in every respect.
Speed and durability
It took me 27 hours to reach 100% in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, about 15 of which are for the main story alone. It’s an intelligent longevity that gives the game the right sense of proportion.
In Insomniac’s work there is a whole range of activities to complete, but the time it takes to complete them is also (and above all) linked to the fact that there are no dead moments or unnecessary delays. Everything flows at an insane speed: the swinging mechanism between buildings is smoother and smoother than ever, thanks in part to the new amazing wingsuits, the windy tunnels of New York speed up the journey, and getting to the chosen location takes just a few seconds. Transitioning from one mission to the next is therefore a matter of moments, giving the adventure a pleasantly fast pace. Fast travel, unlocked upon reaching a specific destination in each district, is among the fastest ever implemented (in addition to the fact that he always catapults himself into the action with applause-worthy directorial virtuosity) and is a very valuable ally when crossing the city. It follows that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is not a short game, because it is far from content-hungry; a quick experience that gives the right value to time.
However, both must be taken into account New Game+ will be added in future post-launch patchesand that even after the credits roll, new random crimes continue to plague the city with great frequency, making our Spider-Man’s patrol potentially endless.