If you're lucky enough to have a PS5, Spider-Man: Miles Morales is probably the first game you're going to play. (And even if you don't have a PS5, it's still a perfectly good time on the PS4.) This follow-up to the critically acclaimed Marvel's Spider-Man is, in general, just as good as its predecessor, only a little shorter and more focused. This time around, you'll take control of Miles Morales as he comes into his own as Harlem's very own Spider-Man.
While the game isn't tremendously difficult on default settings, there are still a few things you can do to get the most out of your playthrough. We've assembled a list of spectacular tips to help you hit the ground — or the rooftops — running. Excelsior!
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Invest in new suits
Just as in the original Spider-Man, you'll have access to a whole wardrobe of alternate suits — and just as in the original, each one comes with a useful new power. While not every new skill is tied to a suit, you may as well prioritize the suit skills. Not only are the skills useful, but the suits themselves feel particularly rewarding, since Miles will wear whatever you select for both gameplay sections and cutscenes. Some of the suit skills are useful and some are purely aesthetic, but they're all worth trying. (Get the Into the Spider-Verse suit and equip the skill as soon as you can; trust me on this.)
Upgrade your gadgets
When you start Spider-Man: Miles Morales, you'll have access to standard web shooters and not much else. While you can get through early combat encounters with some rudimentary punches and web-slinging, your gadgets can damage or disable enemies passively and help you deal with large groups, one goon at a time. The Gravity Well gadget is especially useful, as it suspends enemies in midair, letting you beat them up at leisure. Otherwise, even just upgrading the web shooters can be a huge boon, since they'll recharge automatically and can immobilize even huge, tough foes.
Time your dodges
There are two ways to dodge enemy attacks in Spider-Man: Miles Morales: dodging as soon as you see an attack indicator, or dodging at the last possible second, when the indicator turns red. The latter is called a "perfect dodge," and while it's a much more dangerous strategy, it's also a better one. A perfect dodge will disable an enemy with a web shot to the face. You can also upgrade the skill to open up most opponents to an instant KO following a perfect dodge. Perfect dodges are both stylish and functional, and if you do a few in a row, you can whittle down an overwhelming enemy force into something much more manageable.
Replay side activities
In the original Spider-Man, replaying side content (random crimes, strongholds, skill challenges and so forth) didn't have much benefit. Once you'd achieved all of an activity's objectives, it wouldn't give you any additional rewards. That's not the case in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, where every activity will give you at least one Activity Token, regardless of how many times you've done it before. Since you need a ton of Activity Tokens to upgrade skills and gadgets, it's almost always worth your time to stop a crime or revisit a holographic challenge. It's a little time-consuming, but it's much easier than trying to get a perfect rating on every activity.
Advance the story
There are a ton of side activities in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and you may be tempted to stop the plot cold and hunt down every last one. I made this mistake, and I am here to prevent you from repeating it. By following the plot, you'll actually find plenty of opportunities to take care of side missions. Between most missions, Miles has to stop and tackle a side quest until the plot picks up again. If you do all of the optional missions the second they become available, you'll find yourself twiddling your thumbs or foiling random robberies during Miles' interludes.
Avoid fast travel (at first)
As in the original Spider-Man, you can travel around NYC almost instantly with fast-travel subway stops. (And in this case, we really do mean "almost instantly" — the PS5 load speeds for this game are ridiculously fast.) While this can save you a lot of time, it also means you'll zoom right by a lot of interesting activities. There are a lot of collectibles to find in Miles' NYC, and many of them, you won't find until you swing into their immediate vicinity. If you're sure you've already cleared out an area, fast-travel away; otherwise, it's worth taking the scenic route.
Lean on your Venom powers
Some of Miles' powers, he has in common with Peter Parker from the previous game. But Miles can also use Venom abilities to take out tougher foes. In this instance, "Venom" doesn't refer to the villainous symbiotic antihero (maybe next game?), but a special ability Miles has to supercharge his attacks. By using Venom, Miles can pummel individual enemies, stun multiple foes at once and even launch himself into mid-air from a stationary position. (This is very handy to reach high places while exploring the city.) Even if Venom attacks don't do damage outright, they'll soften enemies up for additional damage from standard punches and kicks.
Use Camouflage for stealth missions
About halfway through Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the titular webslinger will get access to another unique power: Camouflage. This lets Miles turn invisible for brief periods of time. While it's not usually necessary during combat, it's absolutely invaluable during stealth missions and challenges. With a few simple upgrades, you can extend Camouflage's duration and make it totally silent, meaning that you can often take out two or three enemies and launch yourself back to safety before the bad guys know what hit them. Investing in Camouflage can save you a lot of time and grief, particularly in the optional holographic stealth challenges.
Pick off enemies in big areas
Spider-Man may have terrific powers, but "invulnerability" is not one of them. Miles, like Peter, is fairly susceptible to fists, lead pipes, guns and other implements of destruction. As such, it's easy to get swarmed, and a few hits are usually sufficient to bring you down. The best thing you can do is take enemies down stealthily, particularly in big, open areas with lots of places to hide. Even though you usually won't be able to clear a whole room this way, every enemy you take down before fists start flying is one fewer threat you'll have to deal with in a chaotic combat situation.
Try New Game+
Spider-Man: Miles Morales isn't an exceptionally long game (eight to 10 hours, depending on how much extra stuff you want to do), but there are good reasons to play it more than once. After you finish the story, you can dive into New Game+ mode, which lets you replay the campaign, but with all of your acquired skills and gear intact. This lets you speed through the story without stopping to hunt for side content, as well as complete your item upgrades and skill trees. In fact, many upgrades only open up in New Game+, so you'll need to tackle Miles Morales at least twice in order to see everything the game has to offer.
