Marvel’s Spider-Man made its worldwide debut on the PlayStation 4 way back in September of 2018. A few days prior to that, I published my in-depth review of the critically acclaimed action-adventure game, describing it as a swinging success filled with brutally satisfying combat, extraordinary characters, and an engrossing storyline set within an immersive world.
With the upcoming release of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Insomniac Games have given players the option of buying either the standalone version for $49.99 or the Ultimate Edition packed with Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered for $69.99. In this brief spoiler-free review, I’ll share a few of my thoughts on this remaster and describe what exactly PS5 players can expect from this particular version of the game.
A Strong Foundation
If you never played the original game, then this is without a doubt your best opportunity to experience the entire story in all its unified glory. From the moment I picked up my DualSense controller and jumped back into the campaign, I was instantly reminded why this is an impressive Spider-Man game that not only honored Peter’s love of science but also paved the way for Miles’ beautifully crafted storyline followup. Everything that Insomniac learned from creating this game resulted in making Spider-Man: Miles Morales a more refined experience and therefore, you owe it to yourself to see where everything started.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered includes the base game and all of the previously released The City That Never Sleeps DLC content including The Heist, Turf Wars, and Silver Lining. As was detailed in a PlayStation Blog post back in September, Insomniac Games Community Director James Stevenson mentioned many changes coming to the remaster including a casting change of Ben Jordan as the new face model for Peter Parker. I honestly haven’t been bothered by this change because I respect the creative vision that the team has for the character and his journey moving forward as the series continues.
Faster Loading And Improved Visuals
Two other key changes worth mentioning before we dive into gameplay and graphics revolve around previous save files and trophies. Insomniac announced in a tweet earlier this week that a post-launch patch update will be released in the future that will allow players to export game saves from the original PS4 game. There are a total of 79 trophies to collect of which 5 are new for the remaster. If you played through the game once on PS4 and you want to experience New Game+ mode on PS5, then I would strongly suggest playing this game once the patch is released. The current timetable is going to be closer to Thanksgiving but be sure to check Insomniac’s Twitter for future updates on that information.
Much like Miles Morales, Spider-Man Remastered looks visually stunning on the PS5 thanks to graphical enhancements designed with 4K and HDR in mind. There is a fidelity mode option that allows you to play at 30 FPS with ray-tracing, enhanced lighting, and additional VFX. The alternative performance mode option gives you 60 FPS without all of the bonus graphical features. The Pulse 3D Audio Headphones and lighting fast SSD also help to make this a better version of the game similar to how these features shined brightly in Miles Morales.
DualSense Adds To Overall Experience
The final advantage worth mentioning is of course both the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback from using the DualSense controller. Web-swinging across New York City remains fun and engaging while feeling the impact of combat encounters in the palm of your hands really pulls you deeper into the experience. I will admit that at least in my opinion, these features felt slightly stronger in Miles Morales due to his powerful venom blast attacks. However, having those same options in this game definitely adds value to it especially for those who haven’t played through the story yet.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is without a doubt the definitive edition and the best way to experience Peter Parker’s journey. If you are planning on picking up Miles Morales and you never played this game, then you really should consider checking out the Ultimate Edition as soon as possible.
This review was written based on a digital review copy of Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered for the PlayStation 5 provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
