We unravel the mysteries behind the game with two of its top creatives
After watching 25 minutes of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales gameplay on PS5, we had a chance to chat with Brian Horton, Creative Director, and Cameron Christian, Game Director. Brian is an industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience in the industry with experience in games such as: Tomb Raider as senior art director, in Rise of the Tomb Raider he participated as game director, in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare as director of the art studio. Cameron, for his part, has been in the industry for 15 years and his passion is reflected in the design of the first Marvel’s Spider-Man, although he has also participated in games such as: Sunset Overdrive as a senior designer.
Thanks to the PlayStation public relations team, these members of Insomniac Games gave us a couple of minutes through a video conference to understand a little more about the universe of the new installment scheduled for this November 12 on the new Sony console, as well like on the PS4.
Meristation: In Marvel’s Spider-Man there are some changes in the character’s lore, such as MJ’s relationship with Peter Parker, can we expect something similar with Miles Morales?
R = Our approach is to tell the adventures of Miles to become a hero. He will be going through a lot of changes from the beginning to the end of the story. But in terms of his character and who he was in the first game, we’re building from the base of Marvel’s Spider-Man storyline where he is only bitten by the spider. Already training for Peter Parker is where he really takes off from the idea that Miles is now going on his own, to discover what it really means to be his own Spider-Man learning his own powers.
Meristation: Miles has powers that Peter doesn’t. How does this change in gameplay in contrast to Marvel’s Spider-Man?
A = Yes, in this video you watched we showed a bit of their new set of additional powers, there are fully developed skills, new moves and abilities, as well as mods and costumes that change the gameplay. Miles also has his own gadgets that are complemented by his bioelectric and invisibility powers.
Meristation: Will there be new locations?
R = Sure. The map of Manhattan was transformed with a whole layer of snow typical of the winter season and we specifically built Miles’s house in Harlem. There will be many options within this open world and we will have missions that we build specifically on this map. Then you will have a whole set of new places that you have never seen before with new missions.
Meristation: Was this title planned for PS4 from the beginning, or did you decide to release it as you were in development on the PS5 version?
A = Our focus was trying to get the most out of the PS5’s features as much as possible. So as soon as we could we got together to see how we were going to get the most out of him.
With the PS5 is the new SSD, ray tracing, and new controls, so we decided to use all of these features. As you can see in the video, we really do use ray tracing, this changes the perspective of the open world and the environment around it. The SSD had a positive impact with instantaneous loads. Something that was very important to us was the new controls, it was like going from 1080p to 4K, what you can do with them, it’s phenomenal, you really feel it. We spend a lot of time trying to be more accurate in the sensations.
On the other hand, there is the immersive quality of the 3D sound, you put on your headphones and you can feel it all, the enemies around you, the difference in what you are swinging through the city, the traffic below you and even what the buildings go by. All of these things together create the true next generation experience. Another great aspect is that we were able to create a “ray tracing fidelity mode” and the performance mode, depending on your playing style, you will have options to switch between the two at any time.
Meristation: In Marvel’s Spider-Man Peter already has some years of experience while Miles just has his first adventure, how will this be reflected in the game?
R = Part of Miles’ character is his bioelectric powers. These are new to him and he is discovering them with the player. We will learn to use these powers. The key is that he can generate his own bioelectricity and channels it through movements like the Venom Punch. Miles will recharge when he hits someone, hits, and spreads electricity around. So a lot of the new moves focus on that, although there is a layer of evolution from the original Marvel’s Spider-Man combat. They will see multiple movements that will be unlocked as they progress.
Meristation: Miles Morales is synonymous with the multiverse, will we find elements of that?
R = Our approach is to tell a story in our own universe. Marvel’s Spider-Man games have their own lore and the whole storyline leads to it. We want to make sure that our version of Miles Morales pays respect to the comics, which is the basis of the story that was created almost 10 years ago, but we wanted to do our twist. For example, Miles’ dad Jefferson Davis dies and that was not the same in the comic. Now he and his mom have to get by so they decide to move to Harlem. This is a huge change for the comic book world and it gave us a great opportunity to tell another story of Miles learning to be a hero in his new home.
Meristation: In the video we saw Simon Krieger, is he part of the main story?
A = Of course he runs the new project for Roxxon Oil. We will learn more about your participation in this company and you will have a bigger role. What’s important is that Roxxon built properties in the middle of Harlem. In fact, right in the middle of the Miles neighborhood is the Roxxon Plaza and that will be a source of stress for the neighborhood. Hence, Rio Morales, Miles’s mother decides to run for the city council, she wants to protect the neighborhood and make sure the people of Harlem retain their culture.
Meristation: What did you love the most about working with the PS5?
A = There is a lot but the power of ray tracing is impressive, it really is very beautiful. When you play it, use the “fidelity” mode and you will see that it reaches another level. I think the SSD is a big change too, zero load times and that keeps you in the game.
The SSD is a great piece of technology that made this dream a reality, as well as the control that really brings powers to life because we can feel them.
