Get a hint of what could be the only game focused on Marvel’s most terrifying symbiote
You end up face to face with Venom in Spider-Man 2 and a single question pops into your head: What if this vicious symbiote had its own setting, its own adventure? Oh! Complaints about downloadable content or spin-off are already there.
Well, says Spider-Man 2 narrative director John Paquette. And he did it carefully without revealing too much, but leaving a blanket of hope for all of us. “We’re focused on ‘Spider-Man 2,'” he says. “We’ll wait and see how the fans react and ask ourselves: What do they really want?”
The potential of the Venom universe
It turns out that poison isn’t just any ordinary villain. To introduce Spider-Man 2, Packet and his team went from “Secret Wars” to the complex mythology of Klyntar. Be careful, they don’t do their homework half way! “There’s a rich universe here, and the comics have done a lot. We try to take it all in, and we try to forget about it, and we think about what’s best for our characters and franchises,” he explains.
Venom and his ability to generate violence would obviously be a valuable addition to any video game. Imagine the game mechanics: a bigger and meaner version of us with Peter Parker and Miles Morales. Given that, adding Venom as DLC or, even better, as a main character in his own story, wouldn’t be a crazy project.
To think of us, imagine that New York is infected by thousands of symbiotes by the invasion of Knull, the king of symbiotes, or by showing different versions of the black symbiote, such as Eddie Brock or Flash Thompson’s anti-venom (thus being able to exchange characters, as we do with Peter and Miles, each with special abilities).
From comics to your console
Of course, we can’t talk about Venom without going back to its roots in comics. The character was created in 1988 as an opponent of Spider-Man, but quickly found his own place. Also known as “The Deadly Guardian”, Venom is on both sides of morality, sometimes evil and other times an anti-hero. This gives it the perfect narrative versatility to delve into in a video game. That’s where Insomniac can use this symbiote in a unique title.
Compared to other characters in the Marvel Universe, Venom has a unique complexity. While other heroes and villains may be more straightforward, Venom is driven by his symbiotic relationship with his host, a constant dance between good and evil. It’s not just Eddie Brock or anyone else who carries the symbiote; It is a changing and changing body. And if that doesn’t make you want a Venom-centric video game, what will?
Adventure beyond PS5
Spider-Man 2 is now available for PS5 and the sequel promises big things: from faster web scrolling speeds to new powers. But beyond Sony’s console, this startup is global. The game invites you to “explore the vast Marvel New York using fast-paced web swings and new Web Wings, fast-switching between Peter and Miles using different storylines, fantastic new abilities and high-tech equipment.”
If we have to bet, Spider-Man 2 could end up receiving DLC at some point, and Venom will be part of the action. But if Insomniac Games decided to give Venom its own spin in the style we saw with Spider-Man: Miles Morales…we’d have something truly amazing.