Spider-Man may just be the most prolific superhero when it comes to video games. The beloved wall-crawler has featured in countless games including some based on films, some constituting standalone Spider-Man adventures, and others featuring broader collections of Marvel superheroes. But for the past five years, we actually haven’t had an original Spider-Man console game that wasn’t tied to a film release.
That’s not to say there haven’t been games. One well-known example is Spider-Man Unlimited, an endless runner developed as part of Gameloft’s admirable lineup of mobile entertainment. It’s a very popular game that adopts a format similar to that of Temple Run, but with Spider-Man characters and capabilities, as well as a background that looks like a hand drawn comic. The app was first released in 2013, and it may be fair to say there hasn’t been a better Spider-Man game since.
Also outside of the category of film-based Spider-Man games is The Amazing Spider-Man slot machine, a traditional casino experience that mimics an arcade feel. Browsing through some of the themed gaming concepts based on comics, movies, and more offered online, you can quickly see that this is a more dynamic game than most other online slots. Based on stories from the comic books (rather than the film of the same name), it offers players the chance to engage in fun bonus games like picking directions to track down Venom through the streets of New York and saving Mary Jane. Thanks to this kind of activity, it’s far more than your standard slot reel and is a pretty fun experience for Spider-Man fans.
While smaller games like these have trickled out, the console market has been without a wholly original Spider-Man game (meaning one not based on film) for five years now. But that’s all going to change in 2017. Marvel and Insomniac have partnered to create a new Spider-Man console game aimed at launching a new era of Marvel dominance in the console gaming market.
A page about the game’s release at Insomniac promises that this forthcoming title will be “Spider-Man unlike any you’ve played before.” In part this is due to what sounds like an expanded movement and combat system (parkour is mentioned specifically in addition to the usual swinging and wall crawling) and a richer surrounding environment. The developer also notes that this “isn’t the Spider-Man you’ve met before, or seen in a movie,” further emphasizing the idea that this is a completely original experience.
As for the details of the game where plot and gameplay are concerned, we don’t have a great deal of information yet. It’s been suggested that this game could be Spider-Man’s Arkham Asylum, and anyone who’s fallen in love with Rocksteady’s Batman games knows that’s meant as high praise. Additionally, a great deal has been made of the visual beauty of the new game. The game is expected to be about as high definition as a modern video game can get and will take advantage of the highest capabilities of the PS4 and the forthcoming PS4 Pro.
All things considered, if this is as good as it sounds it might have the potential to kick off a new chapter in Marvel gaming.