Insomniac’s Spider-Man Shouldn’t Have Surprised Me

When Insomniac studios revealed they were making a Spider-Man ps4 game I was excited but surprised. I was confident they would make a great game but them making a Spider-man game was something I would have never predicted. In hindsight, thinking about insomniac’s history makes Spider-Man seem like an extension on a lot of concepts they’ve used within their previous works. Specifically my favourite Insomniac series Ratchet & Clank.

The first similarity I noticed between Spider-Man and other Insomniac titles is how the characters switch between weapons and gadgets. Spider-Man adds to the long list of Insomniac games where a wide variety of weapons and gadgets can be selected through the pause menu but also using a more convenient weapon/gadget wheel. Although Spider-Man doesn’t have an extensive arsenal like ratchet and clank, basic, high impact, tripwire and electric webbing are just a few of Spider-Man’s options to deal with enemies. At first I was a little taken aback by the amount of gadgetry Spider-Man had at his disposal but I got over it quickly for two reasons. Firstly, using an older version of Peter Parker who worked as a scientist and making advanced technology prevalent through the whole setting makes it seem like Insomniacs version of Spider-Man should have a bunch of technology to utilize. Secondly, remembering how heavily the ratchet & clank series uses gadgets furthered this notion. On the topic of Ratchet & Clank gadgets, the swingshot gadget in that series of course is used somewhat like Spider-Man’s webswinging. While Spider-Man uses webswinging to travel quickly and ratchet uses the swingshot to get to areas he normally couldn’t access, they both serve as each character’s equivalent of a grappling hook. Admittedly, Spider-Man’s swinging is far more influenced by previous Spider-Man titles than the swingshot but when considering Ratchet & Clank portions that need quick switching between the swingshot and grindboots it’s clear that fluid character movement has been apparent in earlier Insomniac titles. Even the in air tricks Spider-Man can do handle like the hoverboard tricks in the Rachet & Clank Series, with one trick named Spidey Mcmarx after Ratchet and Clank character skid mcmarx. Another gadget staple in the Ratchet & Clank series is some form of hacking device. Miles uses some hacking to get himself out of tough situations in Spider-Man, but the hacking in Ratchet & Clank is actually closer to the puzzles Peter solves in Octavios’ lab. In particular Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank future: tools of destruction both have electric circuit puzzles that operate differently but have the same central concept.

Beyond gadget and weapon related similarities there ratchet and clank games and Spider-Man also have similarities in regards to character and other gameplay aspects. With characters in mind, the first similarity I noticed is how they use supporting characters to diversify gameplay. In both cases you go from controlling a very powerful character to controlling more vulnerable ones. In Spider-Man this is when you take control of miles or Mary Jane where you need a lot more stealth and planing to be successful. In Ratchet & Clank this usually occurs when Clank is separated from Ratchet. With basic enemies posing a much bigger threat to Clank when he is by himself he must recruit other creatures or solve puzzles to progress safely. Where character personalities are concerned there both Spider-Man and there Ratchet & Clank series have likeable, funny and charming characters but it’s actually my least favourite character in Spider-Man that most reminds me of the Ratchet & Clank series. For the most part Spider-Man does a great job of using some of Spider-Man’s best villains while also saving some for future games. So the inclusion of the villain Screwball is surprising but less so when considering some of the arena challenges throughout the Ratchet and Clank games. In the second and third Ratchet & Clank game their are arena combat sections you can compete in to earn currency and by Ratchet Deathlocked the main premise is that Ratchet is forced to compete on a violent combat gameshow. For me Screwball wasn’t as entertaining as the characters associated with Deadlocked’s game show theme but her inclusion still seems like an extension of Insomniac’s older ideas. Using these challenges to receive upgrade materials is also somewhat like how Ratchet & Clank arena’s could be used to grind for bolts.

The more I consider Spider-Man and Ratchet and Clank Series side by side, the more similarities I start to notice. Let’s hope the similarities mean that Spider-Man will move beyond being a great game and become a great series.