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When it comes to studios that excel at creating "popcorn games," Insomniac Games is undoubtedly among the top contenders. In recent years, both their Marvel's Spider-Man series and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart have achieved impressive market success and critical acclaim.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 continues their tradition of high production quality, delivering a nearly flawless experience in terms of story presentation, narrative pacing, combat systems, and the flying experience using web-slinging and gliding. While it may lack some innovation and the open-world design feels somewhat formulaic, as a sequel, its adherence to classic gameplay and unique character development of superheroes will undoubtedly satisfy fans.

Note: This article contains minor spoilers regarding the early story background, primarily derived from content seen in trailers and gameplay demonstrations, which should not affect the overall reading experience. The images used in this review are screenshots taken in 30fps high-fidelity mode; animated images may suffer from quality and frame rate loss and do not represent actual gameplay performance.

Dual Protagonists, but a Solo Act

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 takes place after the events of Spider-Man: Miles Morales. At this point, Peter Parker has returned from vacation with MJ, and the two are rekindling their romance, while Miles has become proficient in using his abilities like invisibility and bioelectricity. In this installment, we will see both Spider-Men fighting together to protect New York City for the first time.

However, outside of their Spider-Man identities, they each have their own lives to manage: Peter reunites with his old friend Harry, while Miles's relationship with the deaf character Hailey from the previous game is heating up, and he harbors a desire for revenge against "The Spot." As a result, they spend most of their time acting separately.

During conversations with Hailey, Miles uses sign language, and the game also features an optional narration sign language function, making it very accessible for individuals with disabilities

While freely exploring New York City, players can switch between the two Spider-Men at any time to combat crime. However, the game does not provide separate storylines for each character; instead, there is a single main storyline that shifts perspectives. Most main missions will require a specific Spider-Man to progress the story.

The main highlight of the storyline is undoubtedly the alien entity "Venom," which has been featured multiple times in trailers. Even if you are unfamiliar with it, the game will guide you through the terrifying powers the Venom symbiote grants its host, as well as the gradual changes and corruption it inflicts on their mind. One thing that doesn't need to be kept secret is that Peter will also gain a new symbiote skill tree and a Venom suit.

Aside from Venom, the main antagonist is Kraven the Hunter, who makes his series debut in this game. Early on, players will see his hunting army invade New York, becoming a primary enemy to face. Given his obsession with hunting, players can certainly look forward to his confrontations with Venom and Peter.

In fact, it is precisely these two major plotlines closely related to Peter that make Marvel's Spider-Man 2 feel more like a solo act for him, with Miles having minimal involvement in the main storyline. At times, he seems almost forgotten, relegated to the sidelines of the narrative.

Overall, however, the story quality of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is commendable. Its plot is more tightly woven than the first installment, with a comfortable narrative pace. The intersecting stories of Peter and Miles focus their strengths, avoiding excessive chaos. Although the main storyline, lasting about 16 hours, is slightly shorter than the first game, this may actually be more friendly for many players—serving as a popcorn story that flows smoothly without dragging.

Throughout the main story, players will still encounter various mini-games that enrich gameplay and adjust pacing, many of which become part of the subsequent open-world content. Of course, the stealth sections involving MJ from the previous game return in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, but thankfully, they no longer feel like a prison for players. After MJ undergoes training with Silver Sable, she will no longer be helpless when discovered by enemies; although she is fragile, she can "catch her breath" and recover after taking damage, and her modified electric gun allows her to take down enemies in close combat while providing some ranged attack capability later in the game.

If you haven't played the first two games, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will offer a brief recap to ensure you have a basic understanding of the story's background. However, you may find yourself confused when encountering some familiar characters from previous installments. Therefore, for the most complete experience of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, it's best to familiarize yourself with the first two games, including the DLC for the first installment, before diving in.

New Mechanics, New Combat

One of the standout features of the Marvel's Spider-Man series is its satisfying and accessible combat mechanics.

Each attack button is designed with different functions for short presses and long holds, and the game automatically adjusts based on whether you are in the air or not. This means you can easily execute a dazzling combo without needing to input complex commands, all while experiencing a satisfying sense of impact with each hit. The web-slinging mechanic ensures that after defeating one enemy, you can immediately move on to the next without searching for them, allowing for a relentless flow of combat.

In the second installment, the combat hasn't fundamentally changed compared to the previous two games, but it introduces new mechanics that make the controls more convenient.

First, Peter now has active skills that can be activated using the L1 button combined with the face buttons (Circle, X, Triangle, Square), similar to Miles' bioelectric abilities. As you progress through the main storyline and invest points into the skill tree, more skills will be unlocked for both Spider-Men, which you can freely assign to the corresponding face buttons.

Additionally, in the previous game, switching gadgets required multiple steps through a complex wheel menu. In the second installment, gadgets are directly integrated into the R1 button combined with the face buttons, making the controls much more user-friendly and complementing the active skills.

As a result, when you want to unleash a flurry of attacks on your enemies, you can simply press the left hand to cycle through the face buttons and then press the right hand for a second round. This allows you to execute visually stunning effects and explosive damage with minimal thought and effort.

