Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a must-play video game: review

Miles Morales is not Peter Parker. Yes, like Peter, he can do the things that a spider can, and he dons a badass costume to swing his way around Manhattan when he’s not balancing schoolwork and hanging with friends.

But from his “venom” abilities to his costume, Miles Morales is very much his own character. And the magic of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, arguably the most ballyhooed release title of the new console generation, is that the game captures all these differences and lets Morales be that independent character.

Morales stars in one of the most hyped video games of the year, and the game that helps set the tone for the new PlayStation 5 (and perhaps this entire new console generation). This is a visual feast of an adventure, and a mini-tech demo for the just-released PS5 all rolled into one.

This new console generation is about wildly immersive visuals, reflections and lighting effects, and it’s about faster load times that keep you in the moment in the game that much more effectively. Miles Morales showcases all those things in stunning 4K/HDR, pushing you from cutscene ton in-game action to cutscene and back with no interruption. During one early brawl with Rhino, the action shifts so quickly (and yet fluidly) that you’ll still be pressing buttons once the battle’s been one.

It’s a triumph of tech that’s a visual marvel from start to finish. Like many games you’re going to see in the early PlayStation 5 era, you’re given a choice between performance visuals (a higher frame rate but slightly fewer lighting effects and no ray tracing) or more effects. Choose the effects, because your PS5 can handle this, and the visuals are spectacular. There’s nothing quite like sticking to the outside of a Manhattan high-rise and seeing Miles’ complete reflection in the window.

The game also manages to showcase the new DualSense controller in all its glory. Haptic ticks spit from the controller whenever you swing your web, and the controller speaker delivers standout sounds that continue to immerse you in the action. It all has you playing and never ever putting the controller down; it’s easy to get lost in Miles Morales’ adventure.

That’s for two reasons. First off, Manhattan has never looked this good. Developer Insomniac Games overloads you with extra details that make the city come to life, delivering a Christmas narrative complete with falling snow, and a more vibrant city than the original Marvel’s Spider-Man, a spectacular game in its own right, once had. It’s a beautiful, well-lit city with plenty to do, from new side quests to an exciting and fun new enemy that you’re not expecting.

Gameplay meanwhile, manages to feel distinct. At its core, yes, this is the same Spider-man control scheme as it was in the first game, but Miles has his own feel, swinging about to a hip-hop-thump soundtrack, and getting bonus points for doing tricks as he free falls toward the ground when swinging. It’s the little things that transform Miles into his own character, and by the end, he certainly feels like a different Spidey. It helps that Peter Parker sets the tone early, giving Miles plenty of reason to be his own man.

The ending adventure is as strong as one of Spidey’s near-indestructible webs, and one of the first must-plays of the new console generation.

4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed on Sony PlayStation 5

Available on PS4, PS5