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Spider-Man swings through New York City in the new game "Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales." 

‘Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ swings the PS5 into new heights

This review contains spoilers.

A follow-up to the hugely popular “Marvel’s Spider-Man” released on the PS4, “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales” not only keeps the same amazing swinging and combat system from the previous title, but adds new and interesting features that give new life to the old formula.

This new addition to the franchise puts players in the role of the eponymous character Morales as he embarks on a journey to discover what kind of hero he truly is. He is not only trying to live up to the reputation of Spider-Man but also separate himself and become his own hero, not just a teenager pretending to be Spider-Man.

At the end of the first game, Morales gained the same abilities as Spider-Man and was taken under Peter Parker’s wing to begin his superhero training. Fast forward a few months, and we find Morales hesitant but ready to become New York’s one and only Spider-Man while Parker takes a brief vacation.

The game does a great job of setting Morales up as a relatable and endearing character. As a 17-year-old, Morales deals with many of the problems we’ve experienced, like trying to find a balance between school, family and friends, only he has the added challenge of being a superhero.

In Morales, we see someone striving to use his newfound powers to help those in need and protect the new community that his family and himself call home.

At the start of the game, Morales discovers a new ability: bio-electricity. Nicknamed “venom,” this ability becomes one of many skills the player is able to upgrade via a skill tree.

The introduction of venom adds an extra dimension in an already excellent combat system. There’s a certain awe that you feel when you’ve successfully charged up Morales’ venom bar and are able to perform a dazzling finishing move on an enemy. The camera goes into slow motion while flickers of yellow sparks come off of Morales’ fist as he knocks out an opponent or when Morales unleashes a full venom explosion, making the screen light up as the blast sends enemies flying in all directions.

In addition to venom, Morales is also able to make himself invisible, adding a new way for players to approach the stealth sections of the game.

However, the real show-stealer is once again the swinging mechanics. I’ve rarely had more fun in a game than when I swung between the buildings of Manhattan as Spider-Man. Sticking with the theme of individuality, the developers give Morales his own unique style when it comes to the animations that play in between swings.

The swinging mechanics bring such life to the game and made me forget that there was even a fast travel option. But trust me, you’ll never want to use it either.

It’s mechanics like these where the game is truly able to take advantage of the PS5’s new hardware. Boasting a smooth 60 frames per second and loading times that last seconds, the flow of the game never feels interrupted. 

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With all this in mind, “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales” is one of the best launch titles to come along in a while. It combines all the fun of the first game and adds to the winning formula with welcomed new combat and stealth functions.

The game gives us a different take on the journey of a superhero, and it’s an experience I won’t soon forget. I give “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales” a 9 out of 10.

Gino Gutierrez is the managing editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @GGutierrez48

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