IGDB rating88 / 100
Main story17h
Released2018
PlatformsPlayStation 4

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Marvel's Spider-Man follows Peter Parker, a 23-year-old college graduate and research assistant who gained superhuman abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Peter is in his eighth year of crime-fighting under his super heroic alter ego of Spider-Man, who has become highly experienced at this point, but struggles to balance his superhero and personal lives. The game's open-world sandbox allows the player to control Spider-Man throughout Manhattan, New York City. Spider-Man fights enemies with his brawler moveset and a wide array of web gadgets. At key points in the story, the player also controls Peter Parker (outside of his Spider-Man identity), Mary Jane Watson, and Miles Morales.

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CheckpointDB Spotlight

Spotlight on Marvel's Spider-Man

exploration-firstgenre gatewaycomfort replaywhimsical-funWhimsicalFunnyTense

The absolute peak of superhero game design. Marvel's Spider-Man pairs a flawless, hyper-kinetic physics web-swinging traversal loop with acrobatic Arkham-style gadget combat to deliver a stunning open-world masterpiece.

Marvel's Spider-Man is a spectacular, hyper-kinetic open-world action-adventure that delivers the ultimate web-swinging power fantasy. You play as a seasoned Peter Parker defending New York City from classic supervillains. The primary mechanical triumph is the physics-based web-swinging system: players build momentum, initiate wall-runs, deploy web-shoots, and execute precise point-launches, making traversal an exceptionally active and fluid joy. The combat is high-speed and acrobatic, heavily inspired by the Arkham series: players dodge attacks using spider-sense cues, punch enemies into the air for aerial juggles, and deploy a vast arsenal of high-tech gadgets (like web bombs, trip mines, and electric webs) to stick foes to walls. The game features satisfying environmental interactivity, letting players grab sewer lids or scaffolding with webs to swing at enemies.

Strengths

  • Flawless, exceptionally satisfying physics-based web-swinging and parkour movement
  • Acrobatic, highly fluid combat mechanics with excellent gadget synergies
  • Fantastic, emotional character-driven story writing for Peter Parker and Miles Morales

Caveats

  • Repetitive, checklist-based open-world activities and tower crimes in the late-game
  • Forced stealth sequences playing as non-superpowered characters slow down the pacing

Context

Developed by Insomniac Games and released in 2018 for the PlayStation 4, quickly becoming one of the fastest-selling first-party games in PlayStation history. Praised universally by critics for its refined movement physics, emotional narrative writing, and spectacular city scale.

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Core fitAction-Adventure › Cinematic Action-Adventure
Commitment17h main path · HLTB
Series contextMarvel's Spider-Man · Entry 1

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