Spider-Man PS4: An Excellent Return to Form for Superhero Video Games

Since it was announced that legendary developer Insomniac Studios was working on a Spider-Man game for PS4, expectations have been high. Will it live up to the lofty heights of games like Spider-Man 2? Can they capture what makes Spider-Man the world’s greatest superhero? And, most of all, will Insomniac live up to their own stellar pedigree? Well, Spider-Man PS4 is here and we have good news for you: it rocks. Let’s sling some webs!

Featured Image Credit: Variety

What Wicked(ly Awesome) Webs we Weave

Swinging from a building, seeing the skyline bob in the distance and then plummeting to the street below is a blast. Pummeling muggers and supervillains alike is smooth and natural. Insomniac has put in some serious work making everything in this game feel as easy and fun as a superhero game should. There is a fast-travel system in this game, but will you really want to use it? Slinging from buildings and flipping in mid-air is so fun and engrossing that it’s just a blast. You’ll find yourself just relaxing and taking in the game’s world as you fly around Manhattan.

The combat will look familiar to anyone who has played Rocksteady’s Batman games. In places, it’s comfortingly familiar. In others, it’s painfully obvious that this is a take-off on that game. At least, in this game, the dodge-and-counter mechanic is explained by Spider-Sense. And the protagonist’s capacity to take down twenty guys is explained by his super-powers. Batman really has no business winning in a fight that lop-sided…

Familiar Faces, and Some Uncanny Ones

Insomniac’s generally done a pretty good job with the facial animation in this one. In some scenarios it dips briefly into uncanny valley, but it rarely stays there too long. The somewhat-cartoony features help this, as the game looks ever-so-slightly like a comic book. It has largely the same stylized, sleek feeling of the big-budget MCU films it borrows its atmosphere from.

The story is, sadly, less than inspired. In trying to make a more generalized Spidey tale, Insomniac has leaned on some tried-and-true Web-Slinger tales. This can be less than exciting for longtime fans, even if it leans heavily into safe, foolproof storytelling.

Bottom Line

This game is excellent, if familiar in many places. The story doesn’t break any new ground for a character who’s been around for over 50 years. But then again, did it need to? The bones of Peter’s tale of responsibility and great power are rock-solid, and the voice actors all put in great work. The gameplay is fun and flowing, even if it feels like a few other games welded together. Spider-Man 2’s web-slinging mechanics are married beautifully to Rocksteady’s combat. If you’re a Spider-Fan, you’re going to love this game. If you don’t like superheroes, Insomniac’s latest outing isn’t changing your mind.