Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Review - Two Webs Are Better Than One
Batman: Arkham City, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Injustice 2, and (probably not) Marvel's Avengers. The world of superhero games has thankfully come a long way from the lows of 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 game-tying into the equally disappointing movie of the same name.
Following in the footsteps of Rocksteady's lauded Arkham trilogy, Insomniac Games suited up in spandex and leapt to it with Marvel's Spider-Man. The open-world brawler threatened to topple the Arkhamverse from its pedestal, as it finally delivered a Spidey and Sinister Six game that was worth writing home about.
While the ending of Spider-Man neatly set up a sequel (more on that later), its "The City That Never Sleeps" DLC content that took the story even further. Following his sidelined appearance in the main game, Miles Morales got his time to shine in the final chapter, Silver Linings, which put him on track for his own adventure.
Swinging forward to 2020, Insomniac is back with Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Even though it's not the full-blown Spider-Man 2 some were expecting, it's still a welcome return to this villain-packed version of Peter Parker and Miles Morales' world that Insomniac first introduced us to.
Warning - minor spoilers for Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales ahead
Spider-Man: Miles Morales Review - story
Click to enlargeFollowing Miles gaining his own radioactive powers at the end of the DLCs, Miles is suiting up and becoming the protégé of Peter Parker. The game kicks off with Peter training Miles and a small cutscene of Rhino escaping his shackles. There's some cobbled-together story about Peter going to help Mary Jane Watson cover the news in Europe, which gives a clever reason to get the OG Spider-Man out the way and let Miles step up to the plate. While the residents of New York are originally sceptical about this junior hero, he's soon embraced by those who need his help.
Things quickly lead to a tense showdown between the warring factions of The Underground and Roxxon Energy Corporation. This is where we first meet The Tinkerer, who has her own reasons for wanting to take down Roxxon. Although it's great that The Tinkerer gives a little heart to the story, the reveal of her identity was something I'd signposted from the second she was introduced. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe does a usually great job of reinventing lame villains, The Tinkerer echoes the same problems of Ant-Man and the Wasp's underwhelming Ghost.
An absolute highlight is Miles' relationships with those around him. 2018's game giving the character an Uncle Ben-inspired twist with his father's death was inspired move, and it's obvious that this still weighs heavy on the young hero's mind. Added to this, it shifts the dynamic between Miles and his uncle Aaron, aka the Prowler. Thankfully, Miles isn't alone in this world. When she isn't running for City Council, Rio Morales is exactly the kind of mother Miles needs. Finally, you've got Ganke as Miles'p techy sidekick. In this world, Ganke is effectively Miles' very own Alfred in the Batcave - constantly giving you new side missions to tackle.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales Review - gameplay
Click to enlargeThis brings us on to how Miles Morales plays. Like stepping back into a pair of your favourite slippers, there's a warm sense of familiarity. Miles plays almost identically to Peter Parker - and that isn't a bad thing. With Spider-Man emulating a similar fighting/dodge style to the Arkham games, Insomniac went with the mantra of, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
While Miles taking on Peter's moves makes sense given his padawan status, that doesn't mean there's nothing new here. Miles boasts a completely different skill tree and set of abilities thanks to his new Venom Powers. Although these have no correlation with the fan-favourite villain, Miles' Venom Powers packs just as much of a punch.
You could easily go most of the campaign without using the Venom Powers, but to be honest, they were great at helping you out of a tight spot. Different to how Peter's finishers in the first game worked, Miles' come with a burst of bright-yellow when he was charged with Venom. A personal favourite was the Mega Venom Blast that could wipe out a whole group of enemies before they knew what hit them.
Even on "Superior" mode, Miles Morales was relatively easy to rattle through. Yes, there were a few annoying fights where you found yourself being overwhelmed by a mob of enemies and dying on the cold streets. However, when it comes to boss fights, the few you actually took part in were relatively easy. This leads us onto perhaps the biggest gripe. If you thought criticisms that Spider-Man's boss battles were a shoehorned way to chug through the Sinister Six were bad, that's nothing compared to the lacklustre way they're handled in Miles Morales.
When it comes to Miles' final showdown with The Tinkerer, she was taken out in a single go without losing a life. I'm not here to toot my own horn in gaming abilities, but I don't think I got any better as the game progressed. It's a sad turn of events when a simple gang of street thugs can be your end but the game's de facto big bad can't take you down. The reintroduction of Rhino was a mediocre tweak to the already average character. Here, it seems devs simply stuck an extra layer of armour and painted him red for the festive season.
Finally, there's a sense of injustice that we never got to face-off against the snivelling Simon Krieger. Roxxon has a tonne of tech at its disposal, but much like Silver Sable's forces, its ranks were reduced to nameless grunts as Krieger oddly reminded me of Topher Grace's maligned performance as Eddie Brock in Spider-Man 3.
h
Spider-Man: Miles Morales Review - visuals
Click to enlargeAlthough some will be swooping across the New York City skyline on the PlayStation 4, those who were lucky enough to nab a PlayStation 5 would be foolish not to make the most of the enhanced visual. I played the Ultimate Edition, which came with a heftier price tag but also included the base Miles Morales, a remastered version of 2018's Spider-Man, and all of "The City That Never Sleeps" story. Even though the first part of the game was spent basking in the snow-capped NYC and thinking, "Yeah, it looks okay", things really went up a notch when I figured out how to dial up the visuals to their full 60fps capabilities.
The implementation of ray tracing makes Miles Morales pure eye candy. From sunlight bouncing off the frosty streets, to spotting your reflection in the windows of the Avengers Tower, developers have delivered something you can really call a next-gen game.
We also can't mention visuals without giving the nod to the Into the Spider-Verse suit. Miles' wardrobe might not be as eclectic as Peter's was, but once you unlock the Into the Spider-Verse suit, it's sure to be a favourite. Some might think the comic book-inspired visuals jar against the fast-flowing action, but for others, seeing a bubble "Kapow" pop up when you deliver that final blow is a visual treat.
From its street soundtrack to the way Miles does a backflip when he leaps off the edge of a building, the music and visuals sing here. Peter Parker was never designed to be cool, whereas Miles oozes this by the bucket load. Even down to his Adidas trainers - which you can actually buy - Miles is a move away from your classic superhero in terms of everything from swagger to dress sense. Aside from the story, Miles Morales has improvements (nearly) across the board. Unlike the first game, you actually found yourself caring for the city you patrol.
Namely, Spider-Man: Miles Morales makes our titular hero the heart of Harlem, and in a year that's been rocked by the Black Lives Matter movement, Insomniac's ambitious adventurer is a poignantly timed piece of social commentary. The post-credits scene continues to tease Norman Osborn's next move but fails to add much more if you're expecting some sort of major reveal. Still, it's clear Insomniac is heading toward the potential introduction of two big villains in Spider-Man 2. Even if Miles Morales is a little short on the content and well-rounded bad guys, it shows there's a bright future for the Spider Family in the wide web of possibilities the studio is cleverly weaving.
Stay up to date with all the latest esports and gaming news by checking out our social channels here: Twitter | Facebook | Discord
Images via Insomniac Games