Marvel’s Spider-ManandSpider-Man: Miles Moraleswere both heavily praised games, and for good reason. Both titles featured strong stories that showcased how well Insomniac Games knew the characters, with the gameplay for bothPeter and Milesbeing extremely enjoyable. However, neither game is perfect, and one area that the next entry can improve upon is boss design.
In the originalMarvel’s Spider-Man, a majority of the bosses were average fights, and the game could have been a fair bit stronger if it featured more fleshed out encounters with the Sinister Six roster as opposed to a few two-on-one battles.Spider-Man: Miles Moraleswas a step in the right direction with its Rhino andTinkererfights, but in the sequel, Insomniac Games can take things to another level with some multi-phase bosses.
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Multi-Phase Boss Battles Could Help Miles and Peter Share The Spotlight
The biggest challengeInsomniac Gameswill have to face inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2is making sure that neither wall-crawler overshadows the other. Peter’s relationship to Harry Osborn and the Symbiote could see him dominating the narrative, while Miles’ Venom strikes could make him way more fun to play than Peter. Insomniac is clearly aware of this since Peter is seemingly getting Iron Spider legs to expand his moveset, but a balanced approach will be important to keep in mind throughout the game.
One way to guarantee that Miles and Peter are equally integral to the game is to let both of them fight each boss. Multi-phase bosses have worked incredibly well in games likeElden Ring, and while they do not need to be as difficult inMarvel’s Spider-Man, the concept could be a fitting addition to the Insomniac formula. Fights likethe Doc Ock final bossshowed the potential of longer boss battles, but instead of a second phase that is focused purely on spectacle like the skyscraper moment, a new form of gameplay could be provided.
It is easy to picture a battle againstHydro Man inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2where Peter struggles in the first phase, unable to do damage to his massive liquid foe. This could lead to a second phase where players take control of Miles, using his electricity to stun the water-based supervillain and finally bring him to the ground. Different attacks could be seen in each phase, creating two bosses in one and making every boss encounter a lot more memorable.
From Mysterio growing larger in his second phase toVenombeing more aggressive and making different weapons using the Symbiote as the fight progresses, the sky is the limit for multi-phase boss battles. The only thing that Insomniac Games would need to do is give the Spider-Man that players are not controlling something to do in the second phase. For example, Miles could open fire hydrants to weaken Sandman for Peter, or Peter could rescue civilians while Miles does the fighting like in the Rhino mall sequence fromSpider-Man: Miles Morales. Having the other character knocked out every time would get repetitive, so logical switches between the two heroes will be important.
Multi-phase bosses would be a great way to makeSpider-Man’s iconic rogues’ gallerymore intimidating as well. While Peter having experience with Scorpion and Rhino somewhat explains how he was able to take down the two villains at once, they did feel a bit underpowered in that fight. More thought-out battles on par with The Tinkerer would be great to see going forward, and longer boss fights that see the villain’s moveset growing in the second phase could be an excellent way to provide that.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2is scheduled to release in 2023 for PS5.
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