The skill tree in this game is divided into three branches: Peter, Miles, and a shared skill tree. The individual skill trees focus more on enhancing the aforementioned active skills, while the shared skill tree primarily emphasizes adding new combo techniques.

However, the gadgets in this installment have shifted their focus more towards control rather than damage. The output-oriented gadgets like drones and holograms from the previous games have completely disappeared, replaced by effects that knock back, attach, impact, or entangle enemies. This makes the two systems more specialized and prevents you from accidentally dealing excessive damage while attacking.

Moreover, the second installment introduces a defense and perfect block mechanic. This significantly impacts combat by improving the "mechanical" boss battles that were criticized in the previous game.

Boss battles in the second installment feel more modern. Instead of merely dodging and performing QTEs to defeat bosses, the encounters have transformed into genuine confrontations—requiring you to observe the boss's movements and counterattack at the right moment with a perfect block.

However, this new blocking mechanism doesn't simply provide an additional combat strategy; it forces you to learn a new way to respond. Many enemies will have "red circle alerts" for heavy attacks, which can only be avoided by perfect blocking, as dodging will not work—these attacks will chase and hit you. Conversely, for "blue circle alerts" indicating sonic attacks, you can only dodge and cannot block.

This complexity makes the "spider-sense" mechanic more challenging to interpret; you must pay attention to the indicators above Spider-Man's head while also identifying which enemies are attacking you and what color circles they are emitting.

Confusingly, when enemies perform sonic attacks, the spider-sense indicator above your head still shows a red circle, similar to heavy attacks. This design choice can feel counterintuitive and may lead players to mistakenly press the wrong button in the fast-paced and chaotic combat.

In reality, there are not many opportunities to use the block mechanic during combat. It is only useful during close-range ground encounters; if you are airborne or facing ranged attacks, blocking becomes ineffective. This means the blocking mechanic doesn't fully integrate into every battle—after all, the essence of Spider-Man's combat is to fight while swinging through the air.

Compared to the combat system, the stealth mechanics have seen minimal changes, with the addition of a new ability to create web lines in the air. Additionally, since Peter lacks Miles' invisibility, you cannot immediately hide after being detected by enemies, making stealth less encouraged in "Marvel's Spider-Man 2." Instead, the game seems to push players towards a more combat-oriented strategy—though being discovered will result in new enemy reinforcements as a penalty.

Soaring Again in New York

Building on the maps from the previous two games, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 expands its world further, now encompassing not just Manhattan but also parts of Brooklyn and Queens to the east.

When you frequently need to cross the East River, even Spider-Man's signature swinging can feel a bit inadequate. Fortunately, the game introduces a new aerial movement method: the glider.

The glider allows for long-distance flight, enabling you to easily cover hundreds of meters. Compared to swinging, it has a higher average speed, but turning can be a bit challenging. Therefore, as you navigate the city, you might find yourself alternating between the two movement methods based on the terrain.

To enhance the glider experience, the game has tailored a series of new mechanics. While flying, you can spot horizontal and vertical air currents in certain areas of the city that help you accelerate or gain altitude. Additionally, to quickly reach high points where you can use the glider, the game introduces a charged jump mechanic and slingshot devices that launch you into the air.

It's worth mentioning that the improved fast travel system in this game is astonishingly useful—you almost seamlessly appear in the air above your target area the moment you confirm your move, allowing you to immediately deploy your glider and start flying. The entire process is fluid, with no black screen loading interruptions.

The open-world gameplay in this installment has not changed significantly compared to the previous two games. You still need to complete various challenges on the map to collect tokens and materials to enhance your attributes and gadgets. However, the challenge types are not particularly innovative, consisting mainly of combat, scanning for items, and the newly added glider chase sequences.

I must say, the glider chase sequences are quite challenging; if you make even a slight mistake and land on the ground, you might fail to collect enough data and ultimately fail the mission. Fortunately, whether in the main storyline or open-world activities, you can choose to skip the chase sequences to continue the plot or claim rewards.

One notable difference is that the completion of areas is now directly tied to fast travel points. You can no longer quickly travel via police stations or subway entrances as in previous games; instead, you must collect items to raise the completion level of an area to unlock its fast travel feature. This is undoubtedly bad news for players who dislike collecting, but thankfully, the total number of activities in each area is not too high, so you can unlock fast travel without too much effort.

Aside from differences in skills, suits, and main quests, the two Spider-Men do not have any essential differences in the open world. However, most of the time, Miles may feel slightly more effective than Peter—after all, his bioelectric abilities are quite powerful, and he has a convenient invisibility mechanism for stealth. When you enter combat during collection tasks, the other Spider-Man may also join the fight to assist you, and you can witness their combo animations when defeating enemies.

Overall

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 delivers a sequel that is steady yet progressive, simplifying complexity for fans. With a new story centered around Venom and Kraven, it feels more compact and clear-cut compared to the first installment, while the dual protagonist setup allows you to experience events from the perspectives of both Spider-Men. The combat feels more fluid after some operational simplifications, and the design of boss battles has seen significant improvement over the previous game. Aside from a potential lack of freshness in the open-world aspect, it’s hard to find any glaring flaws.

If you enjoy smooth and exhilarating combat, impressive swinging and flying experiences, and superhero narratives, then Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is undoubtedly an excellent title you shouldn't miss.