Comic-Con 2008: Hands on with Spider-Man: Web of Shadows for DS

Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is swinging back into action this autumn, this time in an entirely original adventure. Shown for the first time during Activision's press event at Comic-Con in San Diego, we wasted little time in going hands-on with Spider-Man: Web of Shadows.

The game follows Spider-Man's efforts to beat back a Symbiant invasion of Manhattan. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been called in to combat the virulent threat, as well as evacuate any remaining citizens on the island. As Spider-Man, it's your job to support the rescue effort and eliminate the Symbiants at their source.

Tracking down the massive Symbiant hives throughout the city involves navigating labyrinthine 2D levels. Associate producer Carlos Rodriguez explains: "We're aiming for a combination of big map exploration and classic Spider-Man visceral combat." As you traipse through side-scrolling levels rendered in surprisingly detailed 3D graphics, new areas open up by solving simple puzzles or defeating bosses.

It's not dissimilar to the Castlevania games that have you exploring huge levels to open up areas with newly acquired abilities. Moving through a crumbling residential area, for example, required us to defeat a Super Symbiant mini-boss. Several punches and a bit of webbing later, the dude was down and a new ability was granted. The reinforced web skill allowed us to grapple with heavy objects in the surrounding environment, letting us pull away rubble to enter a new area.

Naturally, combat plays a huge role in Web of Shadows. You're welcome to switch between Spider-Man's two suits – red and black – at any time. Each offers a distinct fighting style and array of skills.

Donning the red costume, for instance, bestows greater agility and a range of web powers. Suit up in black and you gain enhanced strength for pummeling foes. What's great is that you're able to swap suits on-the-fly, in the middle of combat. A quick tap of the L button and you're changing suits in no time.

Defeating enemies earns you experience, which in turn can be spent on enhancing your existing slate of powers and unlocking new abilities. Skills specific to the red and black suits can be upgraded, although there are general enhancements such as increased health that you can access. It's a straightforward system, but one that promises to provide incentives for varying your attacks and racking up combos.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows wisely focuses on side-scrolling action via the D-pad and face buttons, instead of forcing awkward touchscreen controls. That isn't to say the game doesn't utilize the DS beyond filling the two screens. Whenever Spider-Man succumbs to enemy attacks, you're prompted to revive him via touchscreen mini-game. As a timer whittles away, your objective is to draw in red health orbs with the stylus and tap away any poison. How well you perform determines the amount of health restored.

Interestingly enough, Spider-Man doesn't take the Symbiants to task all on his own. Rodriguez hinted at possible alliances with other notable characters from the series. Exclusive to the DS version of the game is a juncture that forces a decision between allying with nemesis Green Goblin or working with Nightcrawler.

"This is my third Spider-Man DS game," Rodriguez recounted. "I really believe this is the best one we've ever made." We're inclined to agree. Instead of offering a remix of a console game, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows promises an experience tailored to the DS. The gameplay feels authentic – a quality many comic book games strive for, yet few actually achieve. We'll know for certain how tight a web Spider-Man weaves on DS when the game ships in the autumn.