Summary
One of the best moments ofMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, 2023’s sequel toInsomniac’soriginalMarvel’s Spider-Man, occurs right at the very beginning. Sandman is wreaking havoc across New York, and it’s up to Peter, as well as Miles,to get him under control before the Empire State is fully covered in, well, sand.
It’s as much a jam-packed opening as it is a tutorial for the game’s systems. Over the first half hour or so, you’ll learn how to webswing, initiate combos, deploy gadgets, dodge and implement finishers. It was also a great demonstration of just how much Spider-Man 2 has grown, both graphically and technologically, thanks to thePS5.
As it turns out, according to Senior Creative Director Bryan Intihar, the Sandman opening was decided from the very beginning. A wise decision, we must say.
Sandman Was One Of Spidey 2’s Best Parts
In an interview with PlayStation Blog as part of Spider-Man 2’s larger reveal for PC, Intihar discussed a number of game-related details, including that memorable opening.“Sandman was one of the first things we decided upon, like really early on,” Intihar said. " … Big sequel. Two heroes. What is deserving of an opening for that? I think Sandman was our thing."
Given the number of villains used in the first game, along with the Miles Morales sub-sequel, Sandman certainly makes the most sense as a foe with enough might and size to kick off a game.
“We wanted to go big,” Intihar added. “We wanted people to understand right away – and I always joke it’s calledMarvel’s Spider-Man 2for a reason, because there’s two of them – but for us, it was like, how within that first 20, 30 minutes, can we show people that everything is being leveled up.”
Insomniac did just that, as Sandman quickly established this game wasn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill sequel. Because beyond showcasing the game’s tech, Sandman had lingering effects on the world itself, with many remnants of the battle existing through the entire runtime. Hopefully, Intihar has some ideas in mind for how to kick off the inevitable Spider-Man 3, because Sandman truly did set the bar high.
