WARNING: POTENTIAL MILD SPOILERS AHEAD FOR MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a balancing act that Insomniac Games could have easily fumbled. Instead, what we get is another carefully weaved web of set pieces, heart-wrenching moments, and bombastic action. 

Like usual, our Spider heroes find themselves in situations where being the hero gets in the way of their everyday lives. What ensues is an epic adventure that will likely live rent-free in the minds of web-heads across the world.

Falling… with style 

Let’s start with the most exciting addition to traversal — the Web Wings. As shown in previous gameplay and cinematic trailers, moving through the expanded New York map in Spider-Man 2 is now aided by Web Wings which both Peter and Miles have. And yes, it really is just falling with style (credit: Buzz Lightyear). 

While in the air, you simply press the triangle button and deploy the Web Wings. Navigating can be tricky at first. By default, you pull the left stick down to gain altitude, and you push it up to dive down. You can change this on the settings, of course, but I decided to stick with the default. 

Using the Web Wings is a lot slower than swinging. But there are certain moments and areas in the map where it just makes more sense to glide than swing. It’s also integrated in how fast travel works and is a really clever implementation. 

As you play, you’ll get more traversal options to extend your gliding. I found it a really chill way to get around town. More than what it does in this game, Insomniac might have unlocked a “flight mechanic” they can implement in other titles, perhaps with other marvel heroes with that ability. 

Swinging felt as good as it did as the previous two games. In fact, it feels like you swing further and faster even when you haven’t unlocked those skill boosts yet. 

Yes, you can turn down the swing assist. I personally didn’t enjoy that experience especially when I tried it during main story missions. You’re already juggling a lot as it is. I didn’t want to add worrying about swinging to that list, especially while under a deadline. 

Frenetic, kinetic, dynamic

As strong as Spider-Man is, the character is more known for guile and agility in battle. That’s even more true in Spider-Man 2 than in the two previous games. Here, you’ll encounter mobs after mobs of enemies, each needing to be dealt with in different ways. 

In many enemy encounters, you’ll be forced to use all the combat mechanics. That includes dodging, air launching, web-swinging, and the newest one — parrying. 

Parrying is the newest combat mechanic added to the game. Some enemies can be dealt with much more easily when you learn to parry their attacks. The parry window is generous, what makes things tricky is the enemies come at you all at once. You’ll find yourself needing to parry just right after dodging an enemy whether up close or from a distance. 

It’s a fun addition and adds a deeper layer to an otherwise simple combat experience. 

Gadgets and gizmos not as plenty

Unlike the first game where you had a gadget wheel, you’re reduced to four gadgets in Spider-Man 2 that’s shared between Peter and Miles. Well, five if you count normal webbing which is upgradeable in the menu. 

While fewer, the gadgets are efficient and mostly help with crowd control. My personal favorite is the Web-Grabber (a pre-order freebie). It pulls multiple enemies to a single spot, making them vulnerable to melee attacks or special Spidey abilities. 

The other gadgets launch enemies to the air, blow them away, and webs-up multiple enemies dealing webbed and melee damage. All are great tools for managing waves of enemies coming at you. 

The gadgets can be accessed by pressing R1 and then the corresponding face button. Meanwhile, the special spidey abilities are triggered by pressing L1 plus any of the face buttons.

Special spidey abilities 

We already know Miles has venom powers (not to be confused with Venom the character). To level the playing field, Peter now has the Spider Arms, likely inspired by his tussle against Doc Ock. It’s never explicitly mentioned nor addressed. They’re just there. 

While the gadgets are made for crowd control, the abilities focus on dealing damage. Both Spider-Men possess abilities that deal massive damage to a single enemy, launch enemies to the air, apply stun, and at least one for dealing with multiple enemies. 

Knowing which ability to use with which gadget, timing your dodges and parries, and unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks mixed with finishers help keep the combat engaging all throughout the campaign. 

Miles stronger? 

I’m not entirely sure if this is intentional or even accurate, but during the start of the game, Miles feels slightly stronger than Peter. It feels like Peter needs to land more hits before taking an opponent down. 

And this changes when Pete gets access to the symbiote suit. Again, I’m not entirely sure if this is true. But from my experience, it felt that way at least. It’s a cool way to showcase power scaling.

