Web-slingers rejoice. Spider-man: Shattered Dimensions has finally arrived and it is the wall-crawler at his best. Shattered Dimensions follows four different incarnations of Spider-Man in an attempt to foil Mysterio in world domination. You take control of Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate, Noir and 2099, each with his own voice actor, art style, and unique gameplay mechanics over 3 acts in order to collect the scattered shards of the Tablet of Order and Chaos. In a confrontation with Mysterioa, Amazing Spider-Man unintentionally breaks the tablet. With the help of Madame Web, the four Spideys fight through their own universe chasing new and old villains alike who have gained power from the shards. The story is set up nicely, but sadly leaves much to be desired. While this is unfortunate, the unique gameplay styles make this one of Spider-Man’s better-crafted games. Beenox, who has previously handled ports of past Spider-Man games, really nailed a deep experience with plenty of cameos, unlockables, and a game that really feels like four entirely different experiences. The game is split into 3 acts, each containing 4 missions, each devoted to a respective universe. You can pick and choose the order in which you play the missions, allowing players to dive into their favorite universe at the start of each act.
Starting with Amazing, there is a visual style highly comparable to a cel-shaded game with Amazing Spider-Man heavily reliant on devastating attacks using webbing. You also have the ability to dodge attacks. 2099 features fast-paced freefall moments, typically involving a race to catch the missions’ specific boss. 2099 also has the ability to speed his reflexes and seemingly slow time. Neon colors are heavily featured ala Tron and other famous science-fiction influences. Noir is a stealth based universe which requires thoughtful planning in taking out enemies not unlike Arkham Asylum. The art style is primarily black and white with a few colors that pop here and there, especially if you are spotted by lights. Finally, Ultimate features a black-suit Spider-Man with fast combat and a rage mode which makes Ultimate feel like the strongest of the four stars. Each mission contains a specific boss from the comics, usually encountered various times over the course of the missions. Each requires mastery of their specific play style, but each Spidey feels great in design. I had a tough time deciding which I enjoyed playing the most, but it comes down to a tossup between 2099 and Noir, while Ultimate and Amazing feel similar in art and gameplay. Each have their own version of Spider Sense, but it doesn’t vary much other than pointing out various mission objectives, collectibles and enemies. There is the occasional first-person fight segment, which tends to lean towards the cheesy side and doesn’t fit well in the game. Not a big deal considering most of the combat feels great.
The most noticeable change from previous Spider-Man games is the fact that Shattered Dimensions is now a linear game as opposed to an open world experience. While some may not like the return to such straightforward play, it is a return to form for the series. The linear levels keep the action tight, creating fast paced levels throughout the game. You won’t miss the open world stuff here. Also a very memorable portion of the game is the well varied boss fights, requiring different strategies typically involving the environment. Without spoiling too much, you’ll face off against some of greatest villains from Spider-Man’s vast history such as Carnage, Juggernaut, Hobgoblin and of course, Mysterio. One of the real treats of the game is the unique method of upgrading combat and character specs, via the Web of Destiny. The Web of Destiny contains 180 challenges, ranging from mission specific objectives, using various techniques to take down foes, as well as time-attack style objectives. Completing these challenges unlocks tiers of upgrades for each Spider-Man as well as some of the game’s available outfits. Once you’ve unlocked a tier of upgrades, you can spend points earned by completing challenges, collecting Spider emblems as well as plainly defeating enemies. There are a ton of available upgrades that you’ll have to pick and choose over the course of the game but it is made much easier to unlock upgrades if you are working to complete the various challenges. I had a blast trying to complete as many challenges as possible as the rewards are well worth the work involved. With four different art styles, the game is typically easy on the eyes with some great variances between each.
Noir and Ultimate were the standouts in my opinion, but as I stated previously, everyone who opts to play the game will pick favorites. You also have various voice actors who have all contributed to the Spider-Man franchise at some point in the past along with Dan Slott, who has been writing the current run of Amazing Spider-Man to helm the plot. It really is an all-star lineup in the real and fictional world of Spidey. Beenox even scored Stan Lee to narrate the over-arching plot. Overall, the game is a wonderfully drafted love letter to fans in terms of design, story aside. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions was a risk. Beenox dropped the open-world environments for a linear experience, but it turned out for the best. Each universe feels almost completely different from the others in design and play. The cast brings back fond memories from all of our favorite games, comics and shows that have been a part of Marvel history. The game will create discussion on which universe is the best and why since none of the universes feel particularly weaker than the others. The only piece of the game that really fell short of the entire experience was the weak plot which fails to compare to the deep storytelling found in the comics. The Web of Destiny is woven well into the game, almost to the point where it feels like a game within itself. The challenges involved border on addictive. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions well exceeded my expectations as a whole. While it doesn’t quite attain the status of the definitive Spider-Man experience, it’s easily the best game starring the web-slinger that I’ve had the pleasure of playing in years.
