Every time we hear more about Insomniac and Marvel’s upcoming open-world Spider-Man game, we can’t help but lick our chops in mouth-watering anticipation. Not only is it the first web-slinging title in over four years (Beenox’s bone-crushingly mediocre The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was the last entry in the franchise), but it also looks to be a total re-invention of the wall-crawling series. Additionally, it’s being crafted by a proven top-tier developer who cut their teeth with critically acclaimed experiences like Sunset Overdrive, the Ratchet & Clank games and the Resistance franchise. That’s one helluva resume!
On paper, the PS4 exclusive is shaping up to be an absolute belter that’ll likely satiate core fans of the Marvel superhero, as well as bringing a whole new set of admirers into the fold. But what makes the core moment-to-moment Spider-Man experience really tick?
Well, Creative Director Brian Intihar sat down recently with The Telegraph and in the interview he outlined some of the influences that went into the game’s DNA as they developed the title. Interestingly, one series that was brought up was Rocksteady’s critically renowned Batman Arkham franchise.
People ask, do you find them competitors? No! They inspire! Those games inspire us. I look at those games but I don’t look at specific features, I look at the quality, not to mention fulfilling the fantasy of being Batman. Our goals are to make sure people say our game is on their quality level.
The Batman Arkham series is without doubt one of the finest trio of superhero gaming experiences of the last decade, and it’s heartening to know that Insomniac are not only mindful of this, but are consciously inspired by such top-notch open-world outings.
From our perspective, if there’s one series that Insomniac should pilfer a couple of ideas from, we’d happily go for Rocksteady’s Arkham games. From their intelligently crafted open-worlds that beg to be explored, to the clever counterattack-centric combat, to the fun gadgets and the brilliant traversal that ties it all together, the Batman Arkham games are truly something special. And we hope that Insomniac’s fast-approaching wall-crawling arachnid will one day be mentioned in the same breath as Rocksteady’s venerable superhero series.
Spider-Man launches exclusively for PS4 on September 7th. As always, if we catch anymore intel in our cobwebs, we’ll be sure to let you know.