Marvel's Spider-Man (2018) - Spectacularly Amazing

As both a Spider-Man and Insomniac Games fan, I was excited upon the official announcement that the two would come together for a game released exclusively on the PlayStation 4. While many of the Spider-Man games have been based on the comics or films series in some way, this game would be set in a new Spider-Man universe that incorporated elements from other continuities (including the now-defunct Ultimate comic line), including a large number of Spidey Suits based on suits from other continuities (among them the suit that Spider-Man’s MCU counterpart wears in Avengers: Infinity War). After having played the game (via a Best Buy pre-order that included a free physical copy of Destiny 2 of all things), I can definitely say that this is one of the better video game representations of Spider-Man.

After trying to catch him for years, Peter Parker/Spider-Man finally faces off against Wilson Fisk/Kingpin. Once Spider-Man manages to defeat him and have him arrested, Fisk warns him that things will only get worse with him behind bars. Fisk’s words turn out to be prophetic, as a new threat known as the Inner Demons threatens New York City, leaving Spider-Man to try and solve who is behind it. Meanwhile, Peter has also been studying alongside Dr. Otto Octavius on a scientific breakthrough in prosthetic limb technology.

With a new continuity to play around with, Insomniac manages to tell a rather engaging Spider-Man story that incorporates familiar elements in clever ways, such as the origins of certain characters and elements of Peter Parker’s backstory (delivered through dialogue), as well as some perfectly-timed meta humor based in Spider-Man media. Some things that are more or less common elements in most Spider-Man lore (ex. the death of Uncle Ben, Peter’s romantic pursuits with Mary Jane Watson, Peter’s tenure at the Daily Bugle) are largely implied through exposition via throwaway lines, though I feel this game (in a similar fashion to the Batman: Arkham series) was able to get away with this due to Spider-Man being arguably Marvel’s most ubiquitous character.

The graphics for the game are simply stunning, sporting a visually-appealing yet detailed art style that’s stylized enough to avoid the uncanny valley. The designs for Spider-Man’s and villains’ costumes are unique and interesting to look at, particularly in how said designs capture the essence of each character and their abilities. New York City is rather highly-detailed, taking full advantage of the PS4 to render things such as reflections, water and different weather conditions, along with a guest appearance from Avengers Tower to ground the narrative within the larger Marvel universe. Certain famous landmarks from both the real and fictional versions of New York City, such as the Daily Bugle and the Flat-iron building, can also be seen when swinging around and taking a picture of them in Photo Mode even nets you a bonus (more on that later).

There's also another, separate photo mode that lets you take your own screencaps
(unlike this review).

The music is really good in capturing each moment properly, with certain tracks playing appropriately depending on the situation. A particularly great track is the triumphant music that plays whenever you’re traversing New York City, as it really adds to the feeling of playing as Spider-Man and makes you want to keep web-slinging. The voice acting is another point of praise, with each of the voice actors being able to capture each character well. Yuri Lowenthal, who has had prior experience in the 2017 Spider-Man cartoon (albeit voicing villains), does a really good job as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, showing an impressive range for the character as he tries to balance superhero business, work and a social life. Two other stand-outs are William Salyers as Otto Octavius and Darin De Paul doing an impressive J. K. Simmons impression as J. Jonah Jameson, whose voice is heard in broadcasts of a radio show.

The combat is a bit like the rhythmic combat found in the Arkham series with spider powers and gadgets added in. Often you are battling waves of enemies at once, whose fighting styles range from close-quarters to guns and rocket launchers, as well as shields that block direct attacks. Certain abilities are in place to take advantage of Spider-Man’s abilities and agility, such as the ability to dodge around and under foes, as well as webbing objects in the environment to use as blunt instruments. Skill Points, obtained by earning enough EXP and leveling up, can unlock additional skills for use in combat, such as the ability to take the opponent’s weapons/shields away with webs and throw them right back at them, as well as perform ground pounds to throw enemies off-balance.

Gadgets (more on that later) can also greatly help in combat, including Electrical Webs, Web Bombs and Spider-Drones to aid in crowd control (there’s also a weapon wheel to help choose which gadget you want to use, in true Insomniac fashion). There is also a Focus mechanic, which by default fills up as you land hits on bad guys, which can be used to heal yourself in a pinch. As I had never played the Arkham games (only watching someone else play), this style of combat took me a while to get used to, however it worked really well once I got used to the rhythm.

Alongside the gadgets are a number of Spidey-Suits (27 in total) based off of various incarnations of Spider-Man, usually unlocked by fulfilling certain requirements. These suits include the aforementioned Infinity War suit, as well as costumes from the 2099 comics and the Sam Raimi films, among several others. Each of these suits also comes with a unique ability that can be activated at any time by clicking both sticks, such as creating shockwaves and making oneself temporarily un-blockable; my favorite is Web Blossom, which webs all enemies around Spider-Man and can make for effective crowd control. An array of Suit Mods can also be unlocked, of which up to three at a time can be equipped, which can provide an array of passive benefits for Spider-Man such as reducing damage from certain weapon types and manipulating how much/often Focus can be generated. While reading about the number of customization and combat options may sound overwhelming, the end result is handled in a such a way that it really isn’t.

The Iron Spider suit, included as a pre-order bonus, based on Avengers: Infinity War.

While the more open-world style of gameplay is a perfect fit for Spider-Man, there are fortunately plenty of things to do to entice exploration and help upgrade/unlock abilities. There are a number of sidequests available, more of which become available as you go, which earn you more EXP upon completion to level up faster. This also applies to other things that unlock over time, such as Taskmaster Challenges (disarming bombs set by Taskmaster), clearing out Fisk/Demon Bases, completing Oscorp Research Stations, stopping various types of Crimes and tracking down Black Cat. There are also a number of Backpacks strewn throughout the city, each of which contains an item of personal interest to Peter Parker and fills in details of his backstory in the game (while occasionally making some subtle meta humor about other versions of Spider-Man). Webslinging around New York to get to these is really fun to do once you get the hang of it, though the later ability to Fast Travel to specific locations (such as police stations and plot-critical buildings) can be a real time-saver in a pinch.

Performing each of the aforementioned tasks (sans Black Cat) nets you different types of Tokens (no less than five), any combination of which may be required to unlock Suits and abilities, as well as upgrading Gadgets. The Token system is a lot to work with and can lock you out of certain things for some time depending on your playstyle, though for some this is simply an excuse to continue exploring the city for all it's worth.

New York City seen from atop a skyscraper.

While the combat draws inspiration from the Batman: Arkham games, there’s other similarities that I had noticed during my playthrough. The Black Cat side missions, in which you needed to locate toy cats in a given space, made me think back to the Riddler Trophies seen throughout the Arkham series, though finding the cats requires far less effort than the Riddler’s neon green nightmare. On the subject of nightmares, following the introduction of this game’s version of the Sinister Six (seen in a trailer) in the third act, there is an entire section featuring segments somewhat reminiscent of the Scarecrow segments in the Arkhams Asylum and Knight, during which Spider-Man has to prevent losing his sanity while dealing with Scorpion. There was, however, some effort made to make Scorpion’s hallucinations stand out from Scarecrow’s.

Spider-Man (2018) is one of the best Spider-Man games to be released, if not one of the best superhero games. A lot of attention is paid to Spider-Man lore (both old and new) for fans to enjoy, plus there is a well-crafted story that takes an interesting turn on said world. The combat is enjoyable and offers a vast array of options (even more so than a typical Ratchet & Clank game), plus the graphics are amazing and take full advantage of the system’s capabilities. Fans of Spider-Man and/or the Batman: Arkham games should give this game a try; the world presented in the game draws from familiar Spider-Man elements as well as more recent additions to the Spider-Man mythos (which I only found out from some quick research after finishing the game as I have not been keeping up with the comics), though the game manages to organically weave these elements together to form a world that offers something for both new and long-time fans of Spider-Man.