The following review does not contain any spoilers, so it is safe to read if you have not yet played the game.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020) picks up sometime after the events of its predecessor, Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018). It tells the story of Miles Morales, a young kid who is trying to learn and adapt to his new powers, which he picked up during the events of the first game, under the tutelage of Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man. When Peter Parker has to leave New York, he leaves Miles in charge as “New York’s Only Spider-Man”. This promise gives leeway to the main events in the story where Miles gets caught in the middle of a fierce power struggle that threatens his home, his family, and his friends, and he must rise up and take on the mantle of what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
The first big takeaway that I want to emphasize is that, storywise, this game is VASTLY DIFFERENT from its predecessor. And that’s a great thing.
When we were first introduced to this world back in 2018, we met a much older and mature Spider-Man. His story felt so much larger than life, with iconic villains, and where the stakes could never have been higher for our favorite web-slinger. Now, the new game’s story feels so much more grounded as it focused more on the human aspect of the person behind the mask rather than the responsibilities of the hero. In the first game, you’ll notice that sometimes Peter’s web-swinging was nearly perfect. He calculates his moves precisely. In this game, Miles’s swinging has a lot more “flailing” and isn’t as graceful as Peter’s, but it’s certainly a whole lot more creative. It has an incredible uniqueness to it that emphasizes how Miles is learning to be his version of Spider-Man.
“Where We Come From”.
In Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020), Miles is still trying to learn the ropes of being Spider-Man, while trying to adjust to his new life in Harlem, with his mom and his friend, Ganke at his side. As you play the game, you’ll get to meet a lot of people, especially while roaming the streets of Harlem. Something I absolutely loved in this game was the sense of inclusivity that this game developed around the community of Harlem. As a Puerto Rican, I felt such a deeper connection to this game in particular because it made me feel proud of my heritage and displayed that sense of warmth and community that we are known for. With the blending of cultures and inclusivity of characters with different backgrounds and ethnicities (and even disabilities), the game takes its time to flesh the world around Miles. And as you play the game, you will start to become emotionally invested with these people, and sometimes, with that emotional investment, you can feel the weight of Miles on his shoulders as he has to take up this new mantle.
THE PHOTO MODE!
The photo mode in this game is absolutely fantastic. It’s so fantastic, that every single image that’s in this article is an image I took while in Photo Mode for the game. (DON’T WORRY. I TRIED VERY HARD TO PICK IMAGES THAT DON’T INCLUDE SPOILERS). I mainly used the Classic and Into the Spider-Verse suit, but there are a lot of incredible suits to choose from as well. There are a lot more creative options that people can use in this game to enhance their images; adding light options, changing suits within the photo mode, and a lot more filters and frames. And if you are fortunate enough to play this game in “Performance Mode” on the PS5, well, the images speak for themselves:
I also created this video to showcase the incredible detail and quality that this game has, which you can observe below:
I did this little thing for you guys. The #PhotoMode in #SpiderManMilesMorales is absolutely insane, especially for #PS5. Review coming soon. There are no spoilers in this one, promise!@insomniacgames pic.twitter.com/YsF07uelKU
— Superhero Theorist (@SuperheroTheor1) November 13, 2020
Later on, I’ll be making a Photo Mode article, displaying its qualities and showing off some more pictures so stay tuned!
THE VILLAINS
While there are certainly a lot fewer antagonists in this game compared to the first one, they certainly do not disappoint. The Tinkerer was the perfect first antagonist for Miles. I cannot get into much detail about ALL of the villains without delving into spoiler territory, but they were certainly one of my favorite parts of this game and did something very few villains do, which is to morally doubt the gamer into believing what’s right and what’s wrong.
CONCLUSION: The Perfect Launch Title for PS5 & THE PERFECT GROUNDED SPIDER-MAN STORY (10/10)
Needless to say, this game and its story truly understood the essence of what it means to be Spider-Man, the meaning behind “With Great Power, comes Great Responsibility”, and truly captured the essence of community and the importance of family. All nicely wrapped with the theme of Christmas on top. The inclusivity that this game presented and the way this game emotionally invests the gamer into the story and its characters is top tier and something that supersedes that of the original game. And while the original game might have made the player feel larger than life with the iconic character, this game lets the player breathe and plays an incredible grounded story within a world with an incredible amount of lore, with more room to expand and grow.
