Marvel’s Spider-Man 2fans already have a good idea of the characters that will be appearing in the PS5-exclusive sequel. Potential allies will come in the form ofWraith, Prowler, and Black Cat, while The Lizard is already confirmed to feature as a side villain. The main antagonists of the narrative have been known for some time as well, with both Kraven the Hunter and Venom confirmed to cross paths with the web-slingers at some point in the story.
However, though boss fights against named foes from the Spider-Man canon are worth looking forward to, a lot of the time players will find themselves doing battle with basic enemy types. In the previous games, the Inner Demons, Sable mercenaries, and Roxxon served as some of the factions players battled against, and this time around they will have to clash with Kraven’s mercenary group. However, Insomniac could be hiding one more category of regularMarvel’s Spider-Man 2enemies: civilians infected by the Symbiote.
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Symbiote-Infected Citizens Are a Perfect Fit For Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Symbiote-infected civilians are not an entirely new concept, as they have appeared in past games based on the friendly neighborhood hero. For example,the beloved gameSpider-Man: Shattered Dimensionsfeatured Carnage, who reanimated the corpses of SHIELD enemies into Symbiote zombies. A similar scenario was presented to players in the now-dead MMOMarvel Heroes, giving players mindless husks to fight that were empowered by loose pieces of a Symbiote.
As for how the Symbiote enemies could attack, there are a few options. The first would see them wielding many of the same attacks Peter performs while wearingMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Symbiote suit, forcing players to dodge powerful tendrils and work around a shielding ability. Alternatively, they could work just like the people Mr. Negative corrupted in the first game. They could have very weak attacks and be extremely easy to take down, but they could swarm Peter and Miles, attacking in large groups. Perhaps Peter could add a cure to his webs, giving players a way to remove the parasite from the unwilling hosts.
Story-wise, Symbiote-infected enemies would make perfect sense for aMarvel’s Spider-Man 2feature. Perhaps this version of the alien - assuming it was not just created inside a lab - cares less about forging one powerful partnership and is more interested in spreading to as many people as possible. Alternatively, Venom may be able to control all the infected citizens since he is the main host, essentially being a hive mind that makes everyday people into legitimate threats that know how to use the tendrils with expert precision.
However, the final option is the most interesting from a narrative perspective, as Peter Parker would be to blame. Fans know that Peter will eventually lose the Symbiote so that it can latch on toVenom’s mysterious host, but they do not know how much trouble he will cause before that point. Perhaps everyone Peter attacks with the Symbiote will get infected, leading to extra powerful street thugs and Kraven mercenaries. Once he gets better, a shameful Peter could make it his mission to defeat and cure all the criminals that he accidentally infected when he did not have control.
WithMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’s actors saying that the game will be massive, good enemy variety will be key to making sure that players do not get bored with the title as they work toward the Platinum trophy or begin their new game plus runs. While Kraven’s enemy faction could have quite a few basic foes to battle, it would be nice ifInsomniac Gameshad a few groups of basic enemies with different abilities hidden away. Considering that older games have shown how the Symbiote can be used for this exact purpose, and how it can also work from a narrative perspective, infected enemies feel like a perfect opportunity for Insomniac.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2launches on October 20 for PS5.
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