The very first thing to notice about Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is the similarity to its predecessor. The game’s opening has an option to view a snippet of previous installments. However, the game takes an entirely different direction when it comes to the storyline and characters. While the game doesn’t easily establish its uniqueness (common, it’s not that easy), the familiar mechanics do break Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’s new story in a dynamic way.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales doesn’t waste time to launch you into breathtaking action. The story begins with the main character, Miles Morales, escorting Rhino (a deadly villain) back to prison. However, plans slip up, and Miles has to rise to the occasion. The way the game launches you into thumping fights with convicts and then chasing Rhino is just fantastic. You couldn’t ask for a better opening.

It’s a Never-Ending Rollercoaster Ride of Intrigue

If you think you’d get a chance or two during gameplay to catch a breath, you’re mistaken. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales doesn’t allow you to slow down: it’s from one intense action to another for the entirety of gameplay. At the end of the day, what you get is an 11-hour thriller. Miles Morales has his incredible superpowers – venom sting and camouflage – in addition to powerful equipment and skillset.

The game follows a plotline of Miles picking up random requests left by New Yorkers. His boss, Peter Packer, is absent, and here’s his chance to earn some respect and admiration. There’s also a brewing clash between a notorious gang, Underground, and Roxxon Energy Corporation. As expected, Miles throws himself into the fray to save the day. The head of the gang, Tinkerer, sets himself up as the villain Miles must destroy.

Miles has around him different characters that add more intrigue to the game. Some of his friends clearly understand and identify with his role as a Spider-Man. Others sit at the opposite end of the coin. We see Miles’s character develops throughout gameplay as he continuously talks with the people around him. These conversations construct his idea of the hero he has to be in New York.

In the Mix of New York’s Cultural Diversity

Miles Morale is half-Black and half-Puerto Rican, given him a great blend of identities and culture. He has no difficulty mixing English and Spanish in a sentence. His cultural mixture reflects in more dynamic ways than the languages he speaks. It’s not so hard to see the palpable swagger of a Black teenager as he jumps from one building to another and performs back-flips.

Then you come to the choice of music. The very sounds of New York find a place in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and do so effortlessly. Too bad you’d be too immersed in the game’s intensity to really appreciate the music. If Miles isn’t picking up a task, his Uncle is doing some ‘teenage-sitting’ talk. With one conversation jumping on another, the game keeps putting out the music before you get a feel of it.

The New York in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is the same as the New York in the last installment. The difference is the season, as we now get snowy and Christmas-decorated streets. With the game’s fantastic graphics, the city looks incredible. Although it’s a difficult thing to do, taking a pause from the nonstop action and strolling down the streets offers a refreshing experience. The downside of this is the lack of interaction with New Yorkers, except when you’re in your Spider-Man suit.

Gameplay Gives You a Mix of Old and New

The timing system for combat and movement is as fascinating as in the previous installment. Swinging with Spider-Man’s web and jumping off rooftops are still easy to pull off. Also, combat is pretty easy to learn and execute. But why stick with these basics when you can perform advanced timing on your skills and abilities?

Miles has unique superpowers that definitely make his superhero job easier. The venom sting allows you to stun and damage enemies in a particular area. With the camouflage, Miles can execute a silent attack that the previous Spider-Man character couldn’t do. As powerful and vital as these abilities are, Miles remains strong without them. It’s possible to carry out a mission without using any of these superpowers.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales misses on the opportunity to establish Miles Morales as an entirely different Spider-Man by denying him some new movement skills. His superpowers do give his character something new, but these powers only find use in specific scenarios. What that leaves you is the old Peter we are familiar with.

The game’s difficulty is moderate, with very few situations requiring you to employ Miles’s venom and camouflage superpowers. Such situations are replete with boss battles that compel you to deploy Mile’s entire set of skills and powers. You have to marry Mile’s normal attack skill and venom power to bring a boss to his knees. Meanwhile, camouflage becomes absolutely necessary in moving around and evading enemies present in the battleground.

Conclusion

It’s difficult to disconnect Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales from Spider-Man 2018 installment completely. With a lookalike environment and pretty similar gameplay, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales presents as a continuation of the last one.  However, the new superpowers and new plot make for a breath of fresh air. Yet, there’s very little time to establish Mile’s story in this chapter. What you get is one high-adrenaline action to another high-adrenaline action.

In all, Spider-Man: Miles Morales is an intense and enthralling action game. Mile’s relatable story of finding his place in his society, beyond the incredible power he holds, is the best part of the game for me.