Shortly after the announcement of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Marvel itself billed the sequel as a darker game that could be likened to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
The first gameplay trailer released during the recent PlayStation Showcase immediately showed Peter Parker being affected by the Symbiote, making him far more aggressive than his usual self.
However, in an interview with Eurogamer, Insomniac pointed out that while the darker tone will be there to respect the characters and lore surrounding Venom and the Symbiote, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will still deliver a story with lots of humor and heart. It’s a difficult balance to strive for, but Creative Director Bryan Intihar complimented his writing team on the work done so far.
They do a great job. But, it’s very, very difficult. But that’s what we owe to the players. We owe that to them, to find that balance between these darker themes with the Symbiote and Kraven and Venom, and maybe others. But also, you know, to make people laugh.
Intihar also praised Peter Parker voice actor Yuri Lowenthal, who recently said playing the infected version of the character had something in common with playing an addict.
Yuri is right. The theme of addiction is prevalent, especially because of the Symbiote. We did a lot of research, not only on previous stories with the Symbiote, but also just looking at when Peter is bonded, what can that feel like? Not to go into too many things about how it plays in the narrative, but we want to treat it very seriously.
It’s not something we want to make fun of. Yuri will forever be my Peter Parker, you know. When I hear Spider-Man, I hear his voice. That’s how well he does as Peter. So I think it can be pretty jarring to hear him talk like that, like he does in the gameplay reveal.
So, it’s about really playing into those themes of addiction, how that can impact someone’s personality, impact the people around them, and you’re going to see that it’s not just how it’s impacting Peter on his own, but also those close to him. You’re going to see that play out throughout the game.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will feature a roughly doubled map size thanks to the additions of Brooklyn and Queens. Character switching will also be in the hands of players when swinging through the open world.
The game’s release is set at some point this Fall (likely in late September, according to rumors) for PlayStation 5. A PC version is also likely coming, albeit in a year or so, given the ports of Spider-Man and Miles Morales.
