Marvel's Avengers Spider-Man Preview and Klaw Raid Impressions

Marvel's Avengers will be launching some much-anticipated content very soon, and while there is a lot of anticipation for the upcoming Raid, especially for high-level players, the biggest attraction is undoubtedly the long-awaited addition of Spider-Man as a playable character. Spider-Man will hit the game as part of the With Great Power Hero Event on both PS4 and PS5 and is being voiced by Sean Chiplock. So, the question is, how does Spidey look in action? Well, ComicBook.com had the chance to check out some extended gameplay of the webhead as well as the Klaw-focused Raid Discordant Sound, and we're here to break it all down for you, though you can also check out some new Spider-Man gameplay in the video above!

Marvel's Avengers has been criticized at times for their character designs skewing away from the classic versions, but Spider-Man is the polar opposite. Spidey feels as if he jumped right out of a classic comic, and it's not just because of his costume (though that does further the classic aesthetic). He moves through the world with grace but there is also a weighty feel to his movements that make them feel semi-grounded in reality. The takedowns are also styled in this way, as every punch feels like it has impact while maintaining an elegance about it (though final judgment will be reserved when we actually get hands-on). He's not bouncing all around the screen, but he's still incredibly agile and able to navigate the field with ease, which is helped by his Spider-Sense.

There is already a parry mechanic in Marvel's Avengers, but Peter's Spider-Sense allows him an extra benefit if you can nail down the timing. As Spider-Man fights, you'll see his sense visually represented on the screen with another comic-styled effect around his head, and if you press Circle while that is active, Spidey will receive a damage resistance buff during the evade, so even if he gets hit a little it won't hit as hard. You can also perfectly time this to mitigate all damage.

As you would expect, Spider-Man is all about the web-slinging, and when he's not on the ground he's swinging on web lines. As you can see in the footage above, swinging around the city looks genuinely fun and as you would expect, gets you across the map at substantial speed. When we talked to the Marvel's Avengers team, we made sure to ask about the web-swinging method used, and it's a bit of a blend between Marvel's Spider-Man and Ultimate Spider-Man.

In areas where buildings and other environmental objects are plentiful, Spidey's webs will actually find something to stick to in the environment and let you swing directly from there. That said, there are several maps in the game where buildings aren't so plentiful, and if there isn't something around for the webs to stick to, you can still use the mechanic, but the webs will just continue to operate without really tethering to anything. Spider-Man also has the ability to Web-Zip directly to a surface, and once there he has several options available to him, including wall-crawling and wall-running, so his movement abilities offer several ways to move through the environment.

Since Spider-Man does have his web-shooters, they are also integral to his abilities in the game. He can shoot webs from range and as you shoot them at targets you will build up Web Status. Once this is fully built up you will gain buffs and benefits and the target of webs can receive debuffs in addition to the whole not being able to move thing.

This feeds right into Spider-Man's Heroic abilities, which utilize his webs in different ways. His Support Heroic calls out a Spider-Drone to fight by his side, and while it can hit enemies with concentrated webs, it can also disperse healing and barriers to help Spidey out. Spidey's Assault Heroic is more directly web-themed, as the Web-Bomb explodes in an area and webs any enemies in that area to a nearby surface. This is quite flexible for players, as you can add abilities that either expand the knockback area or allow it to bring everyone into one giant web-ball or even fashion it into a punch. Spider-Man's Ultimate Heroic is called Wrecking Ball, and he brings down a giant Web Ball onto enemies, doing damage to those underneath it and knocking back enemies around it, all while building up his own damage resistance.

Now, we did ask about the length of Spider-Man's story compared to other hero releases, and while there will be an introduction for him and some moments between with other heroes, this isn't the same amount of story that you would get with a traditional Outpost release like Kate Bishop or Hawkeye, and nothing close to Black Panther's expansion, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

The 2.2 update will also launch the Klaw Raid Discordant Sound, something many higher-level players have been anticipating. The Power Level and the Max Levels for Gear have been raised alongside it, but the Raid itself also features improvements, including some welcome new enemies (including one that gave even the design team some challenges in gameplay) and new puzzle elements to vary up the experience. The new Raid takes place in Wakanda as Klaw has re-emerged and started corrupting the nation's vibranium mound, so while you will see some areas in Wakanda you are familiar with, you will also get whole new areas and enemies to take on just for the Raid.

The latter portions of the Raid have an almost Cloverfield feel to them, as a giant Klaw is roaming the area and you and your team are making your way up towards him through the surrounding environment. It's an awesome visual, and once you get to Klaw you can expect a bigger challenge from Klaw compared to the one he offered at the end of the expansion. The fight takes on a similar feel, though it's ratcheted up to 11. You'll go from the fairly straightforward pattern from the expansion to one that might take a minute to wrap your head around, and you'll need to move to different platforms, change up your attack style, and utilize your Heroics in a far more efficient manner to get through this fight. Buckle in for a long fight too, because that last one is a doozy, and this is just the standard Raid, as there is an Elite version for truly high-level players if they so choose.

After some extended time watching Spider-Man and the Raid in action, it looks like the newest update offers up a welcome array of new content, though your mileage may vary regarding what you get out of it. High-level players have some challenging new areas to explore and lethal enemies to defeat, but because it's firmly in the Wakanda world that players just experienced in the Wakanda expansion, it might not feel new enough to some. On the other hand, Spider-Man is completely new and offers a fresh perspective on the world, and will even make old environments fun to explore again. It just remains to be seen whether or not there's enough new story and interactions with Spidey and the rest of the Avengers for it to feel substantial enough for those who have been with the game for some time. That said, he looks like a blast to play, and thankfully we don't have to wait too much longer to experience it.

Spider-Man and the Klaw Raid drop on November 30th. Marvel's Avengers is available on PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC now.