Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4 was easily one of the best “superhero games” to hit the market in recent times, and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales builds upon the original to deliver a fresh new experience. Taking advantage of the PlayStation 5’s extra power, Miles Morales is a fantastic-looking game with some meaningful additions over the previous entry in the series.
If you’re a new PS5 owner, Miles Morales is a must-play to showcase the sheer power of the next generation console. The game does have some shortcomings here and there, but it’s still a proper AAA title that does the series justice.
What It Is
Spider-Man: Miles Morales takes place some time after the events of the first game. Miles is the new Spider-Man protecting New York on his lonesome while Peter Parker is away on vacation. If you’ve played the original, you would be right at home with Miles Morales. Both games play very similarly with some small differences here and there.
The Good Stuff
One of the best features of Spider-Man: Miles Morales has to be its gorgeous graphics. Thanks to the PS5’s much beefier hardware, the game can run at 60fps even with ray tracing enabled. Really, the extra frames and improved fidelity make this game an absolutely joy to behold, even as I’m just swinging around the streets of New York.
Besides that, compared to Peter, Miles has more tricks up his sleeves. Not only can he turn invisible – making stealth gameplay a lot easier – he can also channel bioelectricity. This gives him a suite of (very flashy) electro-powered special attacks that make for a more dynamic combat system. Even his finishers look more stylish!
Of course, the immersive world exploration of the first game is very much present in Miles Morales too. It’s essentially the same map as before, though Miles do get his own side missions to pad up the post-story content of the game. Just like the original, Miles Morales has a New Game+ mode as well, which unlocks a number of abilities not available on the initial playthrough.
As for the main storyline of Miles Morales, it’s quite enjoyable. While I do wish it was a tad longer, it still has a fleshed out plot that doesn’t feel rushed or too brief. It explores Miles’ own struggle as Spider-Man, and it feels unique to his character.
The Bad Stuff
Despite leveraging on the extra graphics power of the PS5, Spider-Man: Miles Morales didn’t take advantage of the new DualSense controller as much as I had hoped. There were a number of in-game moments that used the more refined haptic feedback of the controller, but these instances were few and far between.
Same goes for the DualSense’s other big new feature, the adaptive triggers. As I was swinging around New York with Miles, I can feel the adaptive triggers giving some resistance, but they don’t exactly add much to the immersion of the game. In comparison, Astro’s Playroom used the DualSense’s new features much more effectively, but granted, that game was designed to showcase the capabilities of the new controller.
And then there’s the cost of Miles Morales. Even though it retails at RM209 – the going rate for a typical AAA title – you’re not getting a whole lot of content with the game. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed Miles Morales, but it doesn’t exactly compare to, say, the sheer amount of content offered in the original game.
Is It Worth It?
Even though Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is quite expensive for the amount of content that’s included in the game, it’s definitely worth it for those who plan to play it on the PS5 system for the gorgeous graphics, more dynamic combat system, and storyline that expands upon the first game.
If you’re new to the series, Miles Morales is even easier to recommend with the Ultimate Edition, which includes the remastered version of the first game for only RM299. You’re getting much more value for your money with this bundle, given that the remastered edition includes all of the DLCs that were previously released for the game and upgraded visuals.
It’ll be exciting to see what direction Insomniac Games will take with its Spider-Man series after Miles Morales. With two Spider-Mans co-existing in the same universe, this franchise has a lot of potential for growth, and I absolutely cannot wait to play the next instalment of the game.