I Don’t Think Insomniac Should Make The Next Spider-Man Game

I love Spider-Man. I love games. And I’ve always loved Spider-Man games. I loved 2018’s Spider-Man. I loved 2020’s Miles Morales. I didn’t love 2023’s Spider-Man 2, though. It was fine as far as the experience goes, and I finished the story when it came out, but it’s so much less memorable and impactful. As I tried to revisit the game recently, it was only more painfully clear, and I opted to replay Spider-Man Remastered instead.

I think the repetition of the concept of Spider-Man can be a curse when the core premise is, ‘Swing around in Manhattan and stop crimes.’ 2018’s Spider-Man on the PS4 did it well, building upon the legacy of Spider-Man 2 on the PS2. 2020’s Miles Morales kept the concept feeling fresh by giving us a condensed story with a lot of heart. 2023’s Spider-Man 2, however, just feels like it suffers from trying to be another ‘full-length’ game that’s ultimately too similar to the original.

To that end, I know there’s a setup for Insomniac’s Spider-Man 3, but honestly… I think the webhead should swing over to another studio now.

It’s Time For Another Studio To Develop A Spider-Man Game

This isn’t to say that we need another developer to come in and give us another origin story, or another spin on the games we’ve already seen time and time again. Instead, we could see something new, something different.

Does anyone remember 2005’s Ultimate Spider-Man? I had the game on the original Xbox, and it felt so unique compared to Spider-Man 2 because of the distinct approach. It didn’t strive to replicate realism or Toby Maguire’s Peter Parker, but instead focused on the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, welcoming the cel-shaded art style and overly buff Venom with questionable proportions. The style, story, and combat were all a higher priority than the web swinging, and that’s what made it stand out so much.

As I mentioned earlier, Miles Morales was also a great game because of how focused it was. It was a spin-off, so it didn’t need to be a successor to 2018’s Spider-Man, and instead told a meaningful story that could be experienced in eight hours, rather than 20+. It had everything that made the previous game great, while avoiding the risk of overreaching.

What Could A New Spider-Man Game Look Like?

So if we’re thinking about something that’s more than just another open-world Manhattan game with a lot of swinging, what could a Spider-Man game really be?

First and foremost, the thing I’ve been wishing I could do in these games ever since I was a kid: let me play as Peter Parker as much as Spider-Man. I know that would be ‘less exciting’, but it would be great to experience more of the character outside of the suit. Not just cutscenes or mandatory stealth missions, but dealing with high school, keeping a job as a photographer, and balancing the life of a superhero.

We could also go down the route of an RPG. I know, a Spider-Man RPG isn’t what you were expecting, but hear me out. Give us the freedom to customise our own Peter Parker, or even Spider-Person, if we want to get multiversal with it. Unique suits, abilities for those suits, spider-senses that can help out in everyday life rather than just combat, and giving every player a Spider-Man experience that feels unique to themselves, rather than something we’ve already played.

Whatever the result, the potential for Spider-Man games can be so much more, and it’d be a shame to see another underwhelming title with Spider-Man 3 that just ends up feeling too familiar. It’s nice to finally have a Spider-Man that isn’t involved with just about every other Marvel property out there, but there’s so much more to the character that has yet to be explored, and video games are the perfect way to give us the freedom to do so.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Systems

Released

September 7, 2018

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence

Developer(s)

Insomniac Games

Publisher(s)

Sony