⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Developer (Platform): Insomniac Games (PlayStation 5)
Publisher (Release): Sony Interactive Entertainment (2020)
Length: 8-10 hours
Genres: Young Adult; Superhero; Action; Sci-Fi; Open World
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
contains minimal violence and themes of loss
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: must play
👍 Pros 👍
Powerful plot points when it comes to community and identity
Family dynamics for Miles are ironclad
Traversal and combat are organically adapted for the new protagonist
👎 Cons 👎
Struggles to get going and telegraphs its big moments too heavily
Side content can be shallow and repetitive
Mechanics still struggle when forcing the player into small spaces
👀 Synopsis & Trailer 👀
When Peter Parker leaves New York to join MJ in Symkaria, he leaves Miles Morales in charge of the city’s protection. Uncertain and developing new powers at a brisk pace, Miles will launch into a deeply personal conspiracy that will truly test whether he can wear the mantle of Spider-Man.
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
Miles Morales is a smaller scale but no less emotional adventure as the titular character takes a shot at filling in Spider-Man’s shoes while Peter is away. It’s messy, kicking off confidently before lulling back into a lackadaisical first act that’s carried largely by expanded gameplay uniquely tied to Miles and the familiar web-slinging that still slaps so hard. Lurking under all its telegraphed moves, however, is a wonderful origins story with diverse and dynamic characters that form the very beating heart of Miles’s world.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Superpowers are pretty exciting, we can all agree, even Miles thinks so, but the responsibility part is an incredible weight to shoulder. Insomniac do a fantastic job of bringing that to life with the freshest Spider-Man, exploring the imposter syndrome Miles feels as he finds his feet in Peter’s absence. The smaller stories inside New York mirror this, with Miles fighting to build his reputation and identity in the shadow of Peter’s web while some sneer like he’s the Spider-Man ordered from Wish.
New York gets TWO Spider-Men?
Like the first game, Miles Morales first act is clunky. It’s setting up the rollercoaster to come, sure, but from the unengaging primary plot to the simplistic side missions, it’s a questionable hurdle to get over that some players might just not. Act 2 does begin to pull out some slick tricks but, even then, the story has this frustrating tendency to telegraph every single move it makes miles in advance. As much as it tries to build mystery, there isn’t any, and it leaves any twists it could’ve made to the side, showing the player a good story, but a pretty surface-level one.
The story takes a second to get going
The finale, however, is fucking fantastic. Again, like Marvel’s Spider-Man, Miles Morales breaks into a sprint in its third act and races with stunning scenes to an explosive and emotionally satisfying finish. Overall, it rounds out Miles’s journey and cements him as a Spider-Man in his own right, turning the well-known superhero from an individual to an ideal, and complimenting Peter Parker’s often solitary path by showing him and the player that he’s no longer alone.
‘…turning the well-known superhero from an individual to an ideal…’
🎭 Characters 🎭
Miles Morales is a tech genius with a heart of gold and good intentions. He wants to be Spider-Man, a hero, a man that his father would be proud of, and, even if the plot is predictable, Miles’s personal progression is homegrown and heartfelt. I dare you to root against him. He’s a teenager, new to his powers and technically still in training, and, just as fresh abilities surface that throw his world into even more chaos, Peter Parker up and leaves an entire city on his shoulders, and…he shoulders it, with actor Nadji Jeter returning to bring the young superhero to life.
With great power…
The family dynamics help, on par if not better than the first game’s trio of Peter, MJ, and Aunt May. Joining Miles are Rio Morales, his mother, and his two best friends, Ganke and Phin. I won’t lie, the game feels as if it’s taking heavy inspiration from Sony’s film franchise with Tom Holland, but solid layers are developed to keep investment, and, when the emotional moments hit, they hit damn hard.
At this point I’m not even taking screenshots that are relevant…they just look so COOL
The wider sense of community similarly shines. Even more alive than in the original, Miles Morales does a great job of bringing New York to life while making Harlem feel vibrant. One of the most vital aspects of any superhero’s motivations is the consequences if they fail and the people that suffer when that happens. This entry in the series embodies those values, balancing Miles’s need to hide his identity from the very community he’ll inevitably find it in.
‘Miles’s personal progression is homegrown and heartfelt.’
👾 Gameplay and Graphics 👾
Initially, I was a little underwhelmed by Miles Morales’s familiar web-slinging adventures, my worries that, while addictive, the zippy traversal and simple combat mechanics were all we were likely to get. Well, get ready, because Miles comes into his own with literally electrifying abilities. He doesn’t quite have the arsenal of tech that Peter does, which makes sense since Parker has been Spider-Man for a bit at this point, but Miles more than makes up for it with near-supernatural powers that add some real spice to his adventure. They’re also nicely tempered, developing as the plot progresses to ensure the player never gets bored and always has something new to add to their arsenal.
BOOM! Bitch
As you’re swinging through New York with Insomniac’s slick traversal (seriously, how did they achieve this?), the stunning and sprawling city hides a wealth of intricate details to notice and explore. The traversal itself has some Miles flavouring to make it distinct from Parker’s, being a little visually awkward and clumsy to highlight the newcomer’s inexperience without sacrificing its actual utility. Combat toes the line between interactive and cinematic with expert grace while a few new enemies take advantage of Miles’s mechanical differences. It still suffers from the first game’s tendency to struggle in small spaces, with the broader gameplay tailoured so tightly to moving within the wider world.
Who needs fast travel when you’re Spider-Man?
Side content is…okay? New crimes and mini quests offers some narrative tidbits that flesh the overall plot, but the repetition and shallowness quickly becomes stale. There’s some puzzling to be done and they’re plenty fun if playing over the course of a long time, but, even then, the supplementary stuff needs a little more. Miles Morales does introduce The Friendly Neighbourhood app courtesy of Ganke, which provides our protagonist a nice way of delivering side quests in a natural, more focused way.
‘…Miles comes into his own with literally electrifying abilities.’
🧠 Final Thoughts 🧠
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is woefully short and stumbles as it starts, but, past those pain points, a tightly tailoured, grounded, and heartfelt origin story revels in its sense of community as Miles fights to shed the imposter syndrome he faces being the ‘second’ Spider-Man. Gameplay and combat mechanics welcome past players with familiar abilities while slowly electrifying them with distinct and individual flourishes that better suit Miles. Sadly, side content still needs some tender love and care while its cinematic moments aren’t well suited when in smaller spaces, but, overall, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is an unmissably fun and emotional adventure that provides a nice bridge between the first and second games.
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