Set pieces, boss fights, and moments in between

The first-ever gameplay trailer showcased the river chase scene involving The Lizard as well as the Hunters. That already looked action-packed and you can expect to experience plenty of that in this game. 

There is absolutely no shortage of breathtaking action moments. There’s a good mix of going around the city or exploring/navigating certain enemy strongholds. 

Won’t spoil anything but I can certainly say the boss-level fights in Spider-Man 2 easily blow the previous two games out of the water. Insomniac did a good job of incorporating existing combat mechanics and adding another layer to them during certain boss fights. 

You’ll find yourself leaning on the skills you learned taking down mobs as well using your environment, when dealing with the many, many, many boss fights in the game.

The moment-to-moment action is exhilarating, but Insomniac did a good job of inserting slower, quieter gameplay beats to keep the pace balanced. 

Some of those moments include skippable mini-games. But these are much better crafted than they used to be and are not placed during odd moments in the story that you wouldn’t mind playing through them. 

You also get plenty of time to do open-world things in-between the story beats. And they happen during moments in the story when things don’t seem as dire.

My tip is to tick off as many open-world and side quests as you can before progressing to the main story. Experienced gamers should be able to tell immediately where these sections are. Like a Spider-sense, you’ll also know instinctively when to tackle the main story. 

The pace of this game is really good and there are few if none-at-all moments and quests that you would think are misplaced. 

Heal the world

The trailers revealed so far give you a pretty good idea of how the story will go. But what Insomniac did masterfully in crafting the story of Spider-Man 2 is how the build-up to some of the moments already revealed make them a worthy pay-off. 

That’s incredibly hard to pull-off. There’s nothing here that will pull the rug under you. However, all of it is done so well, written so expertly, and executed with so much care that you’ll find yourself immersed in the story and invested in the characters. 

Now, I’m not saying there are no surprises. There are. But they happen in ways that make sense for the story that Insomniac Games is trying to tell. 

From the very first moment that Peter interacts with Harry, you kind of get a general idea on what will happen eventually. But none of it will prepare you for how things actually happen. And some of these moments, I believe, will be etched in the minds of players for a long time. 

Quick zips 

Sharing some quick observations below that didn’t exactly fit the article’s flow.

MJ Missions. Yes, there are still MJ Missions, but they’re infinitely more fun to play thanks largely to the Symkaria trip MJ and Pete went on (as mentioned in Spider-Man: Miles Morales). Oh and there are more playable characters than Pete, Miles, and MJ. 😉

Previously On. There’s a recap video that you can access at the start menu. It’s Pete and Miles recounting what happened in the previous two games told in a way only Pete and Miles can. 

Dense open world. The New York City featured in Spider-Man 2 feels a lot more dense and lived in. Truly a city that never sleeps vibe. And open-world encounters open you up to team-ups — both expected and unexpected.

Where’s the cat? Felicia fans, know that your favorite feline thief is indeed in the game. And the mission featuring her confirms the involvement of a few strange things. 

Platinum. You can get the platinum trophy in a single playthrough. For what it’s worth, I completed the game, platinum trophy and all, after 35 hours of play time. 

So many Suits. But Insomniac left plenty out that can be added either later on or on what feels like an inevitable Part 3 to the game.

Easter Eggs. There are plenty. Whether it’s directly Spidey-related or just references to pop culture, there’s plenty of nods here and there that will give you a chuckle.

DLC? There’s no confirmed news as of writing, but there’s definitely potential for another set of “The City that Never Sleeps” DLC here based on a couple of side missions. 

Be Greater. Together.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games is easily one of the best story-driven, action games out there. Playing the game is like playing through an expertly crafted, high-budget Spider-Man television series. 

The gameplay and story keeps you engaged. The action is exhilarating but gives you properly timed beats to catch your breath. And the boss fights can be punishing but with enough moments of reprieve. 

Two Spider-Men in one game could have been a recipe for disaster. But Insomniac Games navigated it with the cleverness, wit, perseverance, and sense of duty that any Spider-Man would have. 

Once again, we’re treated to a Spider-Man piece of entertainment that’s about as Spidey as it can get.

Our review copy was provided by Sony PlayStation. All images are also c/o Sony PlayStation.