As the release date draws nearer for Insomniac's newest game, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, I thought now would be a great time to look back at the original sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man - Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
Spoiler Warning: This video game review will discuss events and story details from Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
I loved Marvel's Spider-Man on the PS4. It is the only PlayStation 4 game that I have pre-ordered to date and, since its release, the game has never been uninstalled. I played it almost daily, often swinging idly around Manhattan while on the phone or listening to a podcast. The swinging mechanics are second-to-none and the gameplay makes me feel like Spider-Man in a way that no other game based on the property has truly managed. Couple that with a story that charts its own unique path while remaining completely true to the characters involved and you have the makings of a wonderful video game franchise.
What I am trying to say is, when I saw the first trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, I was concerned.
A beautiful trailer; Sony clearly instructed their developers to pull out all the stops for the games set to launch with the PS5, and this trailer is a visual wonder. But that was the root of my concern: would this game be able to match the high bar set by Marvel's Spider-Man in 2018? Could Miles Morales, now beloved by mainstream audiences after his featured role in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, function as a video game protagonist without sacrificing the character traits and development he had been given in the prior game? Or would this be nothing more than an overpriced DLC? Full of new features made available by the processing power of the PS5, but without anything to make it special as its own game?
Once I started playing, my concerns lasted for about five minutes.
Insomniac gets Spider-Man - regardless of who is under the mask. I haven't played a game based on a pre-existing property where the developer so clearly understands exactly how to get to the root of the source material and incorporate it into every facet of the game (excepting perhaps Telltale's The Walking Dead).
The game absolutely takes advantage of the potential of today's technology. Playing my way through on a PS4, the same console I used for the first game, it was occasionally difficult to believe that this game was only made a mere two years after its predecessor. The game is set a year after the original and opens on Christmas Eve, a light snowfall transforms Manhattan from the occasionally boxy autumnal aesthetic of Marvel's Spider-Man to a bustling winter city.
Marvel's Spider-Man took Peter Parker and gave him a story that allowed him to develop as a hero and as a person with his own life outside the suit. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales goes in a different direction that takes Miles from a fledgling hero, merely following in Peter's footsteps, and gives him a story that forces him to examine his personal sense of responsibility and morality - allowing him to define who he will become as Harlem's Spider-Man.
The structure of the campaign ensures that the player develops along with Miles. I was originally dismayed to discover that Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales operates with an ability table - forcing you to choose between the abilities you want to develop.
I played the original game almost daily and I know my way around the controls, gameplay and mechanics exceedingly well. I was aware from the trailer (and the source material) that Miles would have some unique abilities, but I assumed that they would be utilised in a similar fashion to the equipment abilities you gain in the original game - useful but easily ignored.
Instead, Venom Blast became a mainstay in my approach to combat; providing breathing room when facing a horde of enemies, or an excellent way of knocking down larger enemies - leaving them vulnerable to my webbing. Similarly, Miles' Camouflage power completely changed the nature of stealth and combat alike. No longer needing to keep my distance to ensure stealth, I could dart in and amongst my enemies with them none the wiser - able to enter a group and find the perfect spot to launch an attack.
Mechanically, the new abilities provide a fantastic range of opportunities for the player and help to set Miles apart from Peter. But the skill table and the need to choose your abilities as you level up is a canny decision on Insomniac's part that benefits the story they are telling. Miles is a new hero, still discovering who he is as Spider-Man. It makes sense that he is still figuring out his abilities, with the level-up mechanic putting the player in his shoes as a fledgling webslinger.
The story of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales puts Miles and his progression as a hero front-and-centre. The game begins with a mission that feels like an epilogue to the original game, and one that serves as a microcosm of the many lessons that Miles will learn throughout the campaign. All the criminals put away by Peter Parker in Marvel's Spider-Man are being transferred to a new facility, with Peter and Miles providing escort. Miles' inexperience and eagerness to prove himself lead him to make a mistake that very nearly undoes a lot of Peter's work from the original game, putting the two wallcrawlers up against a mainstay villain: Aleksei Sytsevich, AKA "The Rhino".
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a film that doesn't get a lot of love, but a smart decision was to bookend the movie with Spider-Man facing off against the Rhino. The character is formidable, but is rarely used as a serious or dangerous antagonist, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 uses the character as a generic supervillain for Spider-Man to overcome. Spider-Man: Miles Morales bucks this trend, with the danger that Rhino can pose made obvious. Rhino tears through a mall on Christmas Eve, forcing Peter and Miles to put themselves in harm's way to save New York's last-minute shoppers. The sequence is a fast-paced, chaotic whirlwind of a set-piece that leaves the player just as overwhelmed as Miles, relying on Peter to do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Miles ends up separated from Peter, fighting escaped criminals whilst Peter takes on the Rhino. While Marvel's Spider-Man was never afraid to give Peter a beating, the sequel takes advantage of this being Miles' story and allows the Rhino to beat Peter to a pulp. This raises the stakes and puts Miles under enough stress to discover his Venom Blast ability - advancing the game from what could have been a DLC by providing the first of several exclusive gameplay options. Miles' discovery of his new abilities in this game goes hand-in-hand with stressful, life-or-death situations, and really emphasises his inexperience as a hero; but also his determination to put himself between innocent people and those that would threaten them.
Insomniac understood the need to put the player in Miles' shoes from the start of the game and, just as importantly, to make those shoes completely distinct from Peter's. By putting Miles and Peter into the first mission of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Insomniac highlights their differences while immediately sidestepping any question of rivalry or competition. Yuri Lowenthal's Peter is a joy to watch during his brief stint in the game; effortlessly mentoring for Miles, but clearly so excited by the prospect of another Spider-Man that it infuses the player, making them want to play as Miles and enjoy his story.
As a sequel, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales succeeds where many games might falter due to Insomniac's pinpoint focus on what it means to be Spider-Man. This gives the game a level of focus that it might otherwise lack, and provides a theme that carries across the many levels of the game. Miles wrestles with many existential questions and matters of morality over the course of this story, and comes out the other side a more fully formed hero. It is our privilege as players to be able to go on that journey with him.
With the upcoming launch of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (which absolutely should have been called Marvel's Spider-Men), it will be exciting to follow both Miles and Peter as playable characters, and see the growth of both their partnership and individual character journeys. If Insomniac remains true to form with its character-driven storytelling, I can't wait to play the next chapter.
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