Insomniac’s Spider-Man is probably the best game ever made starring everyone’s favourite webslinger. It’s also a game of the year contender to be sure, (and you can check out our original review of Marvel’s Spider-Man here). If you’re itching for more wall-crawling action then look no further, Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Heist is available now.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Heist Details
Platform: PlayStation 4
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Genre: Action-Adventure
Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
A big score
Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Heist is part one of the three part story arc “The City That Never Sleeps”. Purchasing The City That Never Sleeps entitles players to jump into The Heist right now, while parts two and three will follow shortly. Note—beware of potential spoilers below if you have not already completed the main game!
The story picks up directly following the main campaign. Felicia Hardy (AKA Black Cat) emerges after lurking beneath the surface of the original story, and is ready to put her plans into action. It’s up to Spider-Man to determine exactly what Black Cat is up to, and also deal with the mob families that she riles up in the process.
Bizarre love triangle
There is a bit more than just thievery driving the narrative forward, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise here. Suffice it to say though that the complex relationship between Peter and his ex Felicia does not get any simpler.
With Mary Jane and Peter back together (as they should be), it’s a recipe for drama. Truthfully there are times when Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Heist plays out a lot like an episode of Riverdale. One thing is for sure—this isn’t your Saturday morning Spidey story.
Just a bit more of the good stuff
Don’t expect anything ground-breaking or different about Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Heist. It basically just peppers the new story line with another round of all the elements that made the main campaign so great. There are a few new variations on enemies and challenges, but overall it follows the same formula.
For example, new mob crimes pop up across the map in place of the familiar thug, demon, and Sable events. You’ll once again have to clear the map of a certain number of them. As expected they will spawn randomly around you as you websling across the city.
The first chapter of The City That Never Sleeps comes with a new side mission as well. Spidey learns the history of the original Black Cat from a informative police officer. He then tasks the wallcrawler to find a series of missing works of art the thief had stashed across the city.
This quest deepens the Black Cat lore in Sony’s Spider-verse, but its plot beats are painfully predictable. Being 2 steps ahead of Spidey story-wise can make going through the motions feel a bit redundant on this quest.
Tossing out a Screwball
Remember all those challenges that Taskmaster put you through in the main campaign? Well he isn’t around this time, but the eccentric social media villain Screwball is. In an attempt to further her live streaming stardom, she’s set up new challenges for Spidey to complete.
Screwball’s annoying personality may actually make you miss Taskmaster, but her challenges are for the most part fun. I actually had more fun competing in these Screwball challenges than I did in those from Taskmaster. Trying to hit a top score in her combat challenges is particularly enjoyable.
The best part about Screwball is that her challenges unlock more challenge tokens, which carry over to the main game. If you were short on tokens for purchasing costumes and upgrades in your main playthrough, you can now grab a bunch from Screwball and put them towards costumes and upgrades. This makes the path to the platinum trophy easier than it was prior to the release of The Heist.
A new big baddy
Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Heist adds a new enemy type to the mix, and he’s a doozy. Remember the oversized goons from the main campaign? They never go down quite as easily with gadgets and require a lot more force to knock them out in a fight.
Well in The Heist they are back, but now a few of them are brandishing a heavy chaingun. If you thought these heavies were bad before, the chaingun variation is a whole new ballgame. These guys are even tougher and seemingly even more impervious to your gadget tricks.
Their chaingun fire is devastating and can clear out a large chunk of Spidey’s health with one clear shot. They definitely add a new layer of difficulty to the battles that they show up in. Never turn your back to these powerful goons.
A dynamic duo
Black Cat is not unlike Spider-Man in many ways pertaining to her abilities.She can traverse walls, is adept at parkour, and even has a zipline tool that mimics some of Spidey’s web functions. So it’s not surprising that Black Cat is equally adept at steal takedowns—something that you can put to your advantage.
There are a few missions where you’ll team up with Felicia in stealth combat scenarios. In addition to your own sneaky tactics, Black Cat is also at your disposal. When she has a clear shot at an unsuspecting perp, a cat icon will appear above their head. Simply command Black Cat to neutralize the target, and carry on to your next quarry.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Heist DLC is another slice of a fantastic game, albeit a small one
Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Heist is another helping of exactly what made the main campaign so great. It has a new story, new challenges, and a few other additions to extend your time with the spectacular Spider-Man. If you love the game and you want more of the same, it’s you can’t go wrong with buying into The City That Never Sleeps.
As fun as it is to play however, The Heist isn’t a lengthy addition. You’ll probably be able to knock out most of the new content in just a few hours. It remains to be seen to what extent the subsequent chapters bundled together in The City That Never Sleeps will stretch the experience out beyond The Heist.
+ More great gameplay
+ New challenge missions and tokens
+ Team up with Black Cat
– Somewhat short on content
– Predictable side mission
OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: THE HEIST DLC
Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4.5/5
Sound: 4.5/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 3.5/5
Overall Rating 4.1/5 (83%)
Get The City That Never Sleeps (digital download) for PlayStation 4
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