Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - PC review

I am not a Sony Playstation fanboy, but the few games they recently brought over to the PC are all pretty good. I mean, really good.

When the first (current gen) Spider-Man (Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered) was ported in August, years after the PS release, I was still a bit sceptical. Haven't bought the PC version yet, but I did play it on PS, and I have to say it was a cool game. This game is the sequel, and this time I snatched it up on PC. I have not regretted it so far. The original Marvel's Spider-Man was released for the PlayStation a couple of years ago (2018), the improved remastered version and PC port didn't get finished until August 2022. At that point, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales had also been available for the PlayStation for a long time (since 2020). So this is not a new game, but just a port to the PC. However, the capabilities of modern PCs were taken into account and the possibilities of the latest graphics cards were fully utilized.

The story picks up directly from the predecessor where we played the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker. He has become friends with Miles Morales in the course of the game. Miles' father, a police officer, was killed in a terrorist bombing, and Peter helped his friend get through this difficult time. After Miles was also bitten by an infested spider, the same transformation occurred as it once did with Peter. Miles now also has superpowers and can shoot spider webs from his wrist, his reaction time and constitution are equal to that of a (Marvel) superhero. In this situation, Peter has revealed his secret and admitted to Miles that he is Spider-Man. He showed Miles how to use his new superpower, and soon the two are swinging around New York together chasing criminals. While Miles is still trying to get a grip on his new life and arrange his secret double life as a superhero and a normal young man with school, his friends and especially his mother, the story of the game begins.

At the beginning of the game, Peter and Miles meet to remotely watch over a high-risk prisoner transport through New York, in case any problems arise. Needless to say, problems do arise. Rhino is being transported by helicopter in a metal container and manages to cause the safety ropes to break by rocking the container around. Miles' attempt to glue the chain with spider web only leads to the crash of the helicopter, which of course falls right on the henchmen transported on the ground in a truck - allowing both Rhino and a whole lot of other felons to escape. Dumb luck, but after this tutorial the story really gets going. Peter takes off on vacation (or to "work") to Europe, leaving Miles alone in New York to watch over the city. Nothing will happen, riffraff like Kingpin, Rhino or the Tinkerer won't do anything wrong... well, at least Peter has set up virtual training simulators at various places in the city, where we can train our skills a bit during his absence. Naturally, soon a fierce battle breaks out between the Roxxon Energy Corporation and a high-tech criminal army called the Underground, led by the mysterious Tinkerer. In the process, the New York neighborhood of Harlem, where Miles has just moved with his mother, is threatened. The story is quite sophisticated and with a few twists, emotional scenes and some more characters that contribute to the plot in different ways. I would argue that the story could definitely be made into a movie. In any case, it would be good enough to serve as a template for an extensive comic. The setting is again a fictional version of present-day New York, but this time partially covered with snow.

Miles can move freely around the city almost like in an open world game, interacting with characters, accepting missions and unlocking new gadgets and suits by following the main story or completing optional tasks. The gameplay is shown from a third-person perspective, which means that players won't get motion sickness as quickly as they probably would with a direct view (and the constant swinging through the air). The swinging around between the skyscrapers of the city is simply excellently implemented, the vertical running up a skyscraper doesn't get stale even after the umpteenth repetition. The fights are quite demanding, you won't get too far with primitive "hammering on all the buttons". Dodge, position yourself correctly and then strike, immobilize opponents in the spider web (and then beat them up) or simply tie them up, swing around on the spider thread, use technical aids, disarm opponents, beat them up with objects from the environment (like manhole covers), whirl opponents into the air, use superpowers... you'll have to get to grips with your fighting skills a bit and use them effectively, otherwise it'll be embarrassing during the fights. During the boss fights, there are also QTEs every now and then.

Actually, the game plays very similar to the previous one. That's not a bad thing, though, because if you've already mastered the not-so-incomplex controls, you can hit the ground running here. Miles can basically do the same moves as Peter Parker, but he learns a few new tricks in the course of the game. Miles has a Spider-Man app that gives him an overview of current crimes in the city - so you won't miss any of the optional side missions. New gadgets are also available, so Miles can summon holograms to assist in combat, or use a toy to hinder several enemies in their movement to hit them more easily. New powers include the Venom Blast, for example, which lets you incapacitate enemies with electric shocks and charge or disable electronic devices. As an upgrade, there's the Mega Venom Blast, a large explosion of electricity to take out all nearby enemies. Quite useful is also the ability to become temporarily invisible. Miles' abilities and gadgets can be made much stronger during the game via a skill tree.

It isn't necessary to know the predecessor to enjoy the game. The story starts with a short introduction that introduces Miles Morales and summarizes a few essential events from the first part. The difficulty level doesn't build on the predecessor, but is comparable. At the beginning of the game, you'll slowly be introduced to moving as Spider-Man and fighting. The scope of the game is smaller than the predecessor, in ten hours you can easily play through the main story. If you've already played the first Spider-Man, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales isn't too different. Same city (just a little snowier), same combat (a few electrifying new superpowers and a few new tech tools), a few returning characters and a few new ones, similar gameplay. In fact, everything feels very similar. But that's not a bad thing after the first part was an absolute top title. The story is varied and presented with bombastic cutscenes, which keeps the motivation high until the credits roll.

Conclusion

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a fantastic sequel to the first part. The scope is smaller, but with all the side missions it easily comes to 20 hours. The innovations are limited, but what is there to improve with an almost perfect predecessor? The strength of the game lies in the story. It's a much more personal and emotional story than its predecessor, in which you'll get to know Miles and the people close to him. In any case, I won't soon forget the events of the game.