A little inventiveness will get you far, and a lot of it will take you all the way to the top. Marvel’s Spider-Man, developed by Insomniac Games, revels in the joy of creative crime-fighting. You swing, catapult, and hurl yourself through the air, traversing the city in a heartbeat before pummeling criminals into submission and pinning them to walls with unbreakable strands of web. An ever-expanding arsenal of gadgets helps you out, as does nearly everything not nailed down in your surroundings, which you gleefully weaponize against your enemies.
It’s an instant classic: a power fantasy built on dreamlike, superhuman mobility, one that uses interactivity to tell a better and more engaging superhero story than most of its cinematic counterparts.
A fair share of the spectacular stunts you witness flows directly through the controller and into your hands. After all, you’re the one performing them. The staggering number of animations required to make this possible is the final flourish, pushing the experience right up to the brink of vertigo. For a middle-aged gamer like myself, Marvel’s Spider-Man is as rejuvenating as it is exhilarating.
From a pure control standpoint, the game is second to none. Advanced maneuvers come effortlessly, as if they were second nature. With your spider sense constantly alerting you to danger, you feel perpetually one step ahead, and the seamless transition from one action to the next gives the entire experience a rare, intoxicating fluidity.
Even something as simple as traveling through the air between New York’s skyscrapers is a joy so unparalleled you might forget to notice the astounding level of detail around you. The cityscape unfolds beneath you in broad strokes: sunlight reflecting off glass towers, the distant glow of neighborhoods yet unexplored, the living pulse of the city far below.
What you’re likely to miss are the finer details at street level, simply because you’re rarely down there. The litter, the graffiti, the unique storefronts, pedestrians reacting to your presence—cheering you on or cursing your existence—it’s an entirely different world. Some areas are so rundown they almost compel you to grab a few locals, swing them into the air, and let them admire the view from above.
You might also overlook how carefully Insomniac has furnished the interiors visible through windows, or the fact that every line of Spider-Man’s dialogue was recorded twice: once relaxed, once strained, depending on whether you’re standing still or in motion.
This is exemplary use of a triple-A budget—spending money on details you wouldn’t consciously miss if they weren’t there, but deeply appreciate once you discover them. The story benefits from the same philosophy. While it never loses sight of the personal and intimate, it constantly reminds you that the fate of the entire city hangs in the balance. Peter Parker has rent to pay, deadlines to meet, relationships to maintain, and a city drowning in crime to protect.
He works as an assistant to the brilliant but troubled inventor Otto Octavius, whose research into advanced prosthetics teeters on the edge of a breakthrough. Peter is capable and dedicated, yet perpetually late, stretched impossibly thin by competing obligations. Naturally, this is when a gallery of super-villains decides to make his life a living hell. Being a superhero, it turns out, is terrible for your work-life balance.
It’s a perfect thematic fit for an open-world structure built around juggling countless tasks. Peter’s desire to help everyone leaves him on the verge of failing them all. His safety net of goodwill is stretched so thin it threatens to snap. The narrative is confidently paced, well acted, and smartly attuned to the pressures of a hyperconnected, always-on society.
Crucially, the game lets its mechanics take center stage, with story elements serving as motivation rather than interruption. Progressing through the main campaign steadily unlocks side activities—hideouts, landmarks, challenges—that feed into a gratifying loop of rewards and upgrades. Gadgets, suits, and modifications all slot neatly into a progression system that feels meaningful without ever becoming overwhelming.
Completing these tasks is a pleasure rather than a chore, largely thanks to how effortless it is to move through the city. Hold a button, fire a web line, release, and soar. Plans change on the fly, collectibles are scooped up mid-swing, and detours cost mere seconds. It’s playful, intuitive, and perfectly aligned with Spider-Man’s cocky, improvisational personality.
That personality is key. Spider-Man has always been my favorite superhero, and here his wit is as important as his powers. Masks, after all, tend to reveal who we really are, and Peter Parker’s smart-mouthed alter ego thrives when unleashed. His constant stream of wisecracks—even in dire situations—feeds directly into the power fantasy, making you feel practically unstoppable. Few things are as charming as trading jokes with a cosplayer while riding the subway during fast travel.
This version of Spider-Man is so central to the experience that the game’s weakest moments are the brief stretches where you control someone else. These story-focused sequences, often built around stealth or slow exploration, abruptly ground you. After soaring through the skyline, the contrast makes them feel restrictive and slightly joyless.
Still, perhaps that contrast serves a purpose. Like life itself, a change of pace can prevent burnout. Marvel’s Spider-Man burns with a rare, sustained intensity, remaining enjoyable no matter how much time you spend with it. I exhausted nearly every side activity and still wanted more—and enjoyed every minute with the same unabashed delight. That so much of the content revolves around the same core mechanics only highlights how strong those mechanics truly are.
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