There are stealth, combat and drone chasing challenges lifted straight out of the Open World Side Mission Handbook and bases to take down, that are still fun all the same because of the well oiled mechanics behind them. Spidey’s other non-plot activities do vary wildly. They don’t overstay their welcome too much and generally have a payoff that make them worth the effort (plus one of her later sections is a real highlight). Mary Jane fairs a little better as a playable character, with stealth sections that expand the story as she investigates stuff as a reporter. Parker’s day job as a scientist is filled with electric circuit and spectrograph puzzles that, while enjoyable enough, smack of an attempt to give him some gameplay purpose beyond playable cutscenes. It's well balanced in terms of scale, growth and achievability, although there are some bits that may potentially tire you. I had great fun at the start crudely swinging, but my post-game fully kitted out Spidey is threading the needle under bridges at swinging speeds that would turn bones to dust if I missed. Plus your traversal skill grows in a very natural way. As you get further in, Parker’s grab bag of toys grows to produce endlessly, satisfying combinations of ways to take down entire gangs at a time. Mastering the new gear and skills you unlock lets the game continue to grow - early basic punching gives way to carefully deployed web mines, perfect counters and wall leaping attacks. They also earn you various currencies you can use to buy new gadgets, suits and abilities, giving them more of a practical application than just pure gameplay filler. The collectibles, challenges and side missions that appear, do so in their tens, not hundreds. A tangled webĪs the story progresses, the game grows in scale but in a manageable way. There are moments of carefully deployed gravitas here that elevate plot beats and story moments from video game cutscene to ‘forget where you put the controller down’ entertainment. Like in the MCU’s Spider-Man Homecoming, when Tom Holland is trapped and crying under rubble, a sudden well placed reality check grounds things and stops it getting too cartoony. However, it says a lot that I cared in places I didn’t expect to. I can’t decide whether it’s blunt shock tactics chasing a reaction, or an attempt to counter Spider-Man’s usually breezier adventures with a more grown-up feel, but it’ll likely split the audience. ![]() A few parts, and one section in particular, are potentially traumatic in a very real world way that might surprise those used to Spidey’s often lighter touch. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its dark moments. There’s funny looks, genuinely touching moments, and a couple of bits where Osborne chews the scenery with simmering Mayoral indignation. The writing, performance and facial capture is all top notch stuff, to the point where a tightened jaw or a frown is just as effective as saying something out loud. It’s the same for the rest of the cast, from Aunt May to Norman Osborne (now Mayor of New York), all brought to life on screen in an impressively tangible way. He’s charming but human, and there are some actual laughs to be had at times when this really plays into the fact that, under the powers, he’s just a guy. ![]() Yuri Lowenthal’s Peter Parker is instantly likeable and a worthy addition to the Spider-Man canon (which this game officially now is). Almost all the main parts are voiced and performed with a depth and charisma I wasn’t expecting. It’s rare to see something this big and detailed consistently look so good, with the very final story moments in particular, some of the most spectacular looking stuff I’ve seen in awhile.īacking up the looks is a genuinely likeable set of characters across the whole game. New York stretches off in impressively crisp detail as far as the eye can see (with the fat, orange afternoon sun shining off rain dappled streets particularly beautiful to swing through). It’s a lovely looking game too, especially on PS4 Pro. ![]() Those small random events like car crashes, assaults, store robberies and other ordinary crimes, only help to tie your efforts to the city and the people in it. For all the villains, references and serious mission stuff, nothing more perfectly hits the spider-fantasy bullseye harder than jumping off a roof, diving to ground level and swinging at the last minute as surprised faces, car horns and street level bustle whooshes past in a blur. Crimes pop up and things happen to keep you busy in a bustling, people-filled New York, with the city just as much a star here as any character. The core story - which I’ll stay away from in detail because it’s full of surprises and discoveries I don’t want to spoil - sees Peter Parker not just chasing bad guys but actually living up to that title of 'friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man'.
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