Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020)-Game Retrospective/Review

Miles Morales has always been an interesting figure within the Spider-Man lore. On the surface, he comes across as the typical race/gender swap of well-known characters who don’t really have much of an identity of their own. While that might have been the case at the beginning when he debut in the comics back in 2011, Miles has grown big time over the past decade to being a very compelling take on Spider-Man, one of the best versions of the character outside of Peter Parker himself. When it comes to mainstream appeal, 2018 was the year where Miles was greeted greatly in the eyes of the general public. Just a few months before the groundbreaking Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse came out, there was Marvel’s Spider-Man, which was just about as good as a Spider-Man game can get. Although the only action you got with Miles in terms of gameplay were with stealth missions, it was clear with the way the game conclude along with the DLC that Miles’ journey in this incarnation had just begun. Fans were anxious to get a taste of Miles Morales as Spider-Man and they were able to get just that two years later with the 2020 release of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales was once again developed by Insomniac Games, who also did Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018). This acts as a direct sequel to the 2018 game while action as it’s own stand-alone adventure for Miles Morales. The game features a new story that include new set-pieces, side quests, and villains that weren’t from that original game. It’s smaller in size, scope, and scale than Marvel’s Spider-Man, comparable to that of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. It served as a launching title for the PlayStation 5 while still being included for the PlayStation 4.

The game released on November 12th for the PlayStation 4 and one week later on November 19th for the PlayStation 5, while eventually coming out for Windows two years later. Like it’s predecessor, it received generally positive reviews, with praise for it’s combat, narrative, content, and technical improvements made over it’s predecessor, although criticism was pointed at the game’s rather short length. It was a commercial success, selling 6.5 million copies in it’s first eight months along with being the sixth best-selling game of 2021, a full year after the initial game came out. The game acts as a bridge between Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the latter which will be released this year on October 20th on the PlayStation 5.

Right before the whole world gets to experience Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, it’s time to take a look back at Miles Morales’s first footing into his own game. Can Miles prove he is worthy of taking up the Spider-Man mantle in a way that feels genuine and earnest or is it better when Peter Parker himself is front and center as Spider-Man? Let’s take a look back at Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales!

Story:

It’s Christmas time and Miles Morales has been Spider-Man for more than a year! He’s been under training by the OG Spider-Man of Peter Parker and the two have been working together as pair web heads to fight crime in New York. Although Miles has mastered his superpowers and established himself well as Spidey’s sidekick, he still has his faults of being a superhero and also just being Miles Morales in general. After the two take down the Rhino and save the day again, no thanks to Miles accidentally freeing him and other inmates from prison, Peter informs Miles that he will be traveling to Symkaria for a few weeks to assist MJ as her photographer as she does her story on the country’s civil war, leaving Miles himself to protect New York on his own as Spider-Man.

After the death of his father, Jefferson Davis, Miles and his mother, Rio now live in their own apartment in Harlem, a neighborhood in upper Manhattan, where Rio is looking to run for Mayor. As Miles celebrates Christmas with his mom and best friend, Ganke, he is reunited with his other longtime friend in Phin, whom he had not spoken to in months. The two have a long history with one another being science buddies before a big disaster that occurred with Phin’s brother Rick. It’s also after Ganke creates an app where citizens can call Spider-Man for help that Miles is connected once again to his uncle, Aaron Davis, who had a fallout with Miles’s father before he died and reveals earlier on of his knowledge that his nephew as Spider-Man.

The absence of Peter and emergence of Miles’s connections to his family and friends could not have come at a worse time. Just as Miles is starting to settle in on his own as Spider-Man, Harlem is threatened by a war between the Roxxon Energy Corporation led by Simon Krieger and a high-tech criminal army called led by a mysterious figure known as the Tinkerer. Also, thrown into the mix is an armored mercenary that is the Prowler. And like with many Spider-Man tales, Miles discovers that some of the foes he is engaging against just might happen to be connected to the ones that he cares about.

