Just a few weeks away from the launch of Spider-Man 2, we’ve gone hands-on with the Spider-Men – both of them – to find out how each character plays in Insomniac’s highly-anticipated sequel. Both Peter Parker and Miles Morales now have more for players to master – with Peter enhanced by his newfound symbiotic powers, while Miles still finds his feet with explosive bio-electric venom powers of his own.
You can see more of our time with the game in our video below, as we webbed our way through new areas of NYC, paid a visit to the home of Curt Connors, tried out some of the new mini-challenges dotted around New York, tried our hand at some stealth sections and went up against not only the forces of Kraven the Hunter, but the fearsome Lizard himself.
Combat is just a whirlwind – it was always a satisfying rhythm-action dance, but now has more options. Parry is a new mechanic for both Spider-Men, where incoming undodgeable, unblockable enemy attacks must be met with specific, equal force at the right time so that you don’t take damage yourself. Merged with the symbiote, Peter’s new combat style is highly aggressive, filled with tendrilly Symbiotic Blasts, grabs, slams, brutal ground pounds and angry combos, exhibiting not just an evolution of his fighting style but narratively how much of a hold the Symbiotic has on Peter. Where once Peter only sought to disarm, his attacks now are really meant to hurt.
