Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s accessibility options are incomplete at present

Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a fantastic evolution of the formula set by the first two games in the series. Insomniac’s team has gifted us with another incredible Marvel sandbox to immerse ourselves in - Earth-1048, if you keep track of this stuff. As a whole this game is a wonderful sequel.

The narrative is everything I expected and more. It’s emotional in its exploration of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales dealing with the trauma of losing family members, and it covers their journeys to reach a healthier space without surrendering to the darkness inside. The enemy bosses are spectacular, especially the Sandman encounter at the beginning of the game, which sand-blasts you in the face with the power of the PS5. In general, the game’s boss fights reminded me of watching anime fight scenes: they’re fun and inventive but they’re all built around a core of powerful emotional context. Elsewhere, without spoiling too much, I thought Venom’s comic book history was remixed for the better, his tendrils slowly corrupting or affecting every major character. There’s forgiveness and redemption and a load of surprises. I can’t express the sheer artistry of what Insomniac has delivered.

In keeping with Insomniac’s recent work, Spider-Man 2’s also a more accessible experience than most blockbuster video games on the market - Bethesda’s Starfield, for example. However, while the accessibility features that are present are certainly helpful, if I’m being honest they’re not as good as I expected from this particular developer, and there’s a surprising omission of certain features - at the moment, at least. I would love to say that Insomniac has advanced accessibility even further here than it has in its previous games. Unfortunately, I can’t fully sing their praises in this regard. I gather many key accessibility settings will be added in the December update, so the game’s accessibility offering can only feel incomplete at launch. In its current state, Spider-Man 2 is simply not fully accessible, so many players will have to wait until the end of the year to thoroughly enjoy the experience.

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