Trying to 100% ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man’ Was Immensely Satisfying

I don’t think I’ve actively tried to 100% a game since Spyro the Dragon. I’m not a completionist kinda guy. Usually, I view the journey of gathering collectibles, doing “odd jobs,” or otherwise tackling anything that isn’t a main quest — or meaningful side quest — as tiresome. Busywork the developers created with the illusion of depth. But, Marvel’s Spider-Man did something to me. For the very first time, I felt almost obligated to do everything.

Marvel’s Spider-Man was only meant to be a fun distraction in the face of… a very eventful 2024. However, as I swung around Manhattan, systematically protecting the area from malevolent forces, it felt… good. Yeah, on its face, Marvel’s Spider-Man introduces the “go to these points on the map, beat people up, and reclaim them” open-world trope. But, you have to understand, in real life? I’m just a powerless geek on the internet.

I’m not likely to dismantle capitalism — in this lifetime or any other one. People around the world will continue to suffer — in many ways, shapes, and forms. There’s nothing I can do about that. In reality? The bad guys win more often than we realize, even if we don’t immediately see it. In Marvel’s Spider-Man? Suddenly, I could defeat the bad guys. I was strong enough, I was smart enough, and I had the determination to root out evil to protect the people of (fictional) Manhattan!

‘Marvel’s spider-man’ epitomizes the necessity of escapism

Every stronghold I put an end to? Euphoric. Every Big Bad who thought they could meaningfully stop me and carry out their nefarious schemes? They learned their lesson the hard way! It’s wish fulfillment to its absolute maximum. But it was something I desperately needed at a time when hope and peace felt more distant than I’d care to admit.

Ultimately, I didn’t get that fabled Platinum trophy. Marvel’s Spider-Man‘s DLC expanded the scope of what I felt like feasibly attaining, and I gave up and called it even after investing more time than I ever thought I would. Although, the game did teach me something worthwhile in the pursuit of something “bigger than myself.”

As cheesy as this is going to sound: Justice is always worth fighting for. No matter how intimidating the path to achieve it may be. It’s a lesson those before us passed down through their trials and tribulations, and we have to be willing to pay that forward by keeping that energy. As the popular quote (allegedly) goes: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing.” Maybe you can’t punch them in the face like Spider-Man. But you always have ways to keep the good fight alive.