Now acting as New York’s only Spider-Man, Miles Morales must do everything in his power to stop the war between Roxon and the Underground from commencing, even if it means standing up against his loved ones. It’s only then that Miles will learn his own definition of “with great power comes great responsibility”.

The story for Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales was written by Ben Arfmann, Mary Kenney, and Jon Paquette (the lone returning writer of the previous game). Like with the previous game, it acts as it’s own original story while taking the comic book mythos that the title character has always stood for. It was written with the intent of being it’s own self-contained story for Miles Morales with stakes that feel scaled down but still personal all of the same. When putting it through that perspective, that basically gives an excuse for the writers to be lazy and not put that much thought into the plot because they don’t have to aim that high. However, not only does the story of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales work in spite of it’s smaller scale and stakes, it works BECAUSE of it!

The story here at it’s core basically acts as a meta narrative of what Insomniac’s overall goal of this game, making Miles Morales earn his role as Spider-Man. And for the most part, it succeeds very well. In an age where there’s been an increase desire to make heroes in superhero stories as awesome and flawless as possible, it’s a refreshing change of pace to see a protagonist having no choice but to work his way up to build his reputation as a superhero and win the heart of the city that he has sworn to protect. By the time we get to the point where the citizens starts to declare Miles as “their” Spider-Man, it all just feels right in the ways that I’m sure the developers at Insomniac Games were intending.

What’s great about the story is the way we get to explore Miles Morales as his own character and what makes him more than just a diverse Peter Parker. We not only get to see him come to terms as his own version of the web swinger but the role he plays within the community that he’s a part of. Miles is just a good, noble person that’s always trying to find a role in helping others, making a difference, and have himself be a person to count on with any possible situation. The interactions we see with Miles regarding his friends, families, and other individuals in New York really showcases the impact he has had throughout Harlem as both Miles Morales and Spider-Man. While he still retains the characteristics of a typical Spider-Man, most notably the awkward jokes and puns, there is more than enough about Miles Morales to make him stand out as his own interesting character.

If there is a gripe with the overall story, that would have to do with the main villain in The Tinkerer. I won’t get too heavy into spoilers as to who The Tinkerer really is but it just feels too much like a complete 180 as to who the character was established at the very beginning. I do like the idea surrounding the conflict between Miles and the Tinkerer along with the history the two have with one another but the execution of it leaves a bit to be desired. When you get right down to it, the Tinkerer basically comes across as the exact same character as Doc Ock in the first game except not nearly as well done.

It’s also odd how that certain character keeps having a grudge against Miles for lying and keeping secrets from them when they are literally doing the EXACT SAME THING throughout the entire game, basically coming across as a massive hypocrite. Some might argue that’s intentional or shows how consumed our main villain is for vengeance but the Tinkerer constantly rubbing it in our hero’s face with no self-awareness whatsoever they are just as much in the dark gets tiring very quickly. That’s not to say The Tinkerer as a whole is a bad villain or is not sympathetic at all but it’s very clearly the weakest length of what is otherwise a really solid story.

Even so, the narrative of Miles Morales is able to be as strong as the first game. It may not be the most heavy in terms of size and scale or even the first superhero license game to take place around Christmas (Arkham Origins is underrated btw!) but for what is suppose to be a “side game”, it’s much stronger than it has any right to be. If this game along with the Spider-Verse films didn’t convince you that Miles Morales is an engaging character that can in fact carry his own medium, then I highly doubt anything ever will for you because I don’t see how it can get any better than this.

Gameplay:

To be honest, there’s not a ton that’s new that I can say about the gameplay because Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales has basically the exact same core gameplay as it’s predecessor but with more polish and a few new features. It’s still an open-world action adventure game with the same open world as before but this time it’s covered in snow since the game takes place during the holiday season. You of course take control as Miles as Spider-Man as you web swing throughout the entire city, in ways that feel faster and moves at a smoother pace in a way that the original game didn’t have. Whether that’s one of the technical improvements of the game or maybe it’s because Miles is younger than Peter which make him a bit faster is beyond me but this might be the most comfortable web swinging that I have ever felt in any Spider-Man game to date.

