Since the official PlayStation Showcase on May 24th, 2023, no game has been hyped up more than Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. It got the biggest showcase at the event with a full twelve-minute demonstration of gameplay. The demo showed off many of the game’s new mechanics, such as the inclusion of the black suit, and the ability to instantly switch between characters on the fly. Since the event, however, many people have wondered how the character switching in Spider-Man 2 will even work. Thankfully, a recent interview with creative director Bryan Intihar clarified these points, as well as other details about the game’s story.
How Character Switching Will Work
In an interview with Eurogamer, Intihar stated the following: “When you’re playing the main story, we control when you switch between Pete and Miles… it’s done in service to the story when we’re making those switches, for sure.” However, Intihar also confirmed that players could choose who to play in the open world. Players can switch between Miles and Peter with just “a push of a button”. This sort of technology is undoubtedly due to the upgraded hardware of the PlayStation 5. Character switching in Spider-Man 2 will probably end up being a highlight of the gameplay.
Additionally, there will be three skill trees in the game. One for Miles, one for Peter, and one that is shared. While it isn’t explicitly stated, it can be inferred that Peter’s skill tree will focus on the symbiote skills. Miles will focus on his electricity and invisibility. And shared will probably be for traversal, such as the web wings, which both characters are shown to have in the demo. It’ll be interesting to see how these different mechanics come together, and the incentives people will have for playing Peter over Miles in the open world, and vice versa.
The Tone
In another interview with Eurogamer, Intihar also spoke a little bit about the game’s tone. The game will be attempting to balance the darker tone inherent to the black suit, as well as the traditional lighthearted attitude that the character and studio are known for. But don’t be mistaken. The inclusion of the black suit comes with a history of darker tones and darker stories to match. Yuri Lowenthal mentioned at a panel at MomoCon how they looked at patterns of addiction in people and used that to write much of Peter’s dialogue in relation to the symbiote. You can just tell from the trailer that Insomniac put a lot of effort into the dialogue in order to add to the game’s tone and immersion.
Loose Ends
Intihar also confirmed that the demo was from an early build of the game. The visual fidelity is still very much in development. The game will undoubtedly end up looking far better as we get closer to release. He also confirmed that the world of New York will be far bigger in the sequel. Burroughs like Brooklyn and Queens will be fully accessible and playable in both the open world and the game’s story. Finally, they also tease that there is far more of the game to show off before release.
Spider-Man 2 is still set to release in Fall 2023. It will be a PlayStation 5 exclusive upon launch. Stay tuned to Final Weapon for more coverage of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2!
