With the unfortunate news that story DLC for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 won't ever be released, it's time to look at what's in store for the future of the franchise. At this point, a third title in the saga is all but confirmed as players witnessed a small tease of Norman Osborn and Doctor Octopus teaming up in the post-credits scene of Insomniac's latest project. Besides, we can't forget Cindy Moon was recently introduced into this larger superhero world as well. There are endless stories to tell next, but with every new chapter must also come new gameplay mechanics, and that's where things get tricky.
At this point, we've seen the wall-crawler swing between buildings, glide across New York's skyline, perform tricks mid-air, and defeat bad guys with the use of spider claws, gadgets, and even symbiotic tendrils. So where do you go next? How could you keep innovating on what's been mostly been a flawless system? Well, lucky for Insomniac, there are many ways in which the superhero fantasy could come to life such as allowing Spidey to perch his webs to moving vehicles and slide over the pavement, or even let him fight while sticking to the side of a wall a la Web of Shadows. However, a video on Twitter (because I hate the name X) recently caught my eye, as it features a mechanic that would prove to be a fantastic addition to Marvel's Spider-Man 3.
The parkour system in Marvel's Spider-Man 3 should be reworked
Before we kick things off, it's worth remembering there's already a parkour system implemented in previous Marvel's Spider-Man games. You press R2 on the PlayStation controller while being on the ground, and the wall-crawler will begin to run and evade any obstacles in his way in a flashy manner. Is it simple? Yes, but it's also very effective. However, that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvements down the line.
Games such as Mirror's Edge are centered around creating seamless and flawless parkour gameplay mechanics for players to experience. With that in mind, a user by the name of Niki attempted to replicate a bit of that same magic in Fortnite's creative mode to impressive results. They posted a video of their progress, and it's easy to see how such a system could blend in so well with a Spider-Man project. The wall-crawler would be able to hop off of walls without losing momentum, slide over certain types of objects at great speeds, and automatically open doors when sprinting through them — all of them being abilities he couldn't perform in previous games.
The announcement trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man for PS4 features a scene where the wall-crawler jumps off tables inside a small cafeteria filled with people. Unfortunately, that sequence was nowhere to be found in the final game. But while there are various indoor missions across the franchise, they still take place in large enough environments to give Spidey a lot of space to maneuver. However, if the rooms were to be smaller then the players would hit a brick wall (quite literally).
It was recently discovered that developers intended for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to have destructible environments, where the wall-crawler could seamlessly enter and exit buildings with torn-down walls. While that mechanic also couldn't make it into the final game (likely due to time constraints), chances are it could form part of Insomniac's trilogy-capper. With that in mind, it's more important than ever for the parkour system to be updated as well to take into account potentially small procedurally-generated spaces. Besides, it could also fit well in big cinematic moments such as Peter or Miles attempting to escape a collapsing building or a fire in a small bodega.
If there's one thing the Marvel's Spider-Man franchise excels at it's traversal mechanics. So fingers crossed they keep the streak going by adding even more options for players to go from one place to another in a flashy manner.