Miles control similarly to Peter Parker but with some new animations and abilities, which you gain as you progress through the story. These new powers include Venom Blast, Camouflage, and Mega Venom Blast. The venom blast knocks enemies off their feet with bio-electricity and allows you to charge or drain electronic things, similar to the shock gloves from Batman: Arkham Origins. The camouflage gives Miles temporary invisibility which you can use to sneak around enemies and attack them when they can’t see you. The mega venom blast consists of a massive explosion of bio-electricity that is able to damage all nearby enemies.

There are also new gadgets introduced, which include Remote Mines and Gravity Wells. The remote mines can be attached to enemies or electrical panels. The Gravity Wells can trap multiple enemies and make them easier to hit. And even the device that summons holographic fighters that can help you in combat make for a welcome return here. These new features and gadgets can be upgraded and leveled up with the skill tree system. Also, as mentioned in the story section, Miles has his own Spider-Man app that gives him feedback on crimes happening in New York City and where the crime are located at. It informs the player of any side missions that are available for them to complete, which benefits greatly with leveling up.

Of course, there is the “spider sense”, which warns the player of any upcoming attacks and allows them to dodger and retaliate enemies, and the web-shooters fire lines of webs that can be used during both traversal and combat in many different ways. Miles can also jump large distances, stick to surfaces, and use fast travel with the help of the New York City Subway system. There are several unlockable suits for Miles, some of which are based on existing versions of the character in media, as well as original suits created for the game. Many of these enhance Miles’ abilities, such as allowing him to take more damage, stay invisible for a longer time, or regenerate Venom Power faster. During certain sections of the game, players control Miles in his civilian persona and cannot use any of his abilities or gadgets.

So, yeah! For the most part, it’s basically the same core gameplay last time. From the combat to the web swinging to the gadgets to the skill sets, almost everything you could have done with Peter Parker as Spider-Man in the first game are all things you can pretty much do here. However, it’s all still done incredibly well and with even more polish that it’s really too hard to complain about it.

It’s fun to be able to swing around through New York City during Christmas time with a Spider-Man that feels faster and more loose this time around. The gameplay is more polished this time around with skills and moves that feel more organic to control, the new elements you gain help bring a solid amount of variety of the game, and at it’s heart, it still feels like a proper Spider-Man game. You can definitely argue that it feels like more of the same but there’s enough new elements thrown in and plenty of technical improvements to make the game feel more than just a lazy copy-and-paste job.

The only main downside to the gameplay would be it’s length. Miles Morales only takes about half as long to beat as the campaign to the original game, lasting around seven to eight hours. Yes, there’s plenty of extra side missions and content to go around along with the required new game plus mode but the game should really only take you about one or two sittings to complete if you only desire to beat the main story. To be honest, once I got the notification near the end of the game that I was about to enter the final level, I was caught off guard as I thought I had only reached the halfway mark or so. While I appreciate Insomniac not trying to pad the game with needless filler and pointless gameplay styles (Take a hint, Sonic Team!), the main story is not nearly long enough to justify getting the game at a full 60 to 70 bucks, even if you want to 100% everything.

Plus, while the gameplay is still as fun and fluid, future games in this series will have to continue to find ways to make the games feel fresh and unique. If not, then it’s the type of gameplay that is guarantee to get stale very quick, something which the Batman: Arkham series eventually suffered from later games. There’s plenty of characters with Spider-Man that can work with this kind of gameplay and I hope Insomniac is able to take advantage of that with future installments. However, less stealth missions with MJ would be nice!

Graphics:

Speaking as someone that played both the PS4 and PS5 versions, I can happily say that Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is an amazing spectacle no matter what version you are playing it on. Even though the PS5 version has slightly better lighting, frame rate, and faster load times (which is to be expected), the PS4 version still looks so good and polished that you would be hard pressed to believe that this is suppose to be the downgraded version.

