Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales review: another Sony stunner swings onto PC
The sun-bathed streets of New York City are covered with snow. On a rooftop, a group of crooks are up to no good, as crooks so often are. From the sky a familiar image rains down at breakneck pace. “It’s Spider-Man!”, one of the villains says, before being corrected by one of his fellow criminals. This is the “other guy”, and he’s possibly even better than the original, because he’s got a cat with him.
See the trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PC here:
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales has finally come to PC, roughly two years after it released for the PlayStation 5 (that’s right, the PS5 is two years old now), and it’s well worth the wait. The spinoff story, set over the holiday season, tells a coming-of-age tale about the titular hero, with young Miles left to safeguard NYC while Peter takes a brief sojourn to Europe with Mary Jane Watson.
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The OG Spidey isn’t totally absent, appearing during the game’s thrilling opening segment. Pete and Miles escort a prisoner convoy to the Raft - the high-security prison which featured in Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered - but things take a turn for the worst and the two Webheads are faced with a large group of baddies, with Rhino taking centre stage.
Miles learns a good thing about the consequence of his actions during this struggle, and taps into his bioelectrical ‘venom’ abilities. Basically, young Mr. Morales is able to manipulate electrical currents, and unleash shocking attacks on foes. It means the combat of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is able to take a step forward from the previous game, and it sets up Miles as his own hero.
Out of the suit, Miles is his own person, too. Having just moved into a new home with his mother, Rio Morales, Miles is still grieving over the death of his father Jefferson Davis, but is able to focus on the here and now. Hios friend Ganke - who knows about his alter ego - is staying for the holidays, and his old friend Phin is back in the picture, making for some nice bonding moments.
It’s hard not to compare Miles Morales to Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, as the city is much the same, and the gameplay of swinging and fighting to save the day is similar at its core. Luckily, this game feels enough like its own thing to earn its place in your PC library, thanks to inclusion of features like Miles’ venom powers, as well as his normal life.
The NPC dialogue between Miles and Rio helps remind us of our hero’s relatively young age, and the way the conversation fluidly swaps between English and Spanish adds a nice sense of identity for Miles and his mother.
Another key difference is that Miles Morales is quite a short game when compared to Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. The main campaign can be beaten in under eight hours, and even a completionist run can be finished in less than 20, which is only a little bit longer than the previous game’s main story would take most players. This isn’t a negative per se, but it’s one of the reasons this game feels like a spinoff instead of a sequel.
Of course, we have to talk about the PC-only features. NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling 2 and 3 performance boosting are enabled, as well as Anti-Aliasing, and you can really see the difference when playing. Using a QHD monitor, I’ve been savouring every detail as Miles swings through the city, the many windows reflecting the amber sunlight with gorgeous crispness. (You can see the full PC specs I’m using here.)
Whether playing with mouse and keyboard or controller (I’v mostly e been using this Xbox gamepad), the controls are as responsive as in the PS5 version. The only downside I’ve encountered so far is the occasional pop-in graphic, but that’s not massively impacted my enjoyment.
Having already beaten Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PS5, I’m fully aware of the game’s story. While it’s shorter than the previous game in the series, it’s no less stirring, with moments of joy and sadness delivered to perfection. And as I previously mentioned, there’s a cat who you can take web-swinging with you, so what more do you want?
In short, if you’re a Spider-Man fan with a gaming PC, you’ve got to play this game. From the story to the gameplay, it captures the vibe of being a quippy, caring, web-slinging wonder to a tee. Whether you’re played Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered or not, Miles Morales is a must-play title. Now we just need Gwen Stacy to get her own game.
Pros: Gorgeous visuals, updated combat, cat
Cons: Bit on the short side, very mild visual issues
For fans of: Marvels’ Spider-Man Remastered, Spider-Man in general, open-world action games
9/10: Exceptional
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is out now for PC (version tested). Code for review provided by Sony. Find a guide to GAMINGbible's review scores here.
Topics: Spider Man Miles Morales, PlayStation, PC