Marvel's Spider-Man 2's New Gameplay Enhancements Turn You Into An "Acrobatic Improviser"

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 builds on the gameplay that was introduced in the first game and expanded on in 2020's Miles Morales spin-off, and this time, developer Insomniac is aiming to emphasize the aerial nature of the sequel's combat. In a PS Blog post, creative director Bryan Intihar spoke about how players become "acrobatic improvisers" in the heat of battle as they use their unique technologies and powers to take on criminals.

"We've always thought of our Spider-Heroes as 'acrobatic improvisers,' and in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, we wanted to equip them with new ways to do so during combat," Intihar said. "This includes Pete's Spider-Arms and Symbiote powers, while Miles now brings two forms of bioelectric Venom to every fight. And when you start combining these abilities with all-new Spider-Gadgets like the Web Grabber, it can lead to some exciting combos."

Spider-Man 2 also introduces a quicker method for exploring Manhattan, as both Peter and Miles can use Web Wings to quickly move around points. Game director Ryan Smith explained that while web-swinging is still present, it now works in tandem with the Web Wings system.

"We designed the Web Wings to work with swinging and complement it," Smith said. "That way you can weave back and forth between the two to build up speed and height. When you use the Web Wings with our wind tunnels, though, that’s one of the ways to go across the city super-fast and really push the speed of traversal, which was one of our goals."

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 launches on October 20 for PS5--and on a special-edition PS5--and in case you missed it, a new story trailer for the game dropped this week. The short teaser for the game reintroduces Harry Osborn, sets up several plot threads, and ends with Venom making a sinister promise to heal the world.

Both Spider-Men will have their hands full in the game, as not only do they have to deal with Venom, Kraven the Hunter, and the Lizard, but also their shared nemesis J. Jonah Jameson, who is back behind the desk of the Daily Bugle newspaper when the game begins.