Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
PS5
The traversal that papered over so many cracks in the main game is, if anything, even more enjoyable
Developer/publisher SIE (Insomniac Games)
Format PS4, PS5 (tested) Release Out now
With Peter Parker taking a much-needed break abroad, there’s a new swinger in town. This Brooklyn-born, Harlem-based replacement would seem to be the perfect holiday cover, yet as he steps up to assume the mantle of the Big Apple’s protector, Miles Morales is clearly suffering from an identity crisis. Happily, best friend Ganke Lee is ready with a pep talk. “Whenever you say Spider-Man, you always mean the other one,” he says, with a note of exasperation in his voice. “You’re Spider-Man.”
For large parts of Insomniac’s chunky standalone expansion (it’s been likened to Uncharted: The Lost Legacy in scope, but that somewhat undersells the runtime) that’s a good thing. Morales is Spider-Man, with all that entails. The traversal that papered over so many cracks in the original game is, if anything, even more enjoyable here. There’s just a hint of resistance in the DualSense triggers – so subtly used that after a little while you might forget it’s even there – that makes the webslinging feel more thrillingly tactile. As straightforward as the controls are, Morales’ movements convey a sense of vulnerability that remind you he’s really just a kid. You see his limbs pinwheeling as he hurtles earthward before you squeeze R2 again to shoot out a line and send him back up into the New York sky. Sometimes you leave it a split-second too late and the swing takes him perilously close to colliding with trees, buildings or even traffic, sending him spinning 180 degrees to face the camera. While you always feel in control, it captures a character who can’t quite say the same: he always seems on the verge of mastering his powers without fully getting there. And that hint of teenage awkwardness is even better served by the unlockable Into The SpiderVerse suit, which mimics the film’s staccato animation technique wonderfully well.
You’ll like it when trouble brews, too, with combat reminding you of Spidey’s strengths and weaknesses. The danger this time comes from two factions in conflict: the conglomerate Roxxon, whose supposedly clean energy source NuForm comes with some deadly caveats, is under attack from hi-tech group The Underground, its guerrilla tactics making it a threat to the city. In both cases, you’re outmatched in terms of raw power, though even the suspiciously well-equipped revolutionaries can’t keep up with Morales’ speed and agility. Not much has changed in that regard, then – including the camera occasionally struggling to keep pace with your zippy movements – and that’s a bit of a disappointment. Fun though it may be to lead your opponents a merry dance, as you dart between them, somersaulting bullets and retaliating with a swing-kick to punt them off rooftops, there’s not quite enough to distinguish Morales from Parker in the general combat flow.
He does, in fairness, boast additional bio-electric abilities. These are bound to a meter that builds as you string together attacks without being hit (your tingling Spider-sense remains a brilliant in-fiction way to communicate that it’s time to dodge an incoming melee or projectile attack) before releasing this energy in the form of charged attacks, dashes and slams that can stun multiple enemies once upgraded. But if the resulting light show of these Venom powers looks spectacular, it’s familiar in a different way: if you’ve played any of the Infamous games, for example, you could be forgiven for experiencing a little déjà vu. The same goes for its occasional breaks from these extended confrontations: you use your charged webs to tether electrical nodes, completing circuits to open doors; you juice up flat batteries or overload electrical power points. We welcome the odd pause for breath, but there is little invention in these puzzles, and that extends to some of the side missions. Spider-Man might be a friendly neighbourhood hero, but we’re not sure plumbing is in the job description. Yet here we are, restoring water flow in pipes by locating three valves and turning them.
Yet if this isn’t quite the flab-free expansion we hoped it might be, it’s clear that Insomniac has been listening to complaints about the main game. Forced stealth sections are refreshingly absent – Morales’ camouflage abilities make him an accomplished sneaker, but you can fight your way out of a situation when spotted. Its story, too, makes a better fist of reconciling its hero’s domestic concerns with the wider threats, albeit occasionally in ways that test your suspension of disbelief: at one point, you may begin to wonder if even Morales’ mother has an alter-ego of some sort. And if the procedurally-generated crimes are mostly copypasted from the main game, its bustling streets are more convincing. Beyond the occasional selfie and high-five with fans, you’re tempted down to ground level more often by one charming sidequest variant: recording samples of New York sounds, such as passing subway cars and ferry horns. As with a post-campaign treasure hunt, it’s a way to engage with your surroundings more, but also an opportunity for a bit of wistful backstory: the sounds Morales’ uncle has picked centre on memories of our hero’s late father.
The story’s climax strains harder for emotional impact as the stakes are raised and loyalties are tested. It almost gets there, though a late-in-the-day playable flashback feels like a clumsy way to set up the big finish, and shows that Sucker Punch isn’t the only firstparty studio whose ideas box Insomniac has raided. But that’s Miles Morales all over. Yes, in places it’s a little too familiar, sometimes ungainly and unsure of itself. Yet it’s also big-hearted and likeable, with a hero that, even at the peak of his powers, remains endearingly human. By the time the credits roll, you might be convinced that Parker should extend his vacation.