I wasn't familiar with this series and I literally first heard about it a couple weeks ago, however something about the vibe this game had really pulled me in so I gave it a try.

Something really interesting about this game is that it does the metroidvania style while at the same time having the entire game open to you from the start. (Not counting the final area obviously) From that description alone you're prolly already trying to wrap your head around that concept because that sounds like the exact opposite of a metroidvania but it works.

There's no unique form of platforming here. It's actually very simplistic but the way they make it interesting is the level design and mainly the enemy placements. Kaho is practically made of glass because every enemy will do like a quarter of her health with a single attack so every room kind of turns into a puzzle with the player trying to work out how to get through without taking too much damage. You can not brute force this game. It will make you take your time and strategize. (Unless you get the Red Ring that just allows you to get health for every thing you kill so the strategy just turns into destroying everything in your path.)

The best part of the game in my opinion are the boss fights. I'm not going to spoil most of them but the fights can be pretty cool. Also Lubella, who you beat by smacking her titties... This game knows what I like.

Overall this game pretty nice. The vibe and gameplay are both really unique and cool. It is the definition of a hidden gem.

I've made it expressly clear that I adore all the Insomniac Spider-Man games and seeing as how this is effectively just more game I was almost guaranteed to like it.

The plot of this game isn't as emotional as the main game and I'm honeslty pretty happy about that. The main game felt like the big major comic book arc and this DLC felt like it was just meant to be a quick bonus little Spider-Man story where he fights a threat on a much smaller scale. I really appreciate how they got some lesser known villains for this too. (Whens the last time you've seen Hammerhead appear in anything since Spectacular Spider-Man?) Black Cat making her first physical appearance in this series here too and she's voiced by Erica Lindbeck and I have a crush on every character she plays.

Alot of the plot here is mainly just to set up for Spider-Man 2 and to hint at Peter training Miles for his game. I love the JJJ Episode where he has to go to the hospital at the realization that there are two Spider-Men now. It's a very nice cooldown after all the big drama of the main game. Genuinely just a fun, small scale Spider-Man story to tide the fans over between this and Miles Morales and thats all I wanted it to be.

The issues though come from the side content. Overall I think the side content here is a tad better than the main game. Or at the very least its more story focused than most of the main game ones which I think is neat. However they are kinda bullshit sometimes. Like I appreciate the extra challenge but when the bonus rewards are asking me to get a 100 Combo chain against swarms of the most aggresive enemies in the game I kind of start to get pissed off. But that's not even the problem.

Screwball. Enough said.

Also her challenges are actually kind of fun but when you try to go for the Ultimate Score on some of them they are just actual bullshit and they kind of push me from wanting to play them. (which wouldnt be an issue if they weren't based around Screwball and you had to hear her voice during all of them.)

Anyway yeah this DLC is pretty good. Nothing crazy but a fun side story between the much bigger game releases.



Also Black Cat is sexy as fuck.

Just going to get this out of way. I FUCKING ADORE THIS GAME.

At the time that I first played it, as the first game I bought when I got my PS4 back in 2021, I had no experience with anything Spider-Man. I knew nothing about the franchise and I had almost no interest in Marvel whatsoever. This game changed all of that. Spider-Man has had a major affect on me as a person and it all started from this Spectacular game.

I've never played any of the older Spider-Man games so I don't know if the gameplay is better or worse there but what I do know is that this game is an absolute blast to play. Simply traversing through the city is a fun and oddly relaxing way to pass time and it's so good that I often don't use the fast travel just for the sake of swinging. The combat is infamously very Arkham styled but with a lot of differences that make it clear that this is a Spider-Man game. Fighting groups of enemies is almost always fun however the longer you play the more stale they can get which is an issue I definitely noticed in the sequel. Another issue I find is that the bosses kind of suck. They all basically boil down to dodging attacks until the boss becomes vulnerable then beating on them until the QTEs take over. It's got a lot of spectacle but nothing super engaging.

My favorite part of this game though is the story. It really is the perfect Spider-Man story. A plot that genuinely reflects the mythos of Spider-Man. It's unique without completely straying from the source material and deters from basic Spider-Man plotlines to make something amazing. Its rare for a game to make me cry. It's even more rare for it to leave me on the floor balling. (Maybe Im just a baby idk)

Part of me feels like there is no possible way I can discuss this game without bias. It's just so special to me. I genuinely would be a very different person if not for this game and its themes are thoughts that I carry onto to this day.

Simply Spectacular!