Review for Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Game for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, the video game was released on 12/11/2020
Version for PlayStation 5 from 19/11/2020
It was August 1962 when the then fifteen-year-old Peter Parker made his debut on the pages of Amazing Fantasy: months, years, generations have passed. Speaking of generations, in the case of Spider-Man, there are currently two, and they coexist perfectly: the first is that of the original Tessiragnatele, the second is that of Miles Morales. Sony chose 2011st century Spider-Man to make the generational leap in turn, as did Marvel in XNUMX: Spider-Man: Miles Morales is in fact one of the PlayStation 5 launch titles and it is precisely in the shoes of the new Wall Climber that we ventured back into the New York of Insomniac Games, hungry for justice and with a great desire to return to circle the skyscrapers of the Big Apple. Sony and Insomniac have focused, once again, on the Spider, making the generational leap to the sound of “Thwip”!
The events take place almost a year after the events of the first Spider-Man. We will find ourselves in the shoes of Miles Morales, who has now become a seasoned Spider-Man under the shining guidance of Peter Parker, his teacher and mentor in the difficult role of friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Miles Morales, however, finds himself this time to shoulder an important responsibility: to be the only Spider-Man for two weeks, as Peter will be away on a business trip with Mary Jane. What could possibly happen in two weeks? We can only anticipate that there will be an ongoing war between two factions, that of the Roxxon Company and the Underground gang. The reasons for this feud, and what will ensue, we leave you to find out for yourself.
The story brings in a series of new characters that revolve around Miles and are all very interesting, as well as necessary for the development and maturation of the boy. Although the game does not reserve particular twists (which are few, moreover quite obvious), it puts on the field a story worthy of Spider-Man, full of ideas and, above all, entertainment. Although Peter's character is not physically present, we can tell you that "virtually" he will have some weight and somehow we will feel the effects of his teachings. In Miles Morales, Peter Parker already has the new face previously announced by Insomniac, a recast that had definitely been discussed. The writer was one of the skeptics about this change of course, especially because this new face greatly rejuvenates a character who should be around 24/25 years old by now. While this sounds anachronistic, the final verdict made us promote it.
Miles Morales' adventure lasts about ten hours, including all secondary activities, confirming some doubts that emerged during the announcement, namely that this would have been a sort of expansion of the original Marvel's Spider-Man. To prove it there is also the level cap of our Miles, which barely reaches level 20 against Peter's 50 in the previous title, as well as the reduced number of gadgets and secondary activities that can be faced.
Let's be clear, the content is nice dense, full-bodied and fun, but for this reason we are sorry to see it run out so quickly. It partially compensates for a New Game Plus mode, where it is possible to unlock new skills and costumes, perhaps playing at higher difficulties, but a bitter taste remains for an adventure that could have offered a little more.
In terms of gameplay, the game offers relatively little new, but the truth is that the previous Spider-Man on that front was already more than satisfying. The combo system on the ground and in the air, through this sort of flow system that allows a synergy with the moves, the dodges and the use of gadgets and cobwebs was a trump card and difficult to improve. Miles Morales adds the power of Venom, a power acquired in a mysterious way by the young protagonist and which is mainly based on electricity. Through the combination of the L1 key plus other keys, you will have access to exceptional electric moves often needed to defeat certain types of enemies, or get out of unpleasant situations. These moves are clearly not abusable and can only be used when at least one of the segments of the Venom bar fills up.
Another new power of Miles is invisibility, also limited to a bar that runs out as you use it. This is useful in classic stealth phases where you want to KO enemies without being seen. In addition, it is also useful when you are spotted, to disappear and let the situation between the enemies settle and to return to a more peaceful situation. Clearly it cannot be abused, especially in the presence of enemies who can see you through thermal visors.
Alone applause for the work done with the costumes, which are many, varied and in some cases give access to goodies that also impact the gameplay. The most famous is certainly the one based on the film Into the Spider-Verse, a veteran of the incredible success of critics and audiences. The peculiarity of this costume is to make Miles move with a frame rate of 12 FPS, exactly like those in the film, while the whole world around if it moves at 30 or 60 FPS (we'll come back to this later). The effect really leaves you speechless and makes you understand what kind of work is behind a simple costume. Other costumes have the particularity of altering the finishers, those moves that allow you to defeat enemies in one hit as long as you have performed a specific number of combos without ever getting hit. We do not reveal them to you.
We also remember that every costume that is unlocked, you also get perks with which to "customize" some passive features of Miles, such as resistance to certain types of attacks, effectiveness of gadgets, various upgrades, etc. at 4, there is a decent build work on the character based on the style of play you prefer to adopt.
But let's get to the aspect that perhaps interests most of all: being a Playstation 5 launch title, how does it exploit the console hardware? We can safely say that Miles Morales truly represents the first taste of the next-gen for several reasons. First of all the much talked about loading times, which in this context practically do not exist. The game also offers two graphic options with which to enjoy the adventure, of which the first, called "fidelity", allows you to play at 4K resolution and 30 FPS and with active Ray Tracing - a relatively recent technology in the world of video games. impossible for last generation consoles and until now only possible on PCs with major video cards. Miles Morales sports Ray Tracing in an excellent way, which simulates the lighting of a scene and its objects by reproducing reflections, shadows, refractions and indirect light in a physically accurate way. In the game it translates into the possibility of seeing reflections on the windows of buildings, in the windows of cars or in puddles. The effect is stunning and in a game like Miles Morales, where the protagonist moves through his webs through the buildings of New York, the result is incredible. Obviously Ray Tracing is not everything, there are those who prefer fluidity and frame rate, ergo it is possible to sacrifice it in favor of the granite 60 FPS, which favor the experience during combat and travel.
But that's not all graphics, of course, as Miles Morales also brings out the new Dual Sense features, such as vibration and adaptive triggers. Every blow inflicted by Miles on his enemies, every web launched will be perceived by the player in a concrete and realistic way, giving a further sense of identification during the course of the adventure.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a great launch title. Maybe it was legitimate to expect some more content to not run out too quickly, but the quality is indisputable. Technically it's excellent, whether you're playing it at 4K / 30 FPS with Ray Tracing, or playing it at 4K / 60 FPS without. Also, a little gem, the ending leaves space and clues to the future of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and we sincerely can't wait to see how this series will continue and what improvements it can bring. Moving among the buildings of New York remains the most enjoyable experience ever offered by an open world title, supported by the reduction in loading times and visual horizons that leave you breathless. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a beautiful welcome card for this new generation of Playstation.
► Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is an Adventure-type game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, the video game was released on 12/11/2020
Version for PlayStation 5 from 19/11/2020
