Peter Parker Looks Very Different In Spider-Man Remastered On PS5

Spider-Man Remastered puts players back in the latex suit of the arachnid superhero, but this time around civilian-mode Peter Parker is going to look a little different thanks to a new facial capture for the PlayStation 5 upgrade.

In new videos and screenshots released today, Insomniac Games gives us our first glimpse of what