E3 2017 'Spider-Man' PS4: Creative director talks Miles Morales, open-world gameplay and more

Impact

Sony saved the new Spider-Man PS4 trailer for last during their E3 2017 keynote presentation, and for good reason. Within seconds of watching Spider-Man gameplay, it's clear Insomniac Games and Sony are putting a lot into this game. Our nine-minute glimpse of gameplay shows us what to expect from Spidey's game, but raises even more questions: Is the environment actually open-world or just littered with quick-action commands? What role will Miles Morales play in all this?

Here's what Insomniac Games' creative director Bryan Intihar had to say.

Spider-Man PS4 Details: Open World

The Spider-Man trailer hints at the game being an open-world title. While the numerous quick-time events in the trailer may instill doubt, Intihar reassured that the game is definitely made in the open-world style.

"The open-world setting is perfect for Spider-Man," said Intihar. "Expressiveness, fluidity and the idea of being an acrobatic improviser helps us give players a lot of choice."

Intihar said the challenging parts of making the game had more to do with Peter Parker's character. "Getting the humor right as well as finding the right balance between the Peter side and the Spider-Man side."

Spider-Man PS4 Details: Webbing being a core part of Spider-Man combat

In addition to Spider-Man's use of web for traversing, the hero has gadgets and tactics he uses to catch enemies off guard.

Intihar stressed how crucial they wanted web-usage to be to Spider-Man's style of combat. When we compared the game to Batman: Arkham Knight, Intihar pointed out that while Bats is more of a bruiser, Spidey is more acrobatic. "It couldn't just feel like a brawler, we wanted webs to be integral to combat."

The Spider-Man trailer doesn't show us all of Peter Parker's web tech, but we do see some. The tripwire at 1:20, Intihar points out, can be used not only to stick enemies to walls, but to the ceiling — simply plant the gizmo above you to quickly hang enemies. Stick the tripwire onto an enemy and the next goon that runs past them will be tethered and flung to his teammate.

"We want to make you feel as if you're almost ping-ponging around," said Intihar, "Looking through the environment and thinking, 'How can I get creative with my webs?'"

Spider-Man PS4 Details: Miles Morales

Marvel Entertainment/YouTube

"Miles is very important to us," said Intihar, "Over the course of this project, I've really grown to love this character." Intihar was especially tight-lipped about the black-clad Spider-Man, but hinted at the young hero's role in the game: "This is definitely a Peter Parker story. [Miles] opens up the door, not only to expose people to a character they may not know, but at the same time show a side of Peter that people haven't really seen before."

Spider-Man for Playstation 4 releases in 2018.

More news from Sony PlayStation E3 2017

Check out more of our coverage from the PlayStation E3 2017 press conference, including the sweeping new Shadow of the Colossus remake, gameplay for Days Gone and a look at Monster Hunter Worlds. Don’t miss the breathtaking cinematics from God of War 4 and Detroit, as well as the showstealing game: Spiderman.