Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 drops in October — Here’s what to expect from the new game

Photos from Sony/Insomniac Games

Insomniac Games probably took a gamble with Marvel’s Spider-Man, but it eventually turned out to be a good one. It was a huge success. Just with its first licensed game, Insomniac showed comic book fans and gamers alike how it’s done: proper storytelling and the easily enjoyable and immersive gameplay made for an overall, er, amazing experience.

Riding on that success, Insomniac released Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales just two years after. While the spinoff had a much shorter storyline and playtime than the first game, it took everything that was good in its predecessor and made it even better.

Now, after a three-year wait, Insomniac is nearly done cooking the next game in the franchise: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The official sequel is dropping on October 20, 2023, exclusively on PlayStation 5. To say that we fans are stoked—even those stuck with PS4s like yours truly—would be an understatement.

Another potential Game of the Year candidate? Let’s be real—it’s too early to tell. But we’re expecting Insomniac Games to hit the mark once again with this one. Now, if you’ve been a bit disconnected and still have no idea what we’re going to get with the new Spider-Man game when it’s finally out, we’ll list down here five things you should expect from it.

1. Old names, new faces

Headlining Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be the two bug-bitten superheroes Peter Parker and Miles Morales. Other familiar faces for this installation include Mary Jane Watson and Norman Osborn. Norman’s son and Peter’s best friend Harry, who was constantly mentioned throughout the first game, will also finally make his first appearance.

Yuri Watanabe, who started her supposed transition into the Wraith in The City That Never Sleeps DLC, might have also made a very brief appearance in the story trailer. If it was her, then we still don’t know whether she’ll be an ally and a playable character and or a formidable foe.

Speaking of foes, there’ll be new ones, too, of course. Kraven, known as Kraven the Hunter in the comic books, makes his debut as one of the game’s main antagonists. Curt Connors or The Lizard—you probably saw him in The Amazing Spider-Man movie already—will also make an appearance.

Other notable appearances? Well, Ganke’s still there, and he was shown as part of the action after seemingly hacking an enemy drone. Perhaps we’ll see more of him joining the fights? Surprisingly, Martin Li might also have something to do with the storyline.

2. Cooler web maneuvers

One of the biggest appeals of the first two games in this franchise was the fact that you could just swing around New York as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and have a lot of fun while you’re at it. That would still be the case for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, but character movements seem to have expanded a bit here.

From the gameplay trailer, we see Miles launching from atop a building and gliding all the way to his destination. This would probably make for even more difficult and fun mini-games similar to the Taskmaster Challenges in the first game.

Stealth will still be a big factor in a lot of situations, but it appears this time, the two Spider-Men can move, well, more like spiders now. Miles was seen to have the ‘web line’ ability that allowed him to make his own paths to tread when infiltrating enemy territory.

3. New combat moves

It’s not just about the web-swinging—it looks like both Peter and Miles will have a lot of new combat moves, too. In this sequel, Peter will be corrupted by the symbiote, and at some point, he’ll be playable in combat with Venom-like moves. Miles, meanwhile, seems to have a better grasp of his abilities now. Judging by the gameplay trailer, he now has more moves that utilize his electric ‘venom.’

We can expect there’ll be a lot of new stealth takedown maneuvers, too. If you’re like me and you like clearing enemy bases unnoticed, you’re probably excited about that as well.

For the most part, however, combat controls will still be the same. We’re pretty sure many of you liked how combat worked in the first two games, so this should come as good news to you.

4. A darker storyline

Aunt May’s death in Marvel’s Spider-Man was heartbreaking. Phin’s death felt even more so. We’re expecting more gut-wrenching moments from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, especially since the game’s developers themselves said this one will be darker.

We’re not sure what will happen to Harry Osborn, but the trailer suggests he’ll eventually Venom’s host. The symbiote probably be what keeps him alive—much like how it cured Eddie Brock of cancer in the comics—but it may also very well be a cause of his demise. But we’re just theorizing here based on what the trailer showed us.

In any case, we’re stoked to see what Insomniac has come up with. A corrupted Peter Parker, a seemingly stronger and wiser Miles Morales, and a beefy, muscular Venom… man, October can’t come any sooner.