Marvel’s Spider-Man , from Insomniac Games, is easily among the most anticipated titles being discussed at E3 2017. A long gameplay sequence during the PlayStation E3 2017 Press Conference gave fans a deep look into all the web-slinging, crane-saving, wise-cracking fun they’ve come to expect from their beloved Spider-Man. That love can be dangerous, though, explained Creative Director Bryan Intihar.
"One of the greatest things about this game is that everyone knows spiderman,” he said during an E3 2017 press event. “And one of the hardest things about this game is that everyone knows Spider-Man."
In order to do it right Insomniac worked closely with Marvel on the best approaches for characters, villains and events. A big part of the reason Insomniac decided to tease Miles Morales at the end of the trailer was to let fans know, specifically, the Marvel universe they’re dealing with. In Marvel’s Spider-Man Peter Parker is 23-years-old, including eight years as an active superhero. This means his gadgets and techniques will be a little more advanced than the kinds of stuff we’ll see in the Spider-Man: Homecoming origin story threeboot we’ll see in movie theaters this summer.
"It tells you that this is a different Spider-Man universe," he said. “We knew this character was beloved … It's very important to get the character right."
Beyond the characters themselves, Insomniac is focusing on telling a story that gets at the defining tension across the Spider-Man franchise: Peter Parker’s life vs Spider-Man’s life. Intihar explained that the best Spider-Man stories at their core are about when Peter’s personal life spills over into his superhero exploits. The villain for Marvel’s Spider-Man , Mister Negative, is a great example. In the trailer Peter recognizes him as Mr. Li, Aunt May’s boss and a philanthropist who runs a massive charity.
"So there's the worlds colliding, and that's kind of driving us as we create our story. You're going to see more of that in the months to come,” he said.
Don’t expect all of Marvel’s Spider-Man to be as scripted as what Insomniac and Sony are promoting at E3 2017. Intihar said large-scale, scripted sequences represent a “fraction” of what’s in the game, and the emphasis really will be on open-world exploration and stealth combat scenarios like the construction site fights also in the trailer. He couldn’t comment much on the game’s overall length, either, but said he hopes it ends up being “beefy.”
Those fight scenes weren’t your typical action-adventure violence, though. Look closely and you’ll see that Spider-Man avoids killing anyone, akin to the way he behaves in the comics and movies. So all those carefully orchestrated non-lethal takedown animations are tied to Insomniac’s overall goal to make this game as on point and authentic as possible.
"The scenarios we create are about saving people, not killing people" Intihar said.
Alongside the colossal weight of Spider-Man’s legacy, Insomniac must contend with the rose-colored nostalgia for 2004’s Spider-Man 2 game. It’s widely regarded as the best open world Spider-Man experience and Intihar joked during the event that “yes, we have played it” and acknowledged that expectations are high.
"That game for a lot of people is what they think of when they think of an open world spiderman experience,” he said. “We didn't want to give you the exact same thing that they did, so we wanted to expand on that.”
Marvel’s Spider-Man is set for release in 2018 on PS4.
