When I saw the first trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales during the reveal event for the PS5, I was ecstatic. As a longtime fan of Miles, from his comics to his appearance in "Into The Spider-Verse", I was excited to see another entry in the character's evolution. As a fan of 2018's Spider-Man game on PS4, I was especially intrigued. Back then, Insomniac had achieved an unbeatable formula when it came to Spider-Man videogames, from its epic campaign to its stellar swinging mechanics that put it a step above previously simple movie tie-ins. In 2020, armed with the PS5's technology, they've done it again.
The first thing that strikes players is the newfound variety in many aspects of the game. Its missions are no longer restricted to simply swinging around town, beating bad guys, and doing some more swinging and beating some more bad guys - this is largely courtesy of the game's app mechanic. In the game, Miles' best friend Ganke creates a 'Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man' app, where users report crimes or qualms for Spidey to sort out. While some of these involve beating up bad guys, the majority are a lot more simple. The app will have you rescuing cats, thawing frozen cranes, taking selfies and, in true Spidey fashion, chasing after pigeons. What makes all these missions special is that they never disrupt the flow of gameplay, all slotting perfectly within Insomniac's action/puzzle Spidey genre set out in 2018.
The game also delivers variety when it comes to its combat system which, considering the brilliance of its predecessor's system, almost seems impossible. The two areas from which this game's system blooms are cherry-picked from the comics - Miles' Venom powers and his camouflage ability. The former allows players to throw some extraordinary flashy punches that not only work seamlessly in the flow of combat, but just look fantastic. The camouflage works wonders for players opting for a stealthier approach, turning Miles invisible and allowing him to zap enemies to sleep. When combined with the different categories, and subcategories, of antagonists encountered across New York - it gives players a newfound flexibility in how they approach the game's numerous combat scenarios.
One of my favourite things about the game was its approach to character writing on almost every plane. If 2018's Spider-Man game was a sprawling, maximalist, dramatically-cinematic superhero odyssey, Miles Morales is an intimate, indie film. That comparison draws on something I never knew I needed in a Spider-Man game until I got my hands on this one, the "Friendly Neighbourhood" part of "Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man". Miles cares a lot about his friends, his community, and his hometown - but the game never explicity tells you this. Instead, it is lovingly woven into its very fabric. One campaign mission sees Miles saving a Harlem block party, another sees him working, and signing, with his friend Hailey, as both Miles and Spider-Man, to take down a local gang (the first representation I've ever seen of Deaf people in a video-game), and players even get to rescue the local Bodgea Cat in a side mission - earning a suit that sees him become a part of the gameplay. None of this is shoehorned in to differentiate it from the 2018 entry, but is perhaps one of the best cues the game takes from the recent Miles Morales comics and continues to prove how wonderfully dedicated Insomniac are at respectfully adapting their source material.
It goes without saying that the game looks absolutely stunning too. In a recent replay of 2018's Spider-Man, I was impressed by its cityscape and character modelling - when playing Miles Morales, I was simply floored. The majority of it comes down to the PS5's power, enabling higher resolutions, ray tracing, and even more complex character models. What it all, ultimately, comes down to is one of the most realistic videogame depictions of New York, an incredible attention to detail in character design, and awe-inspiring lighting that gives players an ecstatic feeling that never really wears off. Even when the game is over, all the collectibles are collected, and all the neighbourhoods are settled - the game's enhanced photo mode opens up more opportunities to show off its sensational visuals. Players who have an eye for photography can change Spider-Man's suit, manipulate the game's natural lighting, add artificial lighting, utilise a number of stickers and frames for fun solutions, and so (so much) more. It's a mode that feels boundless without feeling overwhelming in practice - it's not only easy to get the hang of, but easy to make photos look incredible, amazing even.
Miles Morales only suffers from a couple of marginal negatives. The first, somewhat notoriously, comes from its length. It doesn't reach the dramatic, multi-narrative, epic highs of the 2018 game, but still packs a overwhelming amount of heart and spectacle into every minute of its eight hour campaign and even more into its side missions. The villains in Miles Morales don't have as much time to flesh out, and may not get intricately plotted narratives like Otto or Mr Negative, but still very much riff on the game's emotional core when needed. Throughout my playthrough, I did encounter some glitches - one that did end up crashing my PS5 - but after reading other video-game coverage this week, I would consider the majority of this game's glitches to either be already patched, or very minor by comparison.
If you have a PS5, or even a PS4 for that matter, Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a must. For fans of Spider-Man, it is a heartfelt tribute to one of the most innovative characters in the Marvel Universe. For gamers of all types, it is a lovingly crafted, heartfelt, story wearing a superhero mask. For me, it is one of my favourite games of the year, and the perfect one to kick this new generation of consoles off to an excellent start.
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