This Spider-Man: Miles Morales Suit Is What Fans Have Been Waiting For
It's a pretty exciting day to be a Spider-Man fan. Today, gamers got their first look at the latest alternate costume to be added to Spider-Man: Miles Morales. In a clip posted to Twitter, Marvel Entertainment has revealed that a suit based on Miles' appearance in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will be available in the upcoming superhero game.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released to theaters in 2018 to almost universal acclaim from critics. A big part of the movie's success was due to its respect for the source material and its unique sense of style. The animation in the film has its own unique rhythm that looks wholly different from most mainstream animated blockbusters. The New York Times praised this choice, writing, "the animation crackles with an energy it might otherwise lack. The motions themselves become exciting to watch."
It seems that this new character skin is aiming to recreate the look and feel of the film's animation style. Rather than simply changing how the character looks, the Into the Spider-Verse suit actually alters how the character moves. As seen in the announcement trailer, Miles' motions looks ever-so-slightly different when the Into the Spider-Verse suit is equipped. It almost looks as though just a few frames have been dropped from every movement, including attacks.
Shortly after the announcement trailer was released, a longer gameplay clip was posted that showed the suit in action. This clip was introduced by Justin K. Thompson, the Production Designer for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Thompson expressed his excitement at seeing the film's version of Miles being transported to the world of video games. The first half of the clip shows Miles swinging through the city and answering calls for help, acting every bit like the hero you'd expect him to be. The second half of the video finds Miles getting into a scrap with a gang of bad guys, using stealth takedowns and head-on attacks to ward them off.
Considering the popularity of Into the Spider-Verse among Spider-Man fans, it's not surprising to see Miles get an in-game costume inspired by the movie. What makes it so exciting is the fact that Insomniac Games has gone the extra mile (no pun intended) to make the costume behave the way it would in the film its based upon. Fans have definitely noticed the extra effort, taking to social media to celebrate the latest addition to Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
One fan replied to the announcement trailer by asking, "Is it legal for a game to look this good?" Many of the other responses were from people who were shocked by the animation style, including one gamer who commented, "the details are insane."
Some people aren't quite as enthusiastic about the animation style seen in the trailer. One person replied to the announcement with, "15 fps animation in a 60 fps game is a bad idea." Other fans pointed out that this was done to match the style of the film, but this user still felt that this animation style fit a film better than a game.
This has been echoed by Kyle Orland of Ars Technica. Though Orland didn't want to break the review embargo on the game, he did intimate that playing with this character skin might feel "really unnerving" in a way that watching film did not. It's unclear if that means there is a lag in responsiveness during gameplay or if it's just off-putting to have your character moving at a slightly different pace from everything else around it. Either scenario might make the new suit less of a viable option, no matter how cool it looks.
Still, there is some good news for the folks who enjoy the aesthetics of the suit but don't want to be distracted by the low frame-rate. Insomniac Games apparently anticipated that some people would be put off by the animation effect, and decided to provide a few options. According to James Stevenson, Community Director at Insomniac Games, the low framerate effect is a "suit mod" that can be toggled off and on. This option has been applauded by some fans with disabilities, such as one epileptic gamer who was concerned about the effect the animation would have on them.
There was also bit of concern among fans that the suit would only be available for customers who preordered Spider-Man: Miles Morales. However, Insomniac Games has revealed that this suit is actually available to everyone and can be unlocked in-game. In fact, Insomniac clarified that all of the pre-order bonuses will be "early unlocks, not exclusive content." Fans who miss out on preorders will still be able to earn all of the secrets and costumes in the game.
Fans won't have to wait too long to check out how the suit plays. Spider-Man: Miles Morales releases for the PS4 and PS5 on Nov. 12, 2020.