A great uncle once said that with great power comes great responsibility. This phrase has become embedded in popular culture and applies to a multitude of things today, but none of it rings as true to a character as Spider-Man. When Insomniac Games delivered 2018's Spider-Man, we saw Peter Parker's growth unfold in front of our eyes, maintaining his relationships while some of them deteriorated. It was a journey of self-discovery, ultimately, which is why Spider-Man: Miles Morales excels at being something greater.

Note: This is a spoiler-free review.



Spider-Man: Miles Morales takes place a little while after the events of the first game, and follows Miles Morales under the mentorship of Peter Parker. Peter is a much more seasoned superhero at this point, but it's clear that the younger and naive Miles still has a lot of training to do. Unfortunately, with Peter stepping away from New York for a couple of weeks, Miles has to step up and don the mantle of the only Spider-Man in town while he's gone. It just so happens that personal tragedy and the arrival of new villains all contribute to the most intense two weeks of Miles' life.

Miles isn't a seasoned veteran on the job like his mentor, so this provides him the perfect opportunity to spread his wings...

I won't dive into spoilers beyond that, but Spider-Man: Miles Morales, like its predecessor, delivers a personal and more intimate exploration of the lead character. Miles isn't a seasoned veteran on the job like his mentor, so this provides him the perfect opportunity to spread his wings and unravel his strengths and weaknesses - what it means to be Spider-Man. The obvious comparisons will be made to the 2018 animated movie, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (and the Spider-Verse suit is arguably the best in the game), but Insomniac's latest entry wisely chooses to side-step some of that film's familiar story beats in favour of tackling other paths of personal growth and development (and there's no Spider-Verse to speak of). This is accomplished through Miles' relationships with his friends and family, which is beautifully explored and lets the player in on the tragedies in his life that he still has to overcome.



All of this is thrown into disarray with the arrival of a new villain in Manhattan, The Tinkerer, so it's up to Miles to uncover a deeper conspiracy brewing at a major corporation while also finding the time to balance his turbulent personal life. Miles' naivety and rusty style as Spider-Man is superbly reflected in his swinging animations and combat, which express the feeling of a kid still coming to terms with his extraordinary powers. It's loose, stylish, and you always get the sense that Miles is having a blast swinging around, making errors and performing daring tricks as opposed to Peter's more trained swinging style. Swinging in Miles Morales also feels refined, incredibly stylish and responsive, oddly enough - dare I say, even more entertaining than 2018's Spider-Man.

In fact, I found it hard to return to Spider-Man Remastered after experiencing Miles in action.

If you're familiar with the gameplay mechanics and progression from its predecessor, then you'll feel right at home with Miles Morales. Instead of simply copying and pasting Peter's mechanics, Insomniac opted to make Miles a lot more unique in both his new gadgets and combat approach. The new Venom power sends a surge of electricity through Miles' body that deals a great deal of damage - and easily one of the best new gameplay features - while newly implemented finishers show off his fluid takedowns. Miles engages battles with a free-spirited style that instantly makes him distinguishable from Peter. Best of all, the familiar Batman Arkham combat has been refined to a tee, and it feels like a natural evolution of its predecessor in all the right ways. In fact, I found it hard to return to Spider-Man Remastered after experiencing Miles in action.



That said, Spider-Man: Miles Morales exists as a standalone adventure that also expands upon the original title as opposed to being a true sequel. It's a far cry from simply being DLC because Insomniac have once again given the entirety of Manhattan as a playground, this time littered with new challenges, objectives and side missions that feel more in line with Miles' personality and character relations (some of which I won't spoil). The main campaign can be finished around the 8-10 hour mark, and depending on how much time you sink into doing other activities (which you'll want to, considering most of the best suits and gadgets are locked behind completing these tasks), then you're looking at a game that spans 20 hours or so. What surprised me is just how much of the open world fluff was actually trimmed this time, making Miles Morales a much more focused adventure that I'm sure those with a busy schedule might appreciate.



The biggest praise I can give Spider-Man: Miles Morales is just how well it actually refines the open world formula. The objectives are still check-marks on the map that you need to complete, but they're considerably less imposing and offer a more balanced level of exploration than before. I never once felt like it was too much to handle, and there was a great sense of progression to accomplishing these remedial tasks. Miles can also tackle criminal activities via a new phone app that notifies him of nearby crimes in progress, but they can largely be ignored and only offer additional experience points should you need them. However, some might find this to be a negative. At a $50 price point, Miles Morales may offer bang for your buck, but the game can be completed - including all side activities - in a couple of days. The quantity of content rarely matters over its actual quality, but it's worth pointing out that you won't get the same bulk of content, and understandably so.



Having reviewed Spider-Man: Miles Morales on the PS5, it quickly became evident how the DualSense controller added another layer of immersion. You feel the tension of Miles' swinging animations and every punch or kick he throws through the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. The loading times are practically non-existent too, even between fast-travelling - only taking a measly few seconds to get you right back into the action. The game offers two modes to play on PS5: Performance and Fidelity. Performance boosts it up to 60fps, but doesn't have the ray-tracing support that Fidelity offers at a locked 30fps. I personally favoured Performance, though, as the ray-tracing effects are barely noticeable, and swinging in 60fps feels ultra-fluid and eye-catching.

...the story really picks up in its final missions and delivers a few emotional and surprising gut-punches that were well-earned...

To get the few negatives out of the way, the story is an engaging one with moments of great emotional impact (especially in its final two hours), but this is undone by some undercooked and sometimes nonsensical side characters - particularly a childhood friend who gives Miles a hard time for keeping secrets, when she harbours darker secrets of her own. The big corporate villain, voiced by Troy Baker, can also feel a tad bit generic in his plans for domination. That said, the story really picks up in its final missions and delivers a few emotional and surprising gut-punches that were well-earned, perfectly setting up the inevitable sequel.



Finally, I'd like to give an honorable mention to John Paesano and Jaden Smith, who worked together to compose the excellent soundtrack. Blending epic orchestra with hip-hop brings a youthful energy to the score that perfectly captures Miles' uplifting persona and charm. It also made me happy to hear the Jaden and Kid Cudi song "On My Own" in the game's introduction, which was a perfect musical choice that almost rivals Into The Spider-Verse's "What's Up Danger". Almost.



Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales arguably does a lot of things better than its predecessor. The gameplay and combat have been refined, the swinging is the most fun you could ever have in a modern Spider-Man game, and the story is focused without feeling padded out or prolonged that it overstays its welcome. Some fans may feel like it's over too soon, but there's plenty of reason to jump into new game plus once you roll credits. An emotional, engaging story that explores Miles' fantastic character development achors this new Spider-Man title as something more than just your average superhero game. It's not the sequel you've all been waiting for, but it is a worthy detour that bolsters the PlayStation 5's terrific launch exclusive party.

*PS5 Review code provided by PlayStation