Spider-Man: Miles Morales Review (PlayStation 5)

With a fully-fledged sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man presumably somewhere on the horizon, it’s understandable why Sony would choose to kick-off the launch of the PlayStation 5 with a standalone experience of sorts, even if it’s playable on their older platforms as well. Described by the publishing giant as an “expansion and enhancement,” Spider-Man: Miles Morales sticks close to the formula laid out by its predecessor while placing the focus on a fresher face, one who’s racked up a sizable fanbase over the past few years.

That’s right — move out of the way Peter Parker, it’s Miles’ time to shine. Taking place a year after the first game concluded, this new tale follows Kid Arachnid as he walks the path to becoming a hero for New York City. It won’t be easy though; shortly after the game kicks off, a few convenient plot points ensure that Parker won’t be around for a bulk of the action, leaving Miles alone to hold things down in the Big Apple for a few weeks.

Without diving too deep into the story, it’s safe to say that fans who already played through Insomniac’s first game will feel right at home. While a handful of new characters make their debut throughout the eight-to-ten hour journey, you’ll also spot several familiar faces, and the map hasn’t changed all that much, save for New York City being covered in a thin blanket of snow.

Seeing as how this is a standalone expansion, it should come as no surprise that the plot doesn’t tie in much with Peter’s story from the first game. Instead, Insomniac has woven a tale that finds Miles Morales smack dab in the middle of a war between the Roxxon Energy Corporation and a tech-loving criminal group called the Underground, which is led by the mysterious Tinkerer. If you’re at all familiar with the broad strokes of Spider-Man lore (or if, you know, you’ve seen a few comic book movies), you’ll probably see the handful of twists coming from a mile away. Thankfully, Insomniac seems to be very aware of how familiar their story is, and in turn, any “big reveal” moments are packed into the first couple of hours.

If you enjoyed the foundation and core gameplay that was laid out in 2018’s Spider-Man, have I got good news for you. For the most part, the minute-to-minute action is exactly the same as you remember it. Miles can swing around the city just as fluidly as Peter could, and the combat loop of landing punches and pulling off quick-dodges is back and ready for duty. That being said, Insomniac Games has clearly listened to the criticism levied against the first game, and have made some conscious steps to rectify its shortcomings.

For instance, the underwhelming open-world distractions have been severely pared back. No more Oscorp surveillance towers, no more unlocking sections of the map one at a time, and most importantly, the litany of painfully boring side missions has been scaled back. Don’t get me wrong; Spider-Man: Miles Morales has its fair share of collectibles and the like, but they aren’t as abundant, and they feel a bit more substantive too.

A bevy of time capsules, for example, take the place of Peter’s stash of backpacks, but these new collectibles are usually well-hidden and provide just enough background story to make hunting them down worthwhile. On the other hand, an ongoing side-mission to collect audio samples throughout the city provides more than enough narrative exposition, all while adding a welcome element of puzzle-solving. Sure, these distractions are by no means revolutionary, but they’ve got more appeal this time around.