With the smash hit of 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, everyone’s been waiting on their third instalment. The movie, Beyond the Spider-Verse, was initially rumoured to be released in early 2024. Still, due to the complex animation style and extensive plotline, it was only natural to be delayed. So it was a treat when the animators announced a short film, The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story, on 27 March 2024.
In collaboration with the Kevin Love Fund, they have created the lesson, “The Hero Within,” a lesson plan with a creative storyboard activity for students who want to express themselves through drawing and writing. The Spider Within revolves around the main character of the Spider-Verse series, Miles Morales, getting overwhelmed with his mountain of responsibilities, both as a teenager in school and as Spider-Man. One of the most unique aspects of Spider-Verse is Miles’ relationship with his parents and how caring they are. Jefferson Morales, his father, immediately senses something is wrong with Miles after he turns down a movie night.
The scene that follows is filled with terrifying imagery of Miles’ inner thoughts and he has an intense panic attack. The animation with the sound design feels as if you can feel his anxiety and stress. He finally reaches out to his dad and opens up about the current state of his mental health. The “The Hero Within” lesson plan aims to get teenagers like Miles to open up to their parents. Mental health can cause people to hold their burdens to themselves and The Spider Within shows us that it’s okay to share them.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse was undoubtedly one of the best-animated films ever made which managed to capture the essence of Spider-Man better than any other film. Fans of the previous film’s animation have a lot waiting for them in the store as its sequel will feature multiple animation styles in the forefront. If there is one thing fans can expect from Sony’s Spider-Verse films is that they will be left surprised by the animation and writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are making sure of it!
Spider-Verse becomes more vibrant!
I was taken aback by the first film’s visuals when I saw it initially. It felt like an acid trip caught on celluloid delivering a cinematic experience like no other. In the second film, the Spider-Verse will be explored furthermore with more and more Spider-People jumping in from the multiverse with each of them having a distinct animation style. The latest actor to join the spider gang is Daniel Kaluuya who will be seen playing the character of Spider-Punk, an edgy iteration of the web-slinging hero. The film will feature Peter Parker, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Woman, and Miles Morales. We also expect a dash of Spider-Noir and a splash of the comedic Spider-Pig. That’s a lot of spiders!
Lord and Miller recently sat down for an interview with Empire where they revealed that while the first film had one animation style which dominated the film, this one has six. This creative choice was made by the makers in order to wow the audience every time the multiverse entered a new environment. The teaser of the sequel only focussed on two of the styles while four others are yet to be revealed. Interestingly, one of the animation themes known as ‘Mumbattan’ is inspired by the Indian comic book style. It will be interesting to see how this ‘Desi Tadka’ inspires the mammoth Hollywood animation film!
Spider-Man is my favorite superhero character from all of Marvel and DC lore. Peter Parker represents all of us in some way by trying to strike a balance between his normal and superhero life. When the Spider-Man game by Insomniac had initially released on PS4, I was skeptical of it being a cash grab. The past superhero-related games had left a sour taste in my mouth, with the exception of the Batman: Arkham series. However, I was taken by surprise at how wonderful the game was. It perfectly blends the story and spectacle staple to a Spider-Man story, creating an immersive experience for the player.
The PC Experience
I was definitely confused when the announcement of the game for the PC platform was made. I was convinced that players will not have a good experience with the game on PC as it felt like a perfect fit for the PlayStation controller. I am glad to say that I was completely wrong! Spider-Man’s swing is definitely one of the finest movements ever seen in any gameplay and controlling it via a keyboard and mouse felt smoother to me than on the PlayStation. Marvel’s Spider-Man was undoubtedly a visually pleasing game on the PS4 that was then given a bump in performance with PS5. However, on the PC platform, with the right specifications, one can squeeze out everything the game has to offer at the performance level.
I played this game on an Intel i9 12th Gen system sporting the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti coupled with 32GB RAM. There was never a question of whether the game would play well on this system, but about how well it will perform! I was surprised to see that it consistently provided 4K gameplay without any lags and dropping the resolution down to 1080P made it smooth like butter. With the correct specifications, there is no doubt that Marvel’s Spider-Man will perform excellently on PC.
Story
Marvel’s Spider-Man does not waste any time in showing the character’s origin story as it has been told and retold many a time in pop culture. While the game has been out for years, I won’t be diving into spoilers as everyone deserves to experience this gameplay and the story afresh. The Spider-Man we see in this game is an already-established friendly neighborhood hero who is trying to balance his life. He works as an apprentice to Dr. Otto Octavius and the dynamics of their relationship are also explored. Spider-Man’s classic characters like Mary Jane and Aunt May are also present here. There is also a heartwarming Stan Lee cameo that makes you go ‘aww’. To simplify the plot, it is Spider-Man’s ultimate battle against the sinister six. Sony was keen to introduce the Sinister Six back with Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man series but did not get to do so due to the lukewarm response to the franchise’s second installment. However, with Insomniac’s game, Sony finally brought Sinister Six from comic book pages to the screen. Another element of the game that feels like a well-fleshed-out character itself is New York City. There is a lot to do in downtown Manhattan in this game and completing the side quests gets you different gadgets and suits. And how can one forget the suits? The suits here are beautiful and something a Spider-Man fan can only dream to see in live-action. The fight sequences could feel repetitive after a point but they lead to a cinematic conclusion that keeps you hooked till the end. Ultimately, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is a treat for all Marvel and gaming fans in general! Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is priced at Rs 3,999 on major retail platforms.
Rating – ★★★★
Verdict
Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man swings his way to your PC! The game is as fun on the PC platform as it was on PlayStation. With its indulgent visuals and story, Marvel’s Spider-Man should be on your list of games to play. This is surely one of the best Spider-Man adventures ever portrayed in pop culture which even casual fans will enjoy!