The open world of Manhattan still looks as bright, colorful, and full of life as before, character models that fit properly in the world that this game is set in (Yes, even the newer model for Peter has grown on me!), the 60 FPS while swinging through the city is about as smooth as it gets, and just about any slight technical error you could hold a grudge against the original game for is likely completely fixed here. Even for a game that had clearly a shorter production than it’s predecessor, it still is amazing just the sheer amount attention to detail has been put to what is considered to be strictly a spin-off game. Like the first game, it’s not the most revolutionary graphics in the world but it is more than enough.

Sound:

John Paesano returns once again to do the score for  Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and once again he delivers big time! Unlike the original game’s soundtrack which lean heavily on orchestral-based music, Miles Morales is able to mix it’s orchestral themes with hip hop music. The three original songs for the game consists of “I’m Ready” by Jaden Smith along with “Where We Come From” and “This Is My Time” by Lecrae. Even speaking as someone that’s normally not a fan of hip hop music, it all benefits the music to this game greatly.

Not only does it perfectly fit with the story of Miles, his personality, and his role within the community that he’s a part of but it also helps separate itself from the original Spider-Man by giving us a soundtrack that is unique and heavily inspired. I still have that song that plays at the very beginning and very end stuck in my head as well as plenty of other tracks. By returning to do the soundtrack for this game, Paesano could have chose to play if safe and do generic remixes for a quick paycheck but instead, he once again creates music that fits perfectly with every situation and helps gives the game it’s own identity. If the tracks I’m hearing for the previews of the next one is any indication, I think Paesano might just put himself on the list of composers to watch out for as he is clearly going to places.

The voice acting remains as strong as ever in this game! Nadji Jeter is giving much more time to shine here as Miles Morales! He really helps add to the charm and charisma of Miles Morales, providing the right mix of awkward, snarky, and emotion that has always been traits of the Spider-Man character. I’m glad he’s been able to play the character in other things such as the newest Spider-Man Disney XD series and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order because he’s just good in the role.

Yuri Lowenthal is always wonderful as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, even if his role here is basically an extended cameo (although the dialogue with his holograms during combat battles is hilarious). Jasmin Savoy Brown (who some may know as Mindy in Scream (2022) and VI) brings enough charm and sympathy to the character of Phin Mason that it’s almost enough to overcome that character’s writing flaws. Griffin Puatu fits well as Ganke and shares great chemistry with Jeter as Miles, playing a better version of Ned from the Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy. Jacqueline Pinol and Ike Amdai are both perfect as Miles’s mother and uncle respectively, both whom share some of the best emotional beats of the entire game. The rest of the cast does a fine job, even tho I seriously wonder if Troy Baker, who plays the antagonist Simon Krieger, ever sleeps because I swear that man is in EVERYTHING nowadays.

Conclusion:

While I don’t think Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is quite as good as it’s predecessor, it still is able to succeed on it’s own merits by being an fun and compelling adventure for it’s own title character, proving he is more than worthy of being his own Spider-Man. If the length wasn’t so brief and the main antagonist was fleshed out more, this might have been right on par with the original. That being said, about everything that worked tremendously well in the first game still works very well here.

The combat is still fun and fluid, the web swinging is at it’s absolute best here, the narrative remains engaging, it looks gorgeous, the soundtrack is unique, and Miles is just an awesome character that is very easy to get behind. I do hope that the Insomniac Spider-Man‘s series continues to add multiple playable characters to an expanding roster, perhaps having Spider-Gwen join in on the fun in the future. If they can keep finding ways to make the gameplay fun and unique while containing to tell engaging tales of not just Peter Parker but other Spider-men, women, and maybe even animals, then I can see this series of games having plenty of staying power.

Nevertheless, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a great game and another worthy addition to what is perhaps the best Spider-Man medium out there. Bring on, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2! Let the goosebumping commence!