Review: Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps DLC

Spider-Man returns with a brand-new story called The City That Never Sleeps. But how does the downloadable content (DLC) stack up against the main game?

I\’m sure if you\’ve already checked out my review of Spider-Man (and if you haven\’t then click here) you\’ll know that I absolutely loved it! I was keen to carry on my adventures with Spidey, so went straight into the DLC. 

The City That Never Sleeps is split into three sections called The Heist, Turf War and Silver Lining. The story revolves around new and recurring characters from the main game including Black Cat, Captain Yuri Watanabe, Silver Sable, and the villainous Hammerhead. Each episode takes around 2 to 3 hours to complete. The game length largely depends on whether you play the story and complete the side missions as well as the additional challenges.

There are some decent moments in the story, but in all honesty, it felt a little underwhelming! Spider-Man had lots of spectacular moments whereas this feels quite safe and by the numbers. Maybe if I’d have waited a while rather than jump straight into the DLC, I would probably be more excited but, I’m sad to say it felt like I was going through the motions.

Hammerhead isn’t a particularly interesting bad guy and Screwball returns with more insane challenges. I’d never heard of Screwball before I played the game, and she has to be one of the most irritating characters I’ve ever come across in a video-game! Screwball is addicted to social media and forces you to carry out tasks in order to boost her followers. Her screeching voice went right through me as she screams at you to do her bidding. I should point out that thankfully these are optional challenges. But, if like me you have OCD when it comes to video-games, you will have to grit your teeth and power through it.

On a positive note, the DLC gives you the chance to revisit New York, get new suits and mop up any collectibles you may have missed the first-time round.  And of course, swinging around New York was as fun and exhilarating as always!

The other thing I wanted to bring up in this review which I didn’t mention before is that the soundtrack is awesome! John Paesano has done a fantastic job which evokes memories of The Avengers theme music from the movies.  This is especially apparent as you swing around New York and the score soars into life which made the hairs on my neck stand up.

As you can probably gather from reading this, I don’t think The City That Never Sleeps is an essential purchase. The story is ok but doesn\’t reach the heights of the main game. It also doesn\’t introduce any new gameplay elements and reuses challenges that you\’ve already done. 

*SPOILER*

Personally, I think the DLC would have been better if it featured Miles Morales rather than Peter Parker. Miles gets his Spider powers at the end of Spider-Man and I feel it would have been more interesting to explore how he gets to grips with his new abilities. I think it would have been fun if the controls were deliberately not as slick which could simulate Miles learning how to swing around New York. This would obviously improve as Miles becomes more confident, but could have been a nice gameplay mechanic to draw you into the story. Miles was quite prominent in the main story, but he is unfortunately side-lined in the DLC. It seems like a missed opportunity, but maybe he’ll feature more in the inevitable sequel?

*END OF SPOILER*

Despite everything I’ve said, I completed 100% of each story and appreciated that it gave me a chance to revisit a game I loved, as well as unlock some new suits and powers. Although I can’t wholeheartedly recommend The City Never Sleeps, I’d suggest picking it up if you see it on sale.

Spider-Man and The City That Never Sleeps are available now for PlayStation 4.