Thanks to the Sony PlayStation Showcase yesterday, we finally got some epic gameplay footage for the highly-anticipated Marvel Spider-Man sequel. This time around, we’ll be swinging through New York City as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, with the ability to seamlessly transition between the two, a la GTA V. Awesome!
Insomniac says each Spidey will come kitted with their own unique set of skills that can be upgraded via an individual skill tree, and since our heroes share tech and train together, we also get a shared skill tree that offers parallel upgrades for both. Swell.
In terms of villains, Insomniac dug deep within Spidey’s classic Marvel rogue gallery. Kraven the Hunter makes his debut appearance in a Marvel Spider-Man video game, and appears to be one of the main antagonists alongside the troubled Curt Connor, aka the Lizard. Also, since the mysterious extra-terrestrial symbiote has crash-landed in Manhattan, there’s a good chance we’ll get to see the creation of archnemesis Venom later in the game.
As many of you may know, in the Marvel Universe, Kraven is a renowned Russian big-game hunter who seeks to defeat our titular hero to prove himself as the world’s greatest hunter. A worthy adversary, the man often matches Spidey with both extreme cunning and physicality, though over confidence in his abilities sees him bested, quite humorously in some occasions.
The character was especially popular in the ’90s Spider-Man TV show (the G.O.A.T), and I’m almost certain the show played a major role in the studio’s direction for this upcoming adventure. Now all we need is Mark Hamill as the Hob Goblin and my wish list for ultimate villains in a Spider-Man video game will be complete.
Moving on, we also have a new enemy archetype known as Kraven’s Hunters, who we see in pursuit of the Lizard, with both a much angrier symbiote-suited Peter Parker and Miles Morales in tow, attempting to stop the troubled soul from being captured.
Here we get to see the shiny new tech hard at work, and it’s beautiful. The world is richer, and packed with details from improved particle physics to enhanced textures. Light bounces all over the place, casting more dramatic shadows, and reflections gleam across walls and pipes. I can’t forget mentioning the smoke from chimneys, steam escaping from man-hole covers, and scattered debris left behind in the wake of all the epic set pieces and battles. All gorgeous.
Peter also dons the iconic black symbiote suit and the entity grants a few new special powers and abilities, though will undoubtedly be at the cost of his sanity, as Insomniac says, “In this instalment, we’re really delving into Peter’s personal relationship with the Symbiote and how it affects those closest to him.” Ooh, spooky.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is exclusive to the PS5, and while no release date is unveiled as of yet, if Sony sticks to its guns, we can expect a Fall 2023 release window. If you haven’t already, feel free to peruse the trailer down below.
