Insomniac's Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4 was one of the biggest hits of this console generation, so it seems inevitable that the upcoming PlayStation 5 will be home to a sequel. While the original game offers few hints as to what the game will feature, a new leak from Reddit has seemed to give fans a new look at Spider-Man 2's plot, gameplay, villains and potential release window.
The leak claims that on April 17, Spider-Man 2 footage was discussed during a Zoom meeting. This conversation was leaked by an anonymous individual who was present to Reddit user throwawayquarantine8. According to this alleged leak, all of this information was either presented or discussed in the meeting.
Venom
The big takeaway from the leak is that the Venom symbiote will play a crucial role in Spider-Man 2. This was teased at the end of the first game, but the leak elaborates on how Venom will appear. The symbiote will be a creation of OsCorp, having been concocted in one of their labs. As seen at the end of the original game, the symbiote is bonded to Harry Osborn in order to save his life, only for it to graft onto Peter later on, becoming the famous black suit.
While Spider-Man can swap out to other costumes (including the "advanced suit" and the Sam Raimi suit according to the leak) throughout the game, each costume will have a symbiote equivalent. This is because Peter, from a gameplay perspective, controls and levels-up differently when using the symbiote than when he is not. Playing with the symbiote suits switches Peter's usual controls out for a more brutal, violent set of combos. The symbiote also has its own individual skill tree where players can level up symbiote abilities separately from the rest of Peter's powers.
Some rumors indicate that, much like Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, that players will be confronted with morality choices that will impact the direction of the game.
Interestingly enough, however, the leaker did not confirm that this symbiote was truly Venom, but rather a proto-Venom. Eddie Brock is said to be appearing in the game as well, implying that, eventually, Venom will take his mantle as the main antagonist of the game, much like how the first game was an elaborate origin story for Doctor Octopus and the Sinister Six.
A Return to the Bugle
On the subject of Brock, Eddie, Mary Jane and Peter are said the be working together at the Daily Bugle under a reinstated J. Jonah Jameson as Editor-in-Chief. Jameson returns, apparently, because it's hard for him to make money on the podcast he ran in the first game.
Players can interact with all of these people in-game, with apparently one discussion featuring a frank discussion of Doctor Connors, better known as the Lizard. It is unclear if the Bugle job will impact any of the upcoming side-missions in the game, though it seems very likely.
Fleshed-Out World and Dynamic Side-Missions
Side-missions will be far more developed this time around. On top of retooling side-missions from the prior game, Spidey will be able to race against the Human Torch and work alongside Daredevil, though in what capacity is unclear. On top of that, numerous smaller Dynamic Missions will occur, where players can save balloons for young kids (a potential callback to the Spider-Man 2 game for PlayStation 2) or rescue people falling from construction sites.
Additionally, the world of New York City will be expanded. New weather conditions (such as light, heavy snow and light rain) will be added. If Spider-Man walks through New York City during a snowstorm, snow will actually collect on his shoulders. On top of that, the Statue of Liberty will be an in-game location and will be the setting for a fight with Mysterio.
Other Protagonists and Antagonists
Having gained spider powers in the previous game, Miles Morales will, unsurprisingly, be playable for interactive missions. However, the leak indicated that he might come in conflict with Spider-Man, potentially as a result of him having the symbiote suit. Miles, apparently, will also have multiple unique suits.
As previously mentioned, both Mysterio and Harry Osborn will play as antagonists throughout the game. Harry will be cured by his symbiote suit and potentially be set-up for something later on. Norman Osborn will continue to be an antagonist and potentially be set-up to become the Green Goblin either in this game or a potential third game in the series.
Three DLC missions are also said to be in development, and these will feature Morbius, Carnage and Wraith as antagonists. Beyond that, it's unclear what other villains will appear or if any previous antagonists from the first game will return.
Release Date
Official news on this game is expected to drop sometime in late-summer, possibly August. The game is said to be realizing Winter 2021, and it will be a PlayStation 5 exclusive.
While all of these rumors need to be taken with a grain of salt, once we start getting news on this game, it will be easier to determine whether this leak is accurate and what will be present in the final product. Regardless, if even half of these rumors prove to be true, Spider-Man 2 might very well be just as successful as its predecessor.