Pixel Art designed by Cole Montag

Spider-Man has been a popular superhero ever since he debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15, and continues to give fans joy in films, television, cartoons, and video games. While he’s had many games in the past, Insomniac Games continued the legacy in 2018 with Spider-Man PS4. Its success led to extra content in “The City that Never Sleeps” downloadable content, Spider-Man: Miles Morales in 2020, and Spider-Man 2 releasing this Friday. Insomniac has revealed plenty already, so let’s review.

One returning trait of Peter Parker and Miles Morales is living in NYC, with the first two games taking place in the borough of Manhattan. While Manhattan will continue to be a setting in Spider-Man 2, the map has nearly doubled in size, adding both Queens and Brooklyn (including Coney Island). While Peter currently lives in Manhattan, his old house in Queens has been confirmed to be a location (Miles’ house in Brooklyn is not known to be accessible at the time of writing). Insomniac has also upgraded your movement abilities to compensate for the larger open world, including Web Wings, a never-before-seen feature in a Spider-Man game. If swinging or gliding isn’t your favorite, there seems to be near-flawless fast travel to any point on the map.

In addition to better movement, you have a lot of new features to play with in Spider-Man 2 for both Peter and Miles. The biggest change is that you’ll be able to seamlessly swap between the two Spider-Men, so you can play more as Peter if you prefer his gameplay and vice versa. They’ve also upgraded their abilities since 2020, with Peter having new Iron Arms and the Symbiote Suit (more on that later), along with Miles’ new blue “Venom” moves to add to his prior orange abilities.

While the game’s motto is “Be Greater, Together,” you can be more you in the game too. You can wear over 65 alternate suits, each with several color schemes to choose from. These suits can range from popular film appearances like Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland’s live-action suits to Miles Morales’ animated Spider-Verse suits. Peter has a variety of suits representing different Spider-Men, like Spider-Noir, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Punk, and more. Pre-ordering the game gives you early access to the Arachknight and Shadow-Spider skins usually available later on. As well, the Deluxe Edition offers ten exclusive suits for the duo if you’re willing to spend the extra $10.

Without spoilers for those who haven’t finished both games, myself included, the game will add terrifying new villains including Kraven the Hunter, the Lizard, Sandman, and the infamous Venom symbiote. At some point in the story, Peter will gain the symbiote, which will change both his abilities and give him a bitter personality towards everyone. He’s had it in past media, but you’ll be able to do a lot more devastation with tendril attacks and a shield-like appendage.

As mentioned earlier, the game is still up for pre-order (you can pre-download as well if you buy a digital copy) and will be released on October 20th, this Friday. Major gaming news sites such as IGN and GamesRadar already have reviews published, so check them out if you’re skeptical. The game retails for $69.99, $79.99 for the Deluxe edition, along with a $229.99 collector’s edition including a digital Deluxe copy, a SteelBook collector’s case, and a 19-inch statue of Venom fighting the Spider duo. For those who decide to purchase, enjoy it, and remember to be greater together.