With the second half of 2023 creeping closer with each passing day, anticipation for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is continuing to grow. Insomniac's sequel to the hit Marvel's Spider-Man has been at the front of many gamers' minds since it was revealed in 2021, and the minimal amount of content shown since then has created more questions than answers. What little info was shared in the reveal demonstrated how Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will be expanding on the foundation built by the first game, but there's one mechanic in particular that leaves Insomniac with a very important decision to make.
Marvel's Spider-Man featured a wide range of gadgets for Peter Parker to take down enemies with. From his standard web shooters to web trip mines, these unlockable gadgets diversified gameplay and helped provide a tangible sense of progression. It's unclear how Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will approach the wall-crawler's gadgets, but it's essential that Insomniac handles the mechanic in a way that doesn't make Peter or Miles feel weaker than they did in previous games. In order to accomplish this, Insomniac should look to the recently released Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for inspiration.
How Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Handles Abilities Across Sequels
In franchises that rely on unlockable abilities to convey progression, it's typical for a sequel in that franchise to start gamers off from square one. The Metroid franchise is one of the strongest examples of this, as Samus Aran's Power Suit loses all of its abilities at the start of each game. While there's certainly nothing wrong with this mechanic if it's implemented well, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor took a different approach that allowed for a continued sense of progression. It also did so without compromising the established narrative, ensuring the importance of Fallen Order's story wasn't diminished in any way.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's core gameplay mechanics revolve around Cal Kestis' Force abilities. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order saw Cal relearning many Force abilities while recovering from the trauma of Order 66, making these abilities a part of the narrative as much as they were a part of gameplay. Jedi: Survivor wisely allowed Cal to keep these abilities, as doing otherwise would trivialize the core of Fallen Order's narrative. It also helps Cal actually feel like a trained Jedi Knight when going from Survivor to Fallen Order, instead of making him weaker for the sake of giving players something to unlock again.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Should Let the Spider-Men Keep Most of Their Gadgets
When it comes to Marvel's Spider-Man 2, it would likely be best if Insomniac took a similar approach to Jedi: Survivor. Gamers already know that Peter Parker has been Spider-Man for years, and at this point, Miles Morales has been Spider-Man for some time as well. While the game could justify a gadget reset through narrative means, allowing Peter and Miles to keep most of the ones from Marvel's Spider-Man and Miles Morales would ensure they still feel like the capable heroes they are. It would also prevent the sequel from feeling like it's treading old ground just to give players something to work toward.
Balancing the innovation of a sequel with the established mechanics of a franchise is tricky business for every developer, and that's arguably most true when it comes to diversifying gameplay. While the Metroid way of doing things has proven reliable for decades, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's handling of abilities ensures a feeling of progression across games. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 could very well clean the slate on Peter and Miles' gadgets and still provide a stellar experience, but giving them at least a few from the first game could help the sequel feel like a true step forward for the franchise.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 releases in 2023 for the PS5.