Insomniac’s Spider-Man game has been a huge mystery for a long time, but with the reveal of the fantastic new trailer (seen above) which brought down the house and concluded Sony’s E3 presentation we finally know so much more. The cherry on top? There was a Spider-Man demo on the E3 show floor where thousands of players (and journalists) were able to go hands-on with this gorgeous new superhero game and report back with their impressions and details that they picked up on.
Once we piece everything together, we’re left with a pretty colorful and coherent picture. We know quite a lot about Insomniac’s Spider-Man game now, and we love what we see.
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Web-slinging is central to gameplay.
After the initial trailer debuted, there were a few things that we could say for certain. In Spider-Man, combat and parkour will rely heavily on the use of Spider-Man‘s webs. Slinging web has been a part of every Spider-Man game since the 16-bit era, but it’s never been as central to gameplay as it is here. Almost everything you can see in the surrounding environment can be used to your advantage, and you’re able to use your web mid-combo to constrain foes or pull of flashy finishing moves.
Swinging from your webs to get around in Spider-Man is also better and more satisfying than it’s ever been. Swings are long, fast, stomach-lurching events, each one launching you into the air or pulling you like a rocket toward a building.
What about the game world itself?
The Game World Is Huge and Open
The game world in Spider-Man is going to be huge. When we think of Insomniac Games and open world playgrounds we think of Sunset Overdrive, and apparently that world pales in comparison to what Insomniac is building. Insomniac community director James Stevenson confirmed that Spider-Man’s Manhattan would be four to six times larger than Sunset Overdrive, which is a pretty ambitious goal. You’ll also be able to roam this enormous recreation of Manhattan freely.
“It’s a sprawling Manhatten, as soon as you load up the game you can go everywhere,” creative director Bryan Intihar stated. “It’s open, it’s not like we’re hiding parts of the city. When he’s chasing the helicopter, that’s our city. You can swing around in it as much as you want. The idea is that no obstacle should be in your way. We saw the parkour elements and even when the water tower is destroyed, you can adapt to those situations.”
We’ve even learned quite a bit about the story this time around…
This Is a Totally New Peter Parker Story
Insomniac has stated that we’ll be seeing just as much Peter Parker as Spider-Man in the game, and there will be segments where we play as Parker going about his daily life. Bryan Intihar opened up quite a bit about Peter in fact, confirming that he’s 23 in the game, and has been Spider-Man for a long time. We also learned that he prefers not to kill his enemies, and we won’t be killing anyone. Additionally, the game won’t be tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe at all.
“It is a unique universe,” he said, “it’s not based on any of the movies. This is a brand new universe we’ve created alongside Marvel. Our Peter, he’s a bit older, he’s 23. So he’s been doing this for a while, he has a level of mastery. Think of an athlete in the prime of his career. At the same time, Peter Parker is struggling to keep his life in order. He just graduated college, he’s got a job, those kinds of conflicts, that’s how the best Spider-Man stories come out.”
Lesser Known Characters and Villains to See the Spotlight
By now you’ve probably read that Mr. Negative and Kingpin won’t be the only villains in the game, but there’s a reason Insomniac wanted to showcase someone like Mr. Negative in the main gameplay showcase shown during E3. Much like NetherRealm Studios pleased fans by highlighting lesser known heroes and villains in its roster, Insomniac plans to appeal to long-time Spider-Man readers by featuring a few of the lesser known characters and villains in the game.
Marvel noted in a panel during E3 that it sees these video games as a fantastic opportunity to flesh out a few of its lesser characters that haven’t received a lot of attention in comics or movies. We’re perfectly fine with that. We’ve seen enough Green Goblin and Doc Ock for now.
Speaking of special characters, we have some really neat new details about Miles Morales…
Miles Wasn’t Just a One-Off Cameo
Toward the end of the trailer we saw Miles Morales make a very brief appearance. The internet did a back-flip and assumed that Spider-Man would in fact star Miles instead of Peter Parker, which has since been debunked. Miles wasn’t just popping in for a one-off cameo, though. He’s actually going to play a role in this story. Insomniac community director James Stevenson said outright that Miles “will have a far bigger part than just a cameo.”
For many of you, the suggestion that Miles Morales will play a big part in this story may hint at a possible huge story concerning Peter Parker’s fate. We’d like to remind you that Insomniac is insisting that this is a whole new Spider-Man story, and absolutely anything could happen.
So with all of this new information digested, what are you most excited about?
What’s getting you pumped?
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