A launch title for the PS5 that can also be played on the PS4, “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales” generated a lot of excitement ahead of its Nov. 12 release. The game is an “expansion” of the highly praised “Marvel’s Spider-Man” with the campaign length estimated to be 12 hours long, roughly half of the first game.

Insomniac Games’ previous title had a motto of “Be Greater.” However, this new game took it a step further saying, “Be Greater, Be Yourself.” The motto truly comes to life as the main character, Miles Morales, learns to escape from Peter Parker’s shadow and how to do this “Spider-Man thing” his own way. 

Miles takes on the main villain, the Tinkerer, along with her group, “the Underground,” and a company that is known as “Roxxon.” Defending his new neighborhood of Harlem, Miles becomes a hero, which is inspiring to see.   

Miles is given a distinct feel in the way he swings around the photorealistic New York — diving, flipping, and sometimes falling on his stomach. While playing the game, you can feel the inexperience that Miles has compared to Peter Parker in the original game. The differences in the animations really sets the two different characters apart. 

The combat also has a new look from the previous game. Miles utilizes more punches, as opposed to Peter who uses more kicks. Miles also has a unique skill set including “venom power” and “camouflage,” that makes his combat more engaging. 

The game also offers unlockable suits, and gadget and skill upgrades that make Miles feel more powerful and slightly different. There are side missions for collecting tokens that are used to unlock these new suits and gadget upgrades. There are also time capsules where you can find collectibles and unlock memories that Miles has. 

The voice acting and cutscenes feel genuine, providing an emotional and engaging story. Miles feels like a normal teenager making mistakes and learning how to handle many things at once. He has a desire to fix the mistakes he makes and is willing to die if it will save thousands of others. 

The game does somewhat suffer from repetitiveness in some of the side missions, and the enemies that Miles encounters. From the beginning, most of the opponents Miles faces are a lot of the same. Another small issue with the game is its short length; it can be too easy to reach the end of the campaign quickly.

“Spider-Man Miles Morales” is a great game with a captivating story and ending. It is easy to become invested in the characters and the ending proves to be very emotional. The combat is new with abilities that are unique to Miles. The game does suffer from repetitiveness, but overall, it is a fun game with many positives and charms.