Spider-Man 2 on the PS5 has twice the spider-men, twice the emo fun

The first Spider-Man game from Insomniac was proof of just how fun it could be to play as the web-slinger. It nailed the feeling of momentum and grace inherent in the character and fused it with a solid — if at times formulaic — open-world action game. Two years later, the studio kept things going with a smaller, tighter spinoff focused on Miles Morales. Now comes the inevitable full sequel, which not only has a two in the name but also two spider-men to play as.

Spider-Man 2 doesn’t change things up substantially. Instead, it’s the kind of sequel that smartly builds upon the original. The side missions can still be dull, but the main storyline — which involves a murderous Kraven the Hunter and a new take on Venom — is excellent, putting the series firmly in its emo era. And still feels as good as ever to be Spider-Man — no matter which one you’re controlling.

Things start off with a helpful recap. Miles is trying hard to fill out a college application, and he calls Peter for help, with the two going over just how much has happened over the last few years. Both are just a little bit older and more mature here; at the very beginning of the game, Peter has started a job as a science teacher at Miles’ school. One of the main narrative themes in Spider-Man 2 — as in a lot of Spider-Man stories — is how hard it is to balance being a hero with being a person. The game wastes no time getting to this: just as Peter introduces himself to the class, he and Miles are forced to deal with gigantic Sandman assaulting the city.

There’s actually quite a lot going on in the main story, with multiple threats coming from multiple villains. Sandman is just a teaser. Eventually, the spider duo is confronted with Kraven the Hunter, who is basically a human version of the Predator who loves to wear fur. He’s desperate for a hunt that can match his abilities, and New York City, with all of its costume-wearing superpowered beings, is the perfect hunting ground. Oh, and he also commands an army of like-minded hunters outfitted with futuristic weaponry and gear.

Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Note: if you haven’t finished the first Spider-Man and / or have largely avoided marketing for the sequel, be warned that there are light spoilers starting now.

At the same time, the Venom symbiote makes an appearance. Just like in the original game, Spider-Man 2 plays around with the established canon, freshening up a story fans have already heard many, many times before. This time around, the symbiote attaches itself to Peter’s friend Harry Osborn as part of an experimental procedure to cure his illness, as was teased in the first game.

And here’s where all of the emo angst comes in. Throughout most of the game, everyone is stressed out because there is just so much going on, and the emotion-enhancing symbiote only exacerbates things. Eventually, the alien suit makes its way to Peter, and the always happy-go-lucky hero becomes a fountain of rage. He ignores his responsibilities and seems to revel in anger and violence. It’s a steady progression that slowly starts to weigh on everyone around him. One of those responsibilities, for instance, is Miles himself; Peter is supposed to be a mentor, but as the suit gets hold of him, he becomes selfish and brushes off his protégé.

The two-hero set-up works really well here because the pair complement each other, particularly during Peter’s descent. You can swap between Miles and Peter almost at will, though certain missions — both in the campaign and sidequests — will necessitate playing as one or the other. So whenever you get sick of Peter and his constant quips (or angst, depending on the point in the story), you can spend some time with the much more level-headed Miles. For the first chunk of Spider-Man 2, the story feels very Peter-heavy, but eventually, Miles plays a pivotal role that shifts the focus.

It’s also nice swapping between the two because they play differently. Miles has a variety of electric attacks, while Peter is much more physical, particularly when you get into the symbiote suit, with its more brutal attacks. It’s almost like a brawler as you can bash your way through crowds of foes as Peter rages. No one has had this much fun being emo since Jimmy Butler. That said, despite a few new moves to unlock, the combat is very similar to the original. That’s not necessarily a bad thing since it worked really well before, and it remains satisfying sneaking around capturing enemies in your webs or using them to swing car doors at a hunter’s face.

Overall, the game still feels incredible on a moment-to-moment basis. This is true not just of the fluid combat but also web-slinging around the city, where you can easily get around with a balletic kind of grace. The sequel also introduces new web wings (a well-established bit of Spidey lore) that let you glide around the city on gusts of wind if you need to move faster. Spider-Man 2 is the rare open-world game where I never use fast travel, simply because it’s so much fun getting around.

Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Entertaining as it is, the combat can get repetitive, but the game manages to mix things up with different kinds of missions. These include stealth sequences, more puzzle-oriented hunts, and one-off sessions where you do things like explore a theme park with your friends. Even the missions where you control MJ are a blast this time around, playing out almost like a cover-based, third-person shooter. At one point, you literally play a rhythm game as Miles DJs a party. The main campaign does a great job of making it feel like you’re constantly doing different things and steadily building up the tension to the big battle at the end.

The same can’t be said of the side stories. My main issue with the original Spider-Man was that, while the campaign was great, everything else felt like typical open-world game fluff that you’d see in anything from Far Cry to The Witcher. In the sequel, things are improved somewhat, but the quests are very hit-and-miss. Some are just simple stuff; Peter is a photographer, so one quest line has you seeking out quintessentially New York spots to take snaps. It’s a nice, light distraction.

Other missions are narratively interesting — one sees Miles learning about jazz as he rescues items stolen from a Brooklyn museum, and another has Peter recovering pieces of Sandman’s mind to discover what happened to him — but bland in terms of what you’re actually doing. They all amount to the basically same thing: going from place to place, beating up bad guys. Others are just bad altogether. The most involved quest line has you defeating a generic cult, and it ends on a painful cliffhanger that makes it feel unfinished. The more puzzle-focused side missions are the most interesting, like one where Miles has to uncover a series of hidden caches from his uncle, the Prowler, which are spread across the city.

Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Of course, you don’t have to do the sidequests, but they are important for unlocking new skills and, more importantly, new suits (and yes, the Spider-Cat costume returns, along with some delightful new additions). Plus, it just feels more like Spider-Man if you’re constantly distracted; as you swing from one main mission to the next, you’re regularly confronted with pleas for help or crimes in progress. I just wish they were more fun. I felt like a bad Spider-Man letting car thieves get away, but after a while, those battles just got boring.

It should also be noted that this is the first Spider-Man game built specifically for the PS5. The original was on the PS4, while Miles Morales was a cross-gen experience available on both consoles. And there are some places where you can tell Insomniac put the hardware to use. There’s an incredible sequence where you find yourself flying through portals, reminiscent of the PS5 showcase Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, except things move much faster here. Spider-Man 2 also has some of the best use of the DualSense controller since launch title Astro’s Playroom. There are moments when you are piloting a tiny spider-bot, and you can feel what surface its metallic legs are walking on through the subtle vibrations in your hands. Elsewhere, the tension in the triggers is used for some clever hacking sequences.

All of these changes amount to an experience that is subtly improved but, really, not drastically different from its predecessors. Spider-Man 2 mostly knows what worked with the originals, and it enhances that by adding more: more characters, more villains, more ways to get around, and a story with more edge and more twists. It doesn’t fix the sidequest problem, but everything else is better. And this ability to steadily improve is a good thing because it’s pretty clear this franchise isn’t going anywhere. Like any good Marvel story, Spider-Man 2 ends with a very unsubtle tease of what comes next. The only question is: how many spider-men will show up?

Spider-Man 2 launches on October 20th on the PS5.