Insomniac Studios interpretation of the Spiderman story telling formula and their shot at the superhero genre is surprising and refreshing for true believers and newcomers alike. The game’s combination of a fluid movement system and web-based combination works like a well-oiled machine; with the occasional classic Spiderman puns.
My roughly 15-hour narrative follows Spiderman and some of his most fearsome foes and Peter Parker as he struggles with becoming a young adult and the responsibilities that come along with it; A true when worlds collide gripping action adventure for everyone to experience.
The games huge set pieces are spectacular and adrenaline filled as New York’s will crawler swings, webs and takes down the biggest challenge of his 26-year-old life.
To my disappointment story progression has a few pacing issues when you are forced out of the story action to do any of the side optional content in the open world provided.
When you are doing the optional diversionary activities, it never feels like they are useless to the broader universe Spiderman inhabits.
From Black Cat’s frequency finders to catching Task Master’s drones dropping surveillance cameras around the city, they all come together to achieve Spidey’s biggest goal of having a safer Manhattan without the threat of super villains.
Aside from the challenge activities the many side missions flush out the less super of Spiderman’s companions but all tie into the larger narrative being told.
Combat gracefully keeps itself fresh with the different web strikes, dodges, and gadgets you can use to best even the hardest enemies.
The depth in the combat system gives great satisfaction when you are able to string together the perfect combo throughout an entire fight sequence.
The unique way the story is presented works especially when taking the POV of Peter Parker in is regular everyday life and his struggles of becoming a young adult; or when the tone switches and you wind up playing as Mary Jane as she does whatever it takes to get the best coverage of her story for the Daily Bugle.
It is rare for a game to come out about Spiderman and makes you just as excited to play Peter just as much as the webslinger himself.
The struggle of Peter’s mentorship with the infamous Doctor Octavius has weight and really shows the chemistry and dynamic they have together; it also shows Peter’s mentorship of Miles Morales as he goes through the same hardship that Peter faced when his uncle died and first became Spiderman.
The romance of Peter and MJ from awkward phone calls and just friends’ conversations over dinner, to the worrying about misinterpretation of text messages, is the best iteration of modern dating at its finest. It all just works and feels like a real relationship with complications and challenges to overcome.
Marvel’s Spiderman is a game that comes around once every so often that touches all the bases of gameplay ingenuity and narrative storytelling.
In an industry infested with online gaming and live platform games it doesn’t disappoint. It is a true gem worthy of this generation of gaming and a game no one should fail to experience. 9/10
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