Difficulty Settings in Insomniac’s latest superhero offering, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, aren’t that much different from prior games in the series. The recently released sequel offers five different difficulty settings, four of which are available from the get-go. The last one gets unlocked after completing the campaign once.
The developer has also added something called Challenge Level Modifiers. These modifiers are tweakable options that let you fine-tune your experience to the dot. If you don’t like one aspect of the game’s mechanics, then you can change it here.
Five Difficulty Settings
The difficulty setting in the game ranges from super easy baby mode to bone-crushing hard. Each tier of difficulty affects three things: Enemies Health, Damage Dealt by Enemies, and their Stealth Awareness. The five difficulty settings are as follows:
Friendly Neighborhood Difficulty
This difficulty makes your experience completely stress-free by making you immortal. You can’t be defeated in any combat scenario. The number of enemy encounters is minimal, and their health and stealth awareness aren’t very impressive. Recommended for very young players or users who are new to video games.
Friendly Difficulty
This difficulty makes your character a mortal again, however, it still won’t offer much of a challenge. Enemies’ health is still low, and their awareness is poor, although a bit better than the prior difficulty setting. Even half-careful players will have an easy time with the game. Recommended for players who want to focus on the story.
Amazing Difficulty
This is the default difficulty setting of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The enemies are tough but still manageable. You will have to pay attention to all the game’s mechanics. This is the perfect setting for players who want an equal balance between story and combat.
Spectacular Difficulty
This setting is recommended for players who want their game to challenge them. Enemies are tougher, quicker, cleverer, and deal a lot of damage. Taking them lightly will guarantee your trip to the death screen. You will need to use all your gadgets smartly and focus on which enemy to take down first. Deciding which skill to unlock first also becomes much more consequential.
Ultimate Difficulty
The fifth and final difficulty will only become available after you have completed the campaign once. Enemies are tough as nails and can spot you much quicker. Every combat encounter could be fatal, and you can expect to redo a lot of fights. Random button mashing will ensure your death. This setting is recommended for players who like pain and suffering and are looking for the Ultimate Challenge.
Challenge Level Modifiers
Challenge Level Modifiers are a great addition to Spider-Man 2. If you don’t like one aspect of a higher difficulty setting, you can use these modifiers to eliminate it. Let’s say you like higher enemy damage and stealth awareness of Spectacular Difficulty, but not the higher health points, as enemies could feel spongy that way. Well, don’t worry, the game lets you customize each setting, Enemy Health, Enemy Damage, and Stealth Awareness, separately.
Challenge Level Modifiers include many more options; some make aiming easier while some remove annoying features. All the options and their descriptions are mentioned below:
Challenge Level Modifiers |
Description |
Simplify Puzzles |
This setting makes some puzzles easier to solve. Recommended for players that don’t want to waste time with puzzles and want to get back to the action. |
Dodge/Parry Timing |
Use this setting to increase Dodge and Parry timing for incoming enemy attacks. Crucial for higher difficulties. |
Chase Assist |
The top speed of chase targets is reduced and Spider-Man will automatically attach himself to the targeted vehicle when in range. The R3 button automatically points the camera towards the target. |
Game Speed |
Use this setting to either increase or decrease gameplay speed. Cutscenes and audio aren’t affected. Use the D-Pad to change the speed. |
Enhanced Auto Aim |
Makes target snapping in Aim Mode much easier. Recommended for players who have issues aiming with a controller. |
QTE Auto Complete |
All Quick Time Events in the game will be automatically completed, even the one in carnival game sequences. |
Auto-Heal |
Spider-Man will automatically heal if his health reaches below a certain level, assuming he has a full Focus Bar available. |
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 doesn’t feature any difficulty-based trophy, which means the trophy hunters among you won’t have to play the game on the hardest difficulty for that sweet Platinum. It also doesn’t penalize players for using any modifiers, so select whichever one you want to without worrying about any possible repercussions.