By: Brice Kingsbury
Last November, a new generation of gaming consoles were released with the PlayStation 5 being, what many would consider, the main attraction. Along with the release of the next-gen console, a new Spider-Man game was released, named Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
Insomniac Games, the developers of 2018 Game of the Year nominated Spider-Man PS4, returned to the character’s franchise to bring an all new story, with a new web-swinging protagonist, Miles Morales.
Miles, in the game, is a half African-American, half Puerto Rican teenager who, after the events of the previous game, gains similar powers to the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker, who helps to mentor the young crime fighter. Throughout the story, Miles learns through his own battles that the mantle of Spider-Man is both a blessing and a curse, and he must overcome challenges, while also having to accept the reality that with great power also comes a great responsibility.
If you’ve played the previous Spider-Man game made by Insomniac, then you don’t expect many new mechanics to things such as combat and web-swinging. However, if you have not played the previous game, the mechanics will absolutely astonish you, with how seamlessly you are able to transition from swinging around New York, to running around with the NPC’s (Non Playable Characters) on the streets, to combatting enemies. It all flows perfectly together.
Regardless of if you’ve experienced these mechanics before or not, this will all still feel like a new experience as Miles’ own personality beams with a sense of charismatic inexperience. The way he flails his arms and legs through the air as he swings or runs on the side of walls truly makes you feel as if you are Miles Morales.
Two new skills added to the game are the Venom-Strike and camouflage. Venom-Strike allows you to stun your enemies by delivering a powerful blast of electricity towards them. Invisibility is a stealthy way of taking out enemies without them seeing you by literally turning invisible.
Regardless of the mechanics, Spider-Man: Miles Morales also offers a well-crafted story that’s full of passion, heartbreak, and action. The progression of Miles’ character is amazing, as you see him go from a student of Peter’s, to his own Spider-Man. Side characters are also treated with respect. Miles’ mother, his best friend Gankee, and even the villains all feel like people and don’t degrade into stereotypes of their roles. Even the people of New York have a personality, which really helps to give the city a life of its own.
Overall, Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a worthy follow up to the 2018 game. It offers a perfect blend of the previous mechanics, while giving new personality to the landscape that it is built around. Characters are well-written and the story is excellently structured from start to finish. It is definitely worth a buy.