Marvel's Spider-Man for PlayStation 4 finally provided what many players had been asking for since the release of Spider-Man 2 for the PlayStation 2 in 2004, that being, a AAA Spider-Man game with fun open-world gameplay and satisfying swinging mechanics. Insomniac’s Spider-Man was quickly followed up with the equally well-received Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and now the two Spider-protagonists are teaming up for the highly anticipated Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which is releasing for PS5 in 2023.
During the wait for Spider-Man 2, many fans are occupying themselves by imagining what kind of new features could be added to the game, and discussing how the first Spider-Man game could be improved upon.
Now a Spider-Man fan on Reddit has shared their dream inclusion for an open-world gameplay feature in Spider-Man 2. The Reddit User, named Eamo, has shared the idea of including random disasters throughout the city that aren't specifically caused by criminals. Spider-Man does contain many optional open-world missions which see the player stopping a crime in progress, however, a lot of these encounters quickly become variations on "go to a location and beat up a group of criminals." Eamo’s gameplay suggestion, however, would introduce an element of cinematic urgency to these open-world events.
The possible disasters suggested by the Reddit user include saving civilians from burning buildings, and stopping runaway trains, both of which are emblematic of classic Spider-Man moments that have been seen before in Spider-Man comics, films, and other video games. Spider-Man isn't a superhero solely dedicated to beating up criminals after all, and they can often be found simply helping out New York City civilians.
Combat is an essential aspect of the superhero video game genre, and to the primary gameplay loop of Marvel's Spider-Man, although it is nice for players to have a break from constant fist fights, and explore other iconic sides of Spider-Man as a character. Spider-Man does have many side quests which invoke the character's more friendly and heroic sides, but to have these moments occur naturally in open-world gameplay would add to the immersive feeling of swinging through New York City as Spider-Man.
Insomniac’s Spider-Man games do include some cinematic moments during main-missions in which players have to save civilians from disaster through QTEs, and the Reddit user’s open-world gameplay suggestion could work similarly to these. The optional open-world crime in progress missions in Spider-Man are relayed to the player through police dispatch radio calls, but an open-world disaster as described by the Reddit user could be better differentiated by using Spider-Man's own spider-sense to tell the player that civilians nearby are in need of urgent help.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is scheduled to release in 2023 on PS5.