Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Spider-Man’s gameplay captures the essence of side-scrolling action with a superhero twist. Players control Spider-Man as he traverses urban rooftops, factory floors and secret lairs, using a combination of web-spinning, kicking and punching to dispatch foes. The controls are straightforward: a dedicated attack button, a jump button and a web button allow for simple combos, but mastering timing and positioning turns battles into gratifying encounters. Quick enemy dash-ins and aerial assaults keep the action dynamic, rewarding players who alternate between ground combos and midair websling attacks.

Level design leans heavily into variety, offering segments where you must navigate conveyor belts, dodge laser traps and leap between crumbling platforms. Each stage introduces new robot types—some lumber slowly while firing projectiles, others zoom across the screen in zigzag patterns—forcing you to adapt your playstyle. Boss battles against Dr. Octopus, The Green Goblin and Smythe break up the standard enemy fodder with multi-phase fights that demand pattern recognition and patience. These clashes often end with Spider-Man delivering his signature “web-cuff” move, which is as satisfying in its animation as it is effective.

Despite its simple control scheme, Spider-Man provides a surprising depth of challenge. Collectible web-cartridges scattered through levels serve as health pick-ups and sub-weapons, encouraging exploration. Players who seek a completionist run will replay stages to snag all cartridges and hidden bonus tokens, extending the game’s lifespan. Occasional mini-games, like racing a moving platform or saving falling civilians, inject variety and break up the straightforward combat, ensuring the pacing never becomes stale.

Graphics

Graphically, Spider-Man channels the look and feel of the animated television series on which it’s based. Sprites are well-defined, with Spider-Man’s classic red-and-blue suit rendered in crisp pixel art that stands out against the industrial backgrounds. Enemy robots feature distinct color palettes and designs, allowing you to quickly differentiate between slow tanks, agile flyers and heavy-hitting brutes. Boss characters are slightly larger sprites with more elaborate details, giving them an imposing presence on-screen.

Backgrounds range from city skylines at dusk to the inner chambers of high-tech laboratories. Parallax scrolling enhances the illusion of depth, especially during rooftop runs where you can glimpse distant buildings receding into the horizon. Animation frames for Spider-Man’s web-swing and acrobatic flips are smooth, making traversal segments feel fluid. Web effects—thin white lines stretching across the screen—are simple but effective, adding flair without cluttering the action.

While the color palette can be a bit muted in darker levels, faithful recreations of the cartoon’s aesthetic shine through in key moments, like the neon-green glow of Green Goblin’s pumpkin bombs or the mechanical sheen on Dr. Octopus’s tentacles. On hardware of its era, Spider-Man stands out for ambitious background details and consistent sprite animation, though modern players might notice slower frame rates during heavily populated scenes.

Story

The narrative framework is delightfully straightforward: three of Spider-Man’s most notorious foes—Dr. Octopus, The Green Goblin and Smythe—have escaped from prison, and it’s up to our hero to track them down and “kick their butts,” as the game’s intro cheekily states. Each villain’s level begins with a brief text-based cutscene outlining their nefarious plan, tying back to the arch-villain’s motivations from the animated series. This familiarity will please fans of the show while remaining accessible for newcomers.

As you progress, minor interludes introduce factory robots and henchmen serving the escaped villains. These encounters add context—revealing that Smythe is mobilizing his robot army, the Green Goblin is orchestrating a citywide terror spree, and Dr. Octopus is constructing a doomsday device. Though these story beats are delivered through simple scrolling text boxes rather than voiced dialogue, they maintain a good pace, ensuring the narrative never becomes a drag between action-packed stages.

Each boss fight doubles as a story highlight, with brief victory scenes that tease the next villain’s machinations. The finale culminates in a showdown with all three foes in a mechanical fortress, blending combat themes from previous levels. While not deeply layered, the story provides enough motivation to keep you engaged from start to finish, especially if you have a soft spot for classic comic-book showdowns.

Overall Experience

Spider-Man succeeds as a faithful, enjoyable side-scroller that captures the thrill of swinging through the city and facing off against iconic villains. Its balanced mix of platforming, combat and mini-challenges offers a solid single-session length—often around five to six hours for a standard run—yet hides enough secrets to warrant multiple replays. Fans of the animated series will appreciate the nods to familiar villains and visual style, while newcomers can enjoy a straightforward action game with superhero flair.

Although modern gamers might find the difficulty spikes and occasional slowdown during intense sequences frustrating, the core loop of web-slinging action and boss clashes remains compelling. Sound effects and a jaunty chiptune soundtrack underscore the game’s upbeat tone, even if they lack speech samples. The solid controls and varied level design make overcoming each stage feel rewarding, especially when you discover a hidden web-cartridge or perfect a boss pattern.

In the context of retro platformers, Spider-Man stands out for its licensed charm and dependable action mechanics. Whether you’re a longtime Spidey aficionado or simply a side-scrolling enthusiast, this title delivers enough excitement and challenge to justify picking it up. Prepare for a nostalgic romp through the world of masked vigilantes—and plenty of butt-kicking fun along the way.

Retro Replay Score

6.6/10