Superhero games are a very tough thing to do in many aspects. First, they have to try and nail the “feeling” of the comics, which can’t always be conveyed in video games. But just as important is telling a worthwhile story that fans can be engaged in and yet think, “Yep that’s the character” in terms of what they do. These thoughts went through the minds of Insomniac as they started to build their Spider-Man game for PS4. And a big thing they discussed was how Peter Parker would act in the game.
Anyone who has read Spider-Man knows that Peter Parker is just as important as the superhero he becomes, and Insomniac knew that going in. They wanted to tell a new story and one that felt true to who Peter is in and out of the suit.
“Obviously, he should feel like the classic Spider-Man and Peter Parker everyone knows, but we’re doing our own thing. We don’t have to worry about the other stuff. Let’s just do the best, most iconic Spider-Man story we can do,” Christos Gage, a veteran of Spider-Man and Marvel Comics, explained to Game Informer
So, what is “classic” Peter Parker? Well, a young man who’s trying to find his way in life and struggling to make ends meet.
“He’s on the verge of becoming an adult, and he’s dealing with a lot of the things people at that age dealing with – student loans, trying to start a career, struggling with money – any number of things”
We’ve seen glimpses of this in the trailers for the game, including him talking to Aunt May and dodging questions about needing money, and how his apartment isn’t as neat as it probably should be. It’s good to know that the team are taking as much time to show Peter’s side of the story and not just Spider-Man’s.
