In Marvel’s Spider-Man – Miles Morales, Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, departs with Mary Jane for an extended work assignment abroad. Parker entrusts the safety of New York to Miles Morales, the new Spider-Man, tasking him with combating the city’s escalating crime. This marks a significant trial by fire for Morales, as New York faces a barrage of new threats, some of which bear an unnerving familiarity. The new Spider-Man confronts one of his greatest challenges, all while still mastering his burgeoning powers.
Marvel’s Spider-Man, released for Playstation 4 in September 2018, stands as one of the most compelling games in the genre and arguably the definitive Superhero game. Its compelling narrative, combined with dynamic and engaging action, sets a high standard. The announcement of a sequel was met with considerable anticipation. Two years after the original’s release, Marvel’s Spider-Man – Miles Morales debuted on both Playstation 4 and Playstation 5. Now, two years later, the game is available on PC, expanding its accessibility.
The story of Miles Morales gained prominence with the film Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse. However, the game’s narrative diverges, with Peter Parker leaving New York rather than meeting a different fate. Marvel’s Spider-Man – Miles Morales delivers a compelling storyline featuring new villains, heroes, abilities, costumes, and missions. The original voice actors reprise their roles, and the game is firmly set within the same rendition of New York as its predecessor. The graphics and animations maintain a high level of quality, and Miles Morales’ Spider-Man boasts an array of new powers to master.
A central concern with Marvel’s Spider-Man – Miles Morales is its considerable similarity to the original, which, in my view, diminishes its impact as a standalone title. It more closely resembles a substantial DLC expansion. While the game mechanics are refined, they lack significant innovation. The graphics are on par with the original, but that is the crux of the issue; they are equally good, not demonstrably superior. Given the enhanced processing capabilities of the Playstation 5 compared to the Playstation 4, a more noticeable visual upgrade would be expected.
I have evaluated the game on both the Playstation 5 and the newly released PC version. Achieving graphical parity with the console version necessitates a high-performance PC. However, the PC platform offers a unique advantage: multi-monitor support. This allows players to experience New York in an expansive ultra-wide format, providing a significantly enhanced visual immersion not possible on the PS5.
The original game’s Playstation 5 release included a controversial redesign of Peter Parker’s character model to resemble Tom Holland, a change that sparked discontent among many fans. This updated character model persists in Marvel’s Spider-Man – Miles Morales, and while his presence is brief, the change remains a point of contention.
Furthermore, Marvel’s Spider-Man – Miles Morales is effectively unplayable without a controller. Attempts to play with a mouse and keyboard proved to be quickly untenable.
In conclusion, Marvel’s Spider-Man – Miles Morales offers an enjoyable and engaging experience, serving as a competent continuation of the original game. However, the limited introduction of novel elements prevents it from standing out as a fully realized new title. Consequently, despite its merits, the aforementioned shortcomings make it difficult to provide an unqualified recommendation.
Playstation provided a review copy for this assessment. The provision of materials does not influence our editorial independence.
