The story of Spider-Man is an ever-changing one of growth, disappointment, and sometimes self-loathing for things out of the character's control. The narrative design and the flow of/how the characters move through this game are brilliantly executed. So much life is breathed into Spider-Man 2, making an already rich story even more bountiful in how it is presented to new fans of the Spider-Verse. The way Venom consumes Peter and Harry to the point of self-isolation, abusing their mentality, and everyone around them is emotionally jarring and makes the experience of the game more immersive and satisfying.
How Spider-man Is Evolving:
My playtime for Spider-Man 2 sat at 29 hours for mainlining the story and doing a few side quests. For anyone looking for a not-so-long, but immersive game, this one hits everything in the right way. It wasn’t too long and it wasn’t too short either, Spider-Man 2 executed the length of a game perfectly without overstaying its welcome, making the story meaningful and impactful. Sometimes a story is short, sometimes it’s longer, and it’s all about how a piece of media, in this instance a game is approached.
Peter and Miles have a big brother little brother relationship, and the type of dynamic that brought this electric energy to the game. The banter back and forth, and the serious conversations that were written so well brought a sense of realism to the game that I thoroughly enjoyed. Some games make serious moments a way to bring a form of comedic relief into the mix, while it's not a bad thing when done right I don’t feel as if too many games just sit in the sorrow or frustration that’s being had at the moment. Spider-Man 2 does a great job at really sitting with the emotions that Peter, Miles, or MJ are feeling at the moment and then understanding them so they can continue with what they need to do. It is healthy, and I’m glad these characters were written in a way that conveys healthy coping mechanisms. While yes, being Spider-Man isn’t realistic, being a healthy person is. It’s nice that a game is showcasing that. When it comes to the character Venom, however, healthy coping strategies and self-actualizations are the complete opposite of how the symbiotic parasite runs.
Spider-Man going from almost dying to becoming the villain for part of the story wasn’t on my bingo card for this game, yet here we are. Peter slowly starts to lose himself over time to Venom, making the story go from nice and calm to being on the edge of my seat with every chapter. Even the evolution of Li helping Miles and then turning himself in to the police wasn’t the character twist I expected. Each plotline point and each way the story was navigated was done in a precise and well-crafted manner making each character carry meaning and weight in the story.
How the game ran will be its biggest selling point:
The mechanics in this game surpass that of the Spider-Man 2018 and Miles Morales. They were so much smoother in this title, they added on to what made the mechanics already good and made it better. The moment that the controls made me go wow, was when it came time for everyone to have a breather moment in the game, going to the carnival was quite endearing and filled with witty remarks. When I played through the game I could use the controller in new and immersive ways, I could tilt it to aim where I wanted the water soaker to be pointed, or when I was playing basketball. It’s amazing to see how far tech for controllers has come and makes me endlessly excited to see where it's headed in the future.
Another thing that made me impressed/happy was the parrying in this game. It’s so satisfying to hit each time, and rather easy to do depending on the difficulty mode you have set. There are so many things about the mechanics in this game that make it a joy to go through, so if you love smooth control work, mechanics that run like butter, and new ways to get yourself immersed in a game you will enjoy Spider-Man 2.
When you help someone, you help everyone:
This game hits on so many things that create a sense of immersion, emotion, and questioning if Peter would make it out or if Venom would take him over entirely. The change in audio and how the music was approached by the end of the game was instant, but not jarring. The game becomes more solemn and heartbreaking to match where the player is emotionally and thinks that level of understanding your audience is something special. Another thing that added to this game was incorporation of ASL (American Sign Language). Hailey Cooper was first introduced in Spider-Man: Miles Morales and brought back in Spider-Man 2. I’m so happy she has a more prominent role in the second game, her character adds a level of calmness to the storm that is Mile’s life.
Not only that but the boss battles genuinely surprised me with how good they are, with Mr. Negative and Venom being my two favorites. A lot of them had different move sets that made each boss experience unique and to a degree its challenge as well. The only thing in the game that I would negatively critique was the amount of common enemies that had the same wash, rinse, repeat fights. The variance of enemy types throughout the game was great, but the way they were fought would get very repetitive. By the time the game ended, my heart sank, my eyes welled up, and the game ended with a new story to (hopefully) gracing our collections soon!
Comments