Earlier this week, Insomniac dropped its second trailer for the PS4-exclusive Marvel’s Spider-man. The trailer shared a more in-depth look at story elements and gameplay mechanics, as well as one piece of gameplay footage that features a playable Mary Jane Watson. Creative director Bryan Intihar confirmed what had only been a speculation with IGN a few days ago.
“It's a very different experience to playing as Spider-Man," Intihar revealed to IGN, "and it stays true to her character, in terms of her background that she's a reporter for the Daily Bugle. It captures that feeling. Also, the other thing for us is that, even though we are creating a superhero world in the fantasy, we thought it'd be interesting to show what it's like to be a character who doesn't have superpowers, what it's like to be that person in a superhero world, and actually control that character."
This will offer a nice change of pace, especially in consideration of the slew of Spider-Man games we’ve been treated to for nearly two decades now. Based on Intihar’s brief description, Spidey’ web slinging action will be married with a lean towards detective/espionage elements helmed by Mary Jane. This is congruent with the mystery dynamic introduced in the most recent trailer, which repudiates MJ’s long-standing role of damsel in distress. Insomniac’s interpretation of the character isn’t just an object that causes Peter confliction or gives stakes to his narratives. Intithar expounds on this point:
“I really like her role in the game, and to put her in a role that maybe we haven't seen as much. It's less of a damsel in distress, she's much more of a capable contributor, a risk-taker in this game."
In addition to the confirmation of a playable MJ, Miles Morales was also revealed as a more prominent feature of the game’s story. Is his inclusion an ill omen of Parker’s fate? Will he too be a playable character? We’ll have to wait and see when Marvel’s Spider-Man hits shelves in 2018.
