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).
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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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
