“Spider-Man: Miles Morales” Review
The tagline for the new Spider-Man game is “Be greater. Be Yourself” which is so fitting because “Spider-Man: Miles Morales” is about a young man’s journey to find out just who he is.
The sequel and spin-off to 2018’s amazing “Marvel’s Spider-Man” the new game focuses on Miles Morales, the 17-year-old boy who, after being bitten by one of Norman Osbourne’s genetically modified spiders, is now in training under Peter Parker to be Spider-Man.
Fans will recognize Miles from 2018’s epic “Into the Spider-Verse”. The story follows him being in charge of protecting New York while Peter is away in Europe photographing a story for the Daily Bugle.
During this time a war breaks out between the shady Roxxon Energy Corporation and a new gang called “The Underground” led by the mysterious “Tinkerer”. The story sees Miles step out of the shadow of his mentor Peter and Father Jefferson Davis who died during the events of the first game.
Actor Nadji Jeter does an amazing job portraying Miles and all his layers. Jeter’s performance expertly balances Miles confidence and his insecurities while he juggles his responsibilities of being Spider-Man.
Every performance is fantastic, but the real standouts include Troy Baker as Roxxon R&D director Simon Krieger, Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker, Jacqueline Pinol as Miles’ mother Rio, Jasmin Savoy Brown as Miles’ best friend Phin, and of course Darin De Paul is still hilarious as J. Jonah Jameson.
The story is once again excellent, expertly balancing excitement, tension, humor and sadness. Insomniac games have once again created a masterpiece story.
Gameplay wise the core melee combat remains the same. Miles is just as acrobatic as his mentor and flying around the screen beating up foes is as addictive as ever.
However, Miles’ new abilities provide a big change to the combat. His venom abilities allow him to charge his body with bio-electricity, releasing it in a powerful punch or using it to launch enemies into the air, and that is just the beginning.
Miles also has the ability to camouflage himself which allows the player to get extra hits in during combat but is also particularly helpful in the game’s stealth sections. The stealth is even better than ever and now once stealth is broken players can re-enter it by using the camo or running away from combat.
A big addition to the game is the “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man App”, an app created by Miles friend Ganke Lee. The app is used to track unique side missions and other crimes in progress.
Along with all this there is still plenty of side content ranging from collectables that earn you points to make new suits, and even massive combat challenges that will really test your skill.
Graphically the game is beautiful, especially on the PS5. With the game taking place during the winter, New York City is beautifully covered in snow and holiday decorations. A real standout is Miles home of Harlem which was redesigned to give it a more “lived in feel”.
“Spider-Man: Miles Morales” is a true masterpiece and a worthy successor to the original game. The player can play it on the PS5, with the ultra-fast load times, Dualsense controller feedback, and the beautiful graphics which make it the standout version; although the game plays just as well on the PS4.
The game is a must buy for any fan of action games, let alone fans of Spider-Man.
Rating: 5/5
David Fortunato is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email dforch2344@gmail.com.
