Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has a high bar to get over, as both of its predecessors were excellent games with plenty to praise. The original Marvel’s Spider-Man featured an excellent narrative with a few emotional moments that hit most players hard, while Spider-Man: Miles Morales excelled on the gameplay front by trimming the fat from the open world and making Miles’ unique abilities a blast to control. However, neither game was perfect, and the sequel has an opportunity to make key improvements.
Over the years, fans of the Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise have made suggestions about how to improve the game’s swinging and combat, with everything from fighting on walls to launching off the ground with webs being brought up. While Insomniac games will surely have some improvements to deliver on the gameplay front, and could do a lot of interesting things with the Symbiote, the studio should also keep an eye on the small things. Diving into each Spider-Man’s personality and character traits will be key to making them feel different in the sequel, and in the case of Miles, Insomniac should lean into his love of music even more.
Going All in on Music For Miles’ Sections in Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man: Miles Morales used music quite well, with high points being the nighttime swing after the game’s opening sequence, the moment where Miles dons his classic suit, and the gorgeous credits sequence. However, it can be argued that a lot more music would have been nice, as it has become a defining trait for Miles in recent years. Considering how music is tied to a Prowler quest line where Miles restores a beat his uncle and father made, and how brilliantly Into the Spider-Verse uses its soundtrack, more licensed and original songs appearing in the sequel would be ideal.
One simple route Insomniac Games can take is delivering more scripted moments where full songs with lyrics are used. Since fans loved the opening sequence of the original Marvel’s Spider-Man, opening with another non-orchestral piece of music could be worthwhile. Beyond that, ending or opening every act with a song could be an option, especially if said section focuses on Miles. Moments like his big suit-up in the solo game and the “What’s Up Danger” sequence from Into the Spider-Verse are incredible, and turning up the frequency of those scenes could help.
Naturally working music into Miles’ gameplay is another option. While Peter's gameplay could have the traditional style of music from the original game when swinging and fighting thugs, Miles could be vibing to a variety of hit rap songs. These tracks could play whenever gamers swing through the city or work on stopping crimes, only being interrupted by podcasts like the Danikast and Just The Facts. While players could be given the opportunity to switch off this music, letting Miles have some headphones on below his mask could be a perfect way to include more top-notch music in the sequel. Considering that his Spider-Man 2020 suit already comes equipped with a pair of headphones, letting Miles actually make use of them only makes sense.
Building off this idea, an in-game music player could allow gamers to curate their own tracklist whenever they play as Miles, picking and choosing the songs they like while also having the option to add pieces from Insomniac’s score. As for the music that could be included, anything from indie artists to big names like Kendrick Lamar would fit for Miles, and borrowing the Spider-Verse movies’ soundtracks would be a no-brainer. If players had a music player for Miles only, or even one for Peter as well with a different tracklist, Insomniac would be helping the two characters stand out from each other a little bit more. For those who plan on putting dozens of hours into the game, having some extra music to listen to would not hurt, either.
To be clear, the Marvel’s Spider-Man series has used music well whenever it comes up. The opening sequence of the first game where “Alive” played, as well as all the previously mentioned Spider-Man:Miles Morales moments, were major highlights. There should simply be more of them, especially when it comes to the moments where players control Miles. Since music is a passion of his, making rap and hip-hop tracks more prevalent whenever gamers are in the shoes of the young wall-crawler would be an excellent touch.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is currently in development for PS5.
