Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Game Review: Insomniac Levels Up With Darker, Grittier Take on Beloved Heroes
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SPOILER ALERT: This review discusses minor plot details and gameplay elements from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
We all know the adage: “With great power comes great responsibility.” But what happens when great power comes from a sentient alien symbiote with a murderous hive mind?
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That’s the central conceit of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the latest entry in the wildly popular video game series from Insomniac Games. When players first reunite with Peter Parker (Yuri Lowenthal) and Miles Morales (Nadji Jeter), the game wastes no time in throwing them directly into action through an epic, larger-than-life battle with Sandman. This sequence, serving as both a tutorial and the foundation for a satisfying side quest line, is the perfect way to prime players for the scope of the grand adventure that awaits them.
This game isn’t content to drop players into an open arena and tell them to throw all their gadgets at a big boss. Instead, these major set pieces feel cinematic in nature, with fights spanning multiple locations and phases, including compelling dialogue mid-fight.
After that first battle, it’s time to catch up with our heroes’ personal lives: Peter is struggling to make ends meet as he pays off his late Aunt May’s mortgage, and girlfriend MJ Watson (Laura Bailey) is helping out by working a job she hates at the Daily Bugle. Meanwhile, Miles is still learning to balance his hero responsibilities with writing a college essay and nurturing a burgeoning romantic relationship with street artist Hailey Cooper (Natasha Ofili).
The main story shifts into motion when Peter reunites with Harry Osborn (Graham Phillips), seemingly cured from the illness that’s kept him isolated for years. Flashbacks to Peter and Harry’s high school shenanigans provide a telling glimpse into the origins of their deep friendship (and some fun quirks as teen Peter is still learning how to harness his abilities).
Back in the present, Harry invites Peter to join him as the co-founder of the Emily May Foundation (named after both Aunt May and Harry’s late mother), with one simple goal: “Heal the world.”
Of course, things can’t be that easy, as Kraven the Hunter (Jim Pirri) has just touched down in New York, in search of a great predator that can match his level of ferocity. And then, there’s the whole murderous, tentacled, alien symbiote of it all. I’ll refrain from revealing how exactly Venom (Tony Todd) enters the equation, but once his powers fuse with Peter’s, combat shifts from “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” into brutal violence that feels decidedly un-Spidey.
New gadgets and a host of unlockable abilities (some shared, and some specific to Miles and Peter), combined with a significant increase in enemy variety, create far more possibilities for each encounter. A parry functionality lets Spidey turn the tide of battle when surrounded, although it can be frustrating to identify at times, as red warnings are the same color as a perfect dodge.
Stealth combat remains largely the same, with one major adjustment: Spider-Man can now shoot tightrope-like web lines across the arena, allowing for more creative takedown methods. But, this time, MJ also gets in on the fun in a big way, armed with a stun gun as she puts her investigative journalist hat on, sneaking around in search of answers.
This adds a new dimension to the parts of the game told through her eyes, which is consistent with Insomniac’s clear intention to develop MJ more as her own person. She’s always been more than just Peter’s girlfriend, but the sequel does an admirable job of fleshing out her needs and big dreams (and how she can reconcile those with Peter’s responsibilities as Spider-Man).
The game shines brightest in its most tender moments, some of which come unexpectedly through side quests. In one brief adventure, a young woman asks for Spidey’s assistance in finding her Grandpa Earl, who is lost in the park as his mind is “fading.” After following a trail of clues and finally tracking him down, Spider-Man sits down on a park bench with the elderly man as he recalls his great love story with his late wife. When his granddaughter returns, Spider-Man can listen in on their conversation well after the quest has wrapped, making it feel like these NPCs don’t just exist to give out tasks and fade into obscurity, but are real New Yorkers whose own lives will go on well after the player swings away.
This painstakingly crafted interpretation of New York City (nearly doubled in size this time to include Queens and Brooklyn) has a lived-in quality that I’ve not seen replicated elsewhere. It’s a good thing Insomniac had the forethought to upgrade the Spider-heroes’ web-slinging abilities to keep up with the setting’s larger scale. New web wings, traversal abilities and environmental set pieces (like a Super Slingshot that sends the player flying at high speed across the river) make traveling around New York faster and more fun than ever.
While players won’t be hard-pressed to use fast travel, given how satisfying the web-slinging is, a new mechanic makes it pretty tempting: once a region is unlocked, the Spider-heroes can simply select any spot and fly directly onto the map, with no loading time. As cute as watching Peter on the subway was in the first game, this improvement will be particularly helpful for completionists as they search the city for Spider-bots, Underground caches and photo ops.
All those distractions are certainly fulfilling, but the main story is so gripping that you couldn’t be faulted for skipping everything else. Miles and Peter’s intersecting storylines build to a beautiful crescendo with a finale that I won’t soon forget.
To put it simply, the final act of the game features some of the best storytelling and gameplay I’ve ever experienced. It’s pulse-pounding and truly epic, with some stunning surprises I wouldn’t dare spoil. Suffice to say: My jaw was on the floor.
I logged 26 hours on the PS5 for this title, reaching 77% completion and wrapping up more than half of the side quests. Fans of the previous entries won’t be disappointed — in fact, they’ll find that Insomniac has leveled up, reaching its full potential with the use of the PS5.
Spider-Man has never soared so high, bringing it home in a title full of heart, high-octane action and vibrant storytelling. This is the definitive superhero game.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches on Oct. 20 for PS5.
Score: 9.5/10
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