Insomniac Games has shared early details about Marvel's Spider-Man 2's skill tree system and there are some interesting changes already confirmed. Both the first Spider-Man Insomniac game and its Miles Morales sequel also featured skill trees, allowing players to customize Peter Parker and Miles Morales' abilities based on their preferences. That system is returning in Spider-Man 2, but with a catch. Since Peter Parker isn't the only playable Spider-Man in Spider-Man 2, Insomniac is changing the skill tree system to fit the new game's action.
In both Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, players were given a trio of skill trees to progress through. In the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker had three skill trees. Innovator focused on creative crowd-control actions like throwing enemies and objects, Defender helped build focus and increase combat survival, and Webslinger targeted mid-air and ranged combat actions. Miles Morales' three skill trees in the sequel were more streamlined and focused on direct combat actions, his Venom skills, and camouflage abilities. Each character brought their own spin to Spider-Man combat.
Spider-Man 2 will allow players to swap between both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, and so has a skill tree system built around that. Spider-Man 2 game director Ryan Smith spoke on the subject in a recent interview with Eurogamer. Smith says that both Peter Parker and Miles Morales will have their own skill tree, and a third will be shared between the two. Smith says this is so that "there's a sense of familiarity" even when switching between Parker and Morales.
According to Smith, Peter Parker's skill tree in Spider-Man 2 may be dramatically different than in the original Spider-Man. Those who viewed the recent Spider-Man 2 gameplay trailer from the PlayStation showcase will understand why. Parker's skill tree will focus on his Symbiote abilities. Abilities shown in the trailer include a long-range punch that sticks an enemy to a wall, a dash that captures multiple enemies in goo and launches them in the air, and another that grabs multiple enemies and slams them onto the ground.
When comparing these abilities to the first Spider-Man game from Insomniac, there's a clear difference. Stylistically, the abilities are all much more explosive and violent. Parker can summon arms, tendrils, and more to launch at enemies, which combo into direct attacks or CC. Parker's original skill tree largely focused on individual targets, disarming or distracting enemies, resource management, and utilizing one's environment. In Spider-Man 2, Parker's goal seems more oriented toward grouping up enemies and demolishing them with destructive combinations.
Miles Morales, on the other hand, is not going through the same reinvention that Peter Parker is. He is growing more aware of his own powers, however. That's why Smith describes Morales' new skill tree as featuring "evolved Venom powers." We see these in action in the trailer. Morales is able to stealth one-shot robotic drones, teleport a short distance and explode in a disorienting electrical storm, and stun foes mid-air with a shocking blast that can also stream out to other foes nearby.
The skill trees in the Spider-Man: Miles Morales game did also include a Venom tree. This tree focused on Morales' ability to stun foes with Venom, either through a Venom Smash attack or with jumps and dashes. The new Venom abilities appear to have much larger and more impactful results. The Venom Smash looks like it returns, but now Morales can teleport and even shoot electricity out into groups of enemies.
The third skill tree for Spider-Man 2 is said to be shared between both Peter Parker and Miles Morales. This tree will likely deal with more general Spider-Man abilities. Perhaps the gliding ability that Morales does while traversing the city is included in this, or the ability to create webbing lines freely while looking for stealth takedowns. What's clear here is that Insomniac is building on the abilities players already know from previous games, rather than taking away.
Without more gameplay from Spider-Man 2, it isn't entirely clear how Insomniac is improving the gameplay from prior games. It does seem like Insomniac wasn't fights to be bigger and even more exciting than what it previously offered, though. Both Parker and Morales have abilities to deal damage to groups and to counter powerful foes. Perhaps that means more enemies on-screen, and more powerful enemies, at that. Expect to find out more information about Spider-Man 2 over the next several months.
Spider-Man 2 releases in late 2023 on PS5.
Source: Eurogamer
