Many Spider-Man games have done a great job making you feel like everybody’s favorite webslinger, but Insomniac’s latest game takes it even further by encouraging you to think like him, too.
Swinging on webs is crucial to any Spider-Man game, and it’s also a big reason why Spidey makes for such a great character to put inside of an open world, especially one as playful as New York City. This city that has plenty of giant skyscrapers and buildings for Spider-Man to swing around. Marvel’s Spider-Man has a huge world to explore, and it encourages you to approach every situation with Spidey’s sense of both playful curiosity and strategy.
Stealthier approaches have you looking at ceilings, street lights, and any scenery you can utilize to your advantage. If that stealth operation falls apart, you can improvise on the fly by flinging manhole covers at enemies, jumping off of walls or even using what you learned from swinging around the city to reposition yourself in a more advantageous position. I love jumping off of a building and swinging back up behind enemies. They never see me coming.
The playful acrobatic nature also lends itself so well to Peter’s corny but endearing personality, and the game includes specific options to let you show off his carefree charm. Whenever I startled pedestrians on the street, I’d select the option to give them a high five, then try my best not to botch a dope exit.
Marvel’s Spider-Man leans into the silliness while also feeling like a video game-ass video game with tons of collectables and levels that task you with turning on three hidden breakout boxes to open a locked door. Role-playing as the friendly neighborhood webslinger fits the tone perfectly. Watch the video above to see me pull of some pretty slick moves and have fun doing it, just like Peter Parker would.