I’ve always loved Spider-Man from a young age. Back then, I used to see him as an almighty superhero who has the best life in the world fighting crime and keeping the world safe. As I got older, I started looking into cinematic feature films like the Sam Rami trilogy, the MCU versions, and most recently Into the Spiderverse. Through those versions, I started to realize how complex the life of Peter Parker really was and how he has to lead a double life which is not easy to do. In terms of video games, Spider-Man has seen a great deal of them all of which were trying to capture what it means to be the one and only Marvel Icon. Then in 2018, Insomniac Games the creators of the original Spyro trilogy and the Ratchet and Clank games decided to put their own spin on the web-slinging hero and the result is something extraordinary.
Peter Parker has been the one and only Spider-Man since his days in high school and recently found himself putting his ultimate enemy Fisk and his goons in prison. However, a new threat starts to unleash itself onto New York as Mr. Negative and his band of demons start to cause mayhem and destruction across the city. Not only that, it seems that Spider-Man is gonna have more on his plate when he discovers some other familiar foes and secrets are lurking underneath the hood of what seems to be a one and only fight. Peter is gonna need all the help he can get from his pals Mary Jane, Miles Morales, Yuri, and many more if he is gonna stop the overblown madness that lies before him.
The best thing I can say when it comes to this particular game is how amazing it is at capturing the tone and feel of the Spider-Man comics and movies while also providing a whole new original story that is great for longtime fans and even newcomers to the Spider-Man mythos. The story starts off as your typical comic book-like narrative with its silly punchlines and wacky characters. But as the game moves on, it gets deeper and deeper into its plot and its characterizations. It can be so deep that you may find yourself getting emotional at certain moments and that in itself is quite an accomplishment. Characters in the game are memorable and have distinct personalities. The struggle Peter goes through trying to balance his life and his relationships feel genuine and complex. The one character that surprised me the most was Mary Jane as she a massive improvement over the Sam Rami films. Now she is a reporter who puts her life at risk to get evidence from dangerous places instead of being your typical damsel in distress. Heck even J Jonah Jameson makes an appearance as a talk radio show host (Not voiced by J K Simmons surprisingly) and his line delivery’s bring out some of the best laughs in the game.
The gameplay is just as great as the story as there are many story missions and optional challenges for you to partake in. it’s kind of reminiscing of the map mechanics in Grand Theft Auto and the whole map of New York City is almost accurate to the real Island of Manhattan. Completing said challenges and story missions will earn you XP and tokens which can be used to purchase costumes some of which are based on existing Spider-Man properties in films and comics. Combat, in particular, feels swift and smooth as you’ll need to use your spider senses to dodge and attack using good old fashion fighting and spewing webs. Best of all, the controls for web-swinging and running on the side of walls through New York is one of the most satisfying things to ever do in a video game. Much like combat, the controlling is smooth and precise, you really feel like Spider-Man and I’ll bet you can’t help but feel a rush of excitement whenever you complete a swing. Occasionally you’ll be able to play as Mary Jane or Mile Morales at certain points to take a break from being Spider-Man. These segments are more for stealth and investigation, but it’s nice to have a change of pace from the typical gameplay every once in and a while.
The visuals take much inspiration from the comics and the movies to create something all its own. It can start out as your typical realistic game at first, but then the visuals can do something very artsy and stylized that makes the game stand out as its own piece of art. The human characters are animated greatly especially when it comes to their expressions. They successfully manage to avoid the uncanny valley look of looking human without having raw emotions. Little details are also great for adding to the look of the game especially when comes to sweat on someone’s forehead or the rips on the Spider-Man suit. The music score sounds like something out of one of the feature films as not only is it epic, but it adds to the feel of swinging around the city as Spider-Man. The cutscenes give the music more of a chance to shine especially when it comes to the mellow and emotional moments.
If you have a PS4 and haven’t played this game yet, please do so immediately. This is not only an Amazing Spider-Man game, but this is also one of the best games I’ve ever played and that’s thanks to its smooth and precise gameplay that makes you feel like the web-slinging hero, an unpredictably action-packed but also really likable storyline. An epic music score that feels like something out of one of the Spider-Man movies, and visuals that are both realistic but true to the comic book origins. This is a true love letter to fans of Spider-Man and I’m proud that Insomniac put all this time and effort to make something that truly is amazing and remarkable.
(Final Grade: A)