Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Written by acclaimed Spider-Man comic writer Dan Slott, the game follows four different versions of Spider-Man as they try to reclaim pieces of an ancient fragment that can control the universe. Four different versions Spider-Man you ask? No this doesn’t feature a return to the clone era of Spider-Man comics but features the Spider-Man from four different dimensions. The fact that Activision approved such a hardcore fan story is commendable but they very well may have just assumed anything with the name Spider-Man on it will sell. Of the four protagonists, Amazing Spider-Man and Ultimate Spider-Man are easily the most recognizable with Noir Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 catering more to the hardcore fan.
Each Spider-Man and their respective levels are different enough that they help break up the game into four distinct experiences. Each dimension uses a different heads up display, unique color palettes as well as different Spider-Man character animations.
Amazing Spider-Man is the one we all know and love, his abilities and the pacing of his levels are exactly what one would expect from a Spider-Man game. Contrasted against Amazing, Noir Spider-Man’s dimension is completely different and requires the player to change their strategy entirely. Noir has much less health than his counterparts and relies on the shadows to take down his enemies. The noir dimension is heavily inspired by the 1920’s gangster era. The color palette is made up almost entirely of black and white and the level’s stealth action moments are punctuated by 1920’s jazz music. The noir levels feel influenced by Batman: Arkham Asylum and Splinter Cell. The color palette changes from black and white to noir-esque colors when Spider-Man isn’t in the shadows, much the same way Splinter Cell: Conviction does. Noir Spider-Man can string up enemies from above in the same way that Batman could in Arkham Asylum, except Spider-Man wraps them in a cocoon of webs.
The comparisons to Arkham Asylum extend beyond the Noir levels to the other Spider-Man dimensions. As in Arkham Asylum, an indicator will appear over Spider-Man’s head when he is about to be attacked. Another indicator will also appear above the head of the attacking enemy. This mechanic is attributed to Spider-Man’s spider sense which makes it feel like a better fit than it was in Arkham Asylum.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions controls are initially very simple with the first few levels teaching the player how to button mash attacks and dodge enemies. As one progresses through the game, new enemy types will cause a strategic shift in how each battle is approached. Initially each fight can be beaten by simply fighting each character but as you progress you will have to start playing like Spider-Man, by using combinations of quick attacks, web pulls, throwing in strong attacks and quickly escaping momentary from combat to attack enemies from a different angle. New complex moves and combinations become available for purchase as you collect essence. Essence is also used to buy character upgrades like extended health and health regeneration.
Essence is gained through collecting spider emblems, taking out enemies and completing challenges. There are several challenges that need to be completed for each level to complete Spider-Man’s web of destiny. The web of destiny is just an accumulation of every challenge in the game. You will need to complete a certain amount of challenges before certain moves and character upgrades are available for purchase. While the web of destiny is great for looking ahead to see what needs to be completed it also spoils what lays ahead in each level.
Depending on the difficulty setting, most of the levels are relatively long and follow a somewhat repetitive formula. Each level usually has Spider-Man face off against the boss three times throughout before they are finally conquered. There will also be several sections where Spider-Man has to rescue civilians or protect them for a duration of time. While rescuing and protecting civilians is a super hero’s job, it does tend to get a little repetitive the further the game progresses.
The boss fights however do tend to change up as the level progresses. The method to beat the boss the first two times is usually entirely different by the end of the level. The final boss fight has said enemy unleashing the power of the mystic tablet and becoming extremely powerful. Dan Slott’s story of the tablet is essentially a way to use four different versions of Spider-Man to break up the otherwise formulaic game play while introducing a vast gallery of rogues from the Spider-Man universe. Deadpool in particular is a fantastic boss fight. It shines through that the developers were big fans of Deadpool, because there is a lot of back and forth dialogue between Deadpool and Spider-Man. While there are some other hilarious one-liners throughout the game, there are also many repetitive jokes, especially during longer boss battles.
Boss fights also feature a first person hand to hand mechanic. The player controls which type of punch to use on the boss and must also dodge attacks. This mechanic brings the bosses up close and personal allowing a great view of the fantastic character models. While the hand to hand mode may seem contrived and that it would break the flow of the boss fights, it actually works rather well and gives the impression that if you can land a couple extra punches you could put the boss into submission.
The real highlight of Spider-Man shattered dimensions is the differences between each Spider-Man. Each Spider-Man has a distinct voice and a slight variation in their comedy styles. While many of the move sets remain the same across each Spider-Man, the animations are very different. A strong attack by Amazing Spider-Man will have him web up some rocks and hurl them at enemies. Noir’s strong attacks are simply with his fists, Ultimate Spider-Man’s strong attack has the symbiote suit lash out at enemies. Ultimate Spider-Man also has a rage mode that enables him to do massive amounts of damage for a short duration of time. As long as he continues to attack enemies the duration extends. Spider-Man 2099 has a mode that slows down time around him. Both Noir and Amazing do not have a unique mode like their counterparts do.
There are only a handful of issues that occasionally drag down Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, none of which detract from the game’s overall performance. The most glaring issue is that Spider-Man can only crawl on certain walls. For a superhero whose nickname is the wall crawler one would expect him to be able to crawl on every wall. One of the most prominent issues found in the game takes place in the Noir dimension. This Spider-Man crawls on ceilings and walls more than the others and the controls are often times confusing with Spider-man’s direction quickly shifting in ways the player doesn’t intend. There are other instances in the Noir dimension where the required distance to grab an enemy is fickle and often times the camera will automatically lock on when a grab is available, even if you just pointed the camera to look somewhere else. This creates a struggle to control the camera which can be very annoying. There was one instance where Spider-Man’s spider sense glitched and stayed active until the next cut scene. This made it extremely difficult to anticipate enemy attacks.
The above negatives are minuscule and are far outweighed by the many positives. Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-Man, even narrates the entire game which is fantastic.
Ultimately Spider-Man: Shattered Dimension is one of the best Spider-Man games made to date. The developers could have easily just produced a mediocre title that would have met Activision’s sales goal. Instead they made a game that shed some light on some other interpretations of everyone’s favourite wall crawler that don’t get as much attention as Amazing Spider-Man. The variety of levels featuring several different incarnations of Spider-Man’s villains are a lot of fun, due in large part to the simplistic controls and easy to master combat. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is sure to satisfy both the casual comic book fan as well as the most hardcore Spider-Man fan.
