Though it will be some time before players learn what tasks will be featured on the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Trophy list, it would be great to see the challenges featured on it being a bit more varied and interesting. Many fans will surely be more focused on potential villain appearances in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, as well as theories about how Insomniac will utilize its two heroes, but one area where it would be nice to see some improvement is the Trophy list.
While the Trophy list from the original Marvel’s Spider-Man was not bad by any means, it was a bit simple, making for an easily achievable Platinum that lacked major challenges. The game followed the usual formula for PlayStation exclusives, featuring a Trophy list that asked players to do little more than reach 100% completion. With the sequel, Insomniac should add a number of creative Trophies and miscellaneous tasks for players to work on.
How To Make Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Trophy List Feel Fresh
Many of Marvel’s Spider-Man’s Trophies were tied directly to finishing story missions and side activities, with straightforward objectives like fully completing Districts and unlocking every suit. Though it makes sense to have some Trophies focused on full completion, Insomniac Games leaned a bit too far into this direction with the first game’s Trophy list. As such, sticking with only the District completion Trophies instead of having numerous Trophies for completing collectible sets and side content would be ideal. This way, there would be a lot more room for unique achievements.
Some suit-specific tasks could be a lot of fun, and with how vast the costume lineup has been thus far, there are plenty of opportunities for fun tasks. For instance, if Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 adds the Devil Spider costume to Peter or Miles' arsenal, players could get a Daredevil-inspired challenge like stopping 3 random crimes in Hell’s Kitchen while wearing the outfit. The Trophy’s name could be a fun nod to the hero as well, being titled “The Man Without Fear” or “The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.” Gamers could be tasked with knocking out a certain number of enemies using specific suit abilities, too, pushing them to play with Spidey’s whole arsenal instead of sticking with one power like Web Blossom.
More Easter egg-related Trophies could be fun to see on the list as well. The “With Great Power” Trophy from the first game that tasked players with visiting the grave of Uncle Ben was memorable, and it marked a great final Trophy for many fans of the wall-crawler. Perching atop Avengers Tower was another neat Trophy to collect. With Insomniac Games filling its version of New York City with references to the wider Marvel universe, the developer should push players to see all its hard work, asking them to pose outside the Sanctum Sanctorum, the office of Nelson and Murdock, and so on. Tasking players with visiting several Marvel landmarks in a certain amount of time could be one route to take for a Trophy, as the race would reward players who have mastered the game’s traversal and know the map well.
Alongside suit-focused challenges and a larger focus on Easter egg-related Trophies, Insomniac should give players some slightly tougher combat tasks to work on. The 100x combo in the spin-off game Spider-Man: Miles Morales was a major step in the right direction, so another combo-focused task would be welcome. Beyond that, swapping out Trophies like the first game’s “Perfect Dodge 10 Attacks” task with something like “Perfect Dodge 10 Attacks in a Row” would result in a more engaging achievement to hunt for. While having an easy list that unlocks naturally is not necessarily a bad thing, it has become a bit too common with major PlayStation exclusives.
Insomniac’s first shot at a Trophy list for the Marvel’s Spider-Man series had its strengths, like no missable Trophies and no difficulty-related objectives that demanded multiple playthroughs. However, it was a bit too basic, with the combat tasks requiring almost no effort and the completion-related Trophies being a bit too boring. With the next game, Insomniac should deliver a greater mix of interesting objectives comparable to reaching the top of Avengers tower, as well as proper challenges like reaching a 100 combo. Suit-related objectives that reference certain characters or ask players to use their unique abilities in clever ways would be welcome, too. Ultimately, though many may not care about a more varied Trophy list, those that do will surely appreciate a lineup that shakes things up a bit.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is scheduled to release in 2023 for PS5.
