Spider-Man: Miles Morales

An electric and eye opening experience

(This piece was originally written in November 2020 but has been edited and reuploaded here)

A visual marvel (tee hee) in almost every shot 

Spider-Man, of all the Marvel superheroes, has seen the most adaptations in any given medium. This is presumably due to his inherently unique abilities (both in combat and traversal) and how relatable he is as an unassuming young student who seemingly carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.  From countless comic books, TV shows, video games and three separate major film franchises within the past 20 years, it would appear to many that everything that could be done with the character has already been tackled. I myself see Spider-Man, specifically Peter Parker, as one of my greatest idols and favourite heroes, growing up with such a wealth of material centered around him. That being said, very few iterations managed to fully click with me in a meaningful way. That was the case until a few years ago.

In 2018, Insomniac Games released Spider-Man on the PlayStation 4 to universal acclaim. The game had been revealed two years prior at E3, and with a spattering of trailers since its announcement, the hype surrounding the game reached fever pitch. The game was praised for its visuals, the bold steps taken in its narrative and for the compelling, easy to grasp yet difficult to master gameplay. Peter in this game was also far more relatable than most other incarnations with time taken out of the action to display Peter and those around him in truly mundane scenarios. It grounded the characters and therefore made the player more invested and subsequently caused the plot points to hit harder. Shortly after the game released and became the fastest selling PlayStation exclusive of all time, Insomniac was acquired by Sony to become a first party developer; this provides financial security for the studio, to create bigger budget games (hopefully with more risks taken) without the fear of having to shut down, at the cost of their future titles exclusivity to the PlayStation console. Insomniac and PlayStation have a storied history, so the acquisition seemed an appropriate and exciting pairing long overdue.

Another exciting pairing that this game set up is also the strength of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; (that holds back many other iterations and properties from the past) an interconnected sense of storytelling with multiple characters that have their eyes to the future. The character in question here is a young bi-racial African American who through happenstance ends up with similar powers to his new friend Peter Parker. In Spider-Man 2018, Miles was a supporting character, who assists at a homeless shelter after meeting Peter due to Miles' own father sacrificing himself during one of the games many set pieces. Receiving his powers at the end of the game, and his supporting characters being part of the B-plot, fans were excited for him to take a more central role in the sequel.

Miles and Peter are so distinct, and work better together because of it

Summer 2020. PlayStation 5 reveal event. Amongst other exciting title announcements and the unveiling of the newest Sony console, Insomniac surprised everyone by kicking off the presentation with a stand alone Miles game coming out at the launch of the console later that same year. It blindsided everyone both in the shocking rapidity of its development and relative proximity in release to its predecessor, but also that Miles had a game all his own. Despite concerns around the games length, gameplay advancements and a cross-generational release (also available on PS4), it released in November 2020 and solidified my faith in Insomniac to handle Spider-Man well, whoever it is that maintains the mantle. Here's why.

As I have described, Spider-Man means a lot to a lot of people. Peter Parker is the quintessential Spider-Man, and in their first attempt Insomniac nailed him. Miles, in every possible sense, is not Peter Parker, in spite of how hard Miles tries to be throughout this narrative. Pre-release, I and others were concerned about how Insomniac would handle the representation and cultural identities that inherently come along with Miles. This concern was confounded within the context that Sony Pictures' Into The Spider-Verse (released in the same year as Insomniacs first game) swung Miles into the mainstream consciousness after years on the fringe of popularity in the comics, and as Insomniac accomplished with Peter, provided a definitive version of Miles. How could Insomniacs rendition possibly live up to that?

It didn't need to.

In retrospect, the entire narrative structure of both Into The Spider-Verse and Spider-Man:Miles Morales was Miles struggling with expectations placed upon him by others and himself, and how he could possibly compare to the living legend that Peter has become. But in any aspect of life imitation often leads to inferiority, incites comparison and leads to disillusion with pursuing whatever it was that drove the action in the first place. Miles in this game, through various narrative developments and interactions/experiences learns that the best way to be Spider-Man... is to not be. Be Yourself. The games tagline. By being himself, the underrepresented and struggling people in the game (often those that Miles has connections with) rally around Miles and choose him as their Spider-Man. Representation matters. And whilst Peter more reflects my own experience, that isn't the case for everyone. Miles can do that for some. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on Disney+  at the moment is convincing me of representational inequalities even more. And in my opinion this game nails that representation; African American, Latino, Asian and even an emphasised secondary role for a black mute woman. It all feels genuine, well intentioned and as far from boxticking as possible. The Disney+ comparison to this game is more apt than I first thought; a side story, that expands on the base canon of the mainline series, but is given the time and care to meaningfully provide character development and tell inevitably more personal and thought provoking narratives that can trump the mainline stories they are built to support. It is far more than filler, B-tier content or DLC. It maintains the systems that worked from the original and adds Miles' style and quirks where necessary. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

A poignant and important mural found within the game

For the reasons above, even just the representation alone, I'm so glad that this game exists and that Insomniac clearly has such a reverence for the characters that they put in the care and work to execute them in near perfect form. Though Miles and his cohort don't necessarily represent/reflect my life experiences, there are universally relatable themes tackled and most importantly of all: it convinced me more than ever before that I would proudly have Miles as my Spider-Man. Worries about Miles' world feeling too similar to Peters are promptly squashed, with Harlem lovingly rendered in winter time with Puerto-Rican flags and market stalls giving the streets that he occupies a distinct and communal feel that strengthens the sense of a smaller story. Spider-Man after all is supposed to be about friendly neighborhoods. Miles and his mother conversing in both English and Spanish further pays homage to his heritage. Miles has his own inexperienced yet stylish flair when swinging and fighting, with a dynamic trap beat underscoring a typical superhero score; this accentuates his familial ties and individuality seeping into his version of a hero. And Miles has extra electric powers that Peter doesn't? That are both visually and mechanically appealing? Say no more. For what will be many peoples first introduction to Miles, it was in my opinion expertly executed and I think it'll make a hell of an impression. I'm more sold on Miles than ever, and cannot wait to see where he is taken as a character in the future.

SH