Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first stretch makes a solid case for itself simply because Spider-Man has more ways to get around than a typical side-view brawler. You can fight on the ground, cling to walls, crawl across ceilings, and swing on web strands when there is enough clearance. That last caveat matters: swinging is not a button you can mindlessly lean on, but a movement option you need the space to use. When a route lets you climb up, move overhead, and swing onward, the game briefly captures the nimble improvisation you want from Spider-Man.

Combat is direct. Spider-Man has a hand-to-hand combo for close range and web pellets for dealing with threats at a distance. Neither approach sounds complicated, and that is part of the game’s old-school appeal: you are reading the immediate situation, deciding whether to close in or fire webbing, then using the walls and ceiling to avoid being stuck in one lane. The Spider-Slayers give the game a persistent mechanical opposition alongside Spider-Man’s familiar foes.

Frustration is most likely to set in when you want to swing but the stage does not offer the needed room. That limitation can make the character feel less free than the fantasy promises. Still, the wall and ceiling crawling stop the action from becoming completely flat. If you enjoy compact 16-bit action games and can accept a simpler combat toolkit, there is enough Spider-Man-specific movement here to make it worth a look.

Graphics

This is a side-view SNES game built around the cartoon-era Spider-Man and his recognizable enemies. The most useful visual element is the clear placement of climbable walls and ceilings, since they are central to how you move through each stage.

Story

The story keeps the focus where it belongs: Spider-Man is up against old foes and an army of Spider-Slayers. It is a familiar comic-book setup, but a sensible one for an action game that wants to move quickly from one confrontation to the next.

Dialogue scenes with each stage’s boss give the encounters some personality before the fighting starts. The game also checks in with Spider-Man’s allies at the end of stages, so the campaign has more connective tissue than a bare sequence of fights.

Do not come in expecting an elaborate narrative. The story functions as a brisk frame for villain confrontations and the next bout of Spider-Man action. For fans of this cartoon-era version of the character, that may be all the motivation needed.

Overall Experience

The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes is at its strongest whenever you are treating the level as a surface to climb over rather than a hallway to walk through. The ability to move up walls, across ceilings, and through open air with webbing gives it a character that many licensed action games lack.

Its limits are equally easy to see. The fighting is built around a small, uncomplicated set of options, and the freedom of web-swinging depends on having enough room. If you want deep combat or constant aerial movement, you may find it restrictive.

But this is a decent choice for a Spider-Man fan who values the character’s basic physicality: punch, fire web pellets, climb, hang overhead, and swing when the route opens up. It does not need to be more ambitious than that to offer a few enjoyable, authentically Spider-Man moments.

Retro Replay Score

6.2/10