Marvel’s Spider-Man 2came out hot with its first gameplay reveal sharing dynamic symbiote suit gameplay. Choosing not to simply reveal what the symbiote suit looked like, it seems as if fans got to see one of the earliest symbiote gameplay sequences in the game, at least according to how Miles Morales responds to seeing Peter Parker wearing it. Miles doesn’t seem to instantly suspect that the new black suit is the cause of Peter’s uncharacteristic behavior, but it is certain that it hasgiven Peter a wide range of tendril abilitiesthat he didn’t have before donning it.
The symbiote will eventually be separated from Peter and eithermoved back onto Harry Osbornor bonded with another host, and whatever Peter’s gameplay is like without it will have a lot of heavy lifting to do. Giving Peter a suite of new abilities while he wears the symbiote is almost assuredly not going to be a fleeting moment in the game and certainly not one that would be revealed already if it was only one of a few applicable sequences. Therefore, playing as Peter may never be as satisfying when the symbiote is inevitably removed and he goes back to his ordinary abilities and gadgets.
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Insomniac’s Peter Parker Might Not Feel as Fun in Sequels without the Symbiote
If Peter no longer has the symbiote at the end ofMarvel’s Spider-Man 2it will be interesting to see how Insomniac plans to supplement that gameplay. Then, if playing with symbiote abilities makes Peter’s gameplay more fun than it ever was without it, then Insomniac might’ve played its best hand too soon.
Otherwise, Insomniac could be taking a distinct stance with Peter in this entry—perhaps he is either going to meet some untimely end, which has become a prominent narrative device assumed of any main character in media, or he may hold onto the symbiote for later installments. If Peter is somehow able to maintain control over the symbiote and make that relationship truly symbiotic instead of parasitic,the alien threads could become his distinguishing trait as Spider-Manand put him on the level of an already grossly enhanced Miles.
It’s been shown now that a new staple for Peter will be the four metal appendages that spring out from his back, with the inspiration for that being traced back to the red-and-gold Stark-manufactured Iron Spider suit from the Civil War event in Amazing Spider-Man #529. Rather, this sort of mechanic was already halfway debuted alongsideMarvel’s Spider-Man’s Iron Spider suit inspired by the MCUwith its associated Suit Power being these legs.
If these appendages are becoming an important part of Peter’s gameplay, they will need to have a great amount of versatility and functionality, and would even then still pale in comparison tothe bioelectricity and optic camouflage that Miles boasts naturally. This is surely a fine and unenviable tightrope to have to walk because the symbiote is highly revered and gameplay with it should be gratifying, but making it too fun will make its absence later on feel like a core feature is being stripped from the player. Peter will always be interesting from a narrative standpoint, but without the symbiote he might always pale in comparison to his fellow Spider-Man unless Insomniac is able to get more creative with him in each new sequel.
Gadgets are being made much more streamlined and functional inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, such as being able to create impromptu Web Line perches to navigate a stealthy encounter with ease, and Peter might be dabbling a lot more in those new creations once he sheds the symbiote. But if Insomniac chooses to take a wild and unprecedented approach, Peter might get to hang onto his new alien outfit and have it become a key part of his gameplay moving forward.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2launches on October 20, exclusively for PlayStation 5.
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