After almost two years of silence, gameplay for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has finally been revealed. The gameplay, and the subsequent Playstation Blog post, revealed a lot of key information about the new release. Here’s a recap of everything that we know now about PlayStation’s next flagship title!
The Villains
The opening of the trailer confirms the presence of the long-running Spider-Man villain, Kraven the Hunter. He is informed of a new hunting ground in New York, and in an overlooking shot, there’s a full outline of the different characters active in the city. There are returning characters like the Black Cat, Tombstone, the Prowler, Kingpin, and Taskmaster, as well as some new characters.
There is a brief glimpse of a character by the name of Wraith. The Wraith is Captain Yuri Watanabe who has taken on the role of a violent vigilante. The DLC for Spider-Man on PS4, called The City That Never Sleeps, hinted at Yuri becoming a villain for Peter Parker. Like one of the main villains from the last game, Mr. Negative, Wraith is a relative newcomer to the comics, compared to other villains in the game. It’ll be interesting to see how Insomniac adapts her into the story.
The Lizard was also officially confirmed to be a major player in the sequel. The basis for the gameplay demo is that both Peter and Miles are trying to find him before Kraven does. We see his monstrous form in an epic chase that spans across both Harlem and the East River. Time will only tell how big of a role the monstrous villain will play in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. There was one villain that was mysteriously absent from the showcase, but we’ll get to him.
New York City
As mentioned in our previous coverage of Spider-Man 2, the prequel comic released for Free Comic Book Day hinted that Queens would be a playable area in the sequel. The upgraded technology of the PS5 should allow for a far more expansive city after all. The gameplay trailer officially confirmed that Queens would be a part of free-roam.
East River and potentially Brooklyn were also confirmed to be new parts of Spider-Man 2′s open world. Insomniac also hinted that other Burroughs could be explored as part of the new open world. This is undoubtedly one of the many ways that Insomniac intends to take advantage of the PS5’s new hardware to enhance their games.
Gameplay Information
Speaking of enhancements, the gameplay demo showcases just a few of the new features added to both combat and traversal. Peter Parker now wields the Venom symbiote, which increases his combat potential, and clearly contrasts it to Miles’ electric and invisibility powers. Peter wields tendrils that allow him to take down enemies at longer ranges, and incapacitate several of Kraven’s goons at the same time.
Similarly, Miles also has some new gameplay enhancements. For one, he has new electric powers that allow for more damage and also more crowd control. He also has some new stealth gadgets that allow him to web up two enemies at the same time. Both characters also have new traversal options, including a web slingshot, and the beloved web wings from the comics, that allow both Peter and Miles to glide across the city.
Insomniac’s blog post also confirms that there will be a new parry mechanic against undodgeable attacks. It also highlights the power of the Playstation 5’s SSD that allows for far more speed in the open world traversal. These new features will undoubtedly make both the combat and traversal some of the console’s best.
Story Information
The gameplay trailer doesn’t give a lot away in terms of the story. We know that Peter and Miles are trying to find Curt Connors, AKA the Lizard, because he knows how to help Harry Osborn’s worsening condition. We also learn that Kraven is hunting the Lizard as well, likely for his own personal pride.
One villain that was in the gameplay demo was Venom. While the symbiote does show up in the form of Peter’s new suit, the antagonist himself is strangely missing. Chances are they are keeping the antagonist a secret until either later trailers, or till the game itself comes out. But if the Insomniac’s previous efforts are anything to go by, Venom’s portrayal is clearly in safe hands.
Release Date
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is still set to come out in Fall 2023. Insomniac’s blog post confirms that they “hope to be able to share a final release date soon.” They also say to “stay tuned for future updates on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, including edition information and pre-orders.”
Stay tuned to Final Weapon for more information on Spider-Man 2‘s release date, pre-order information, and other details as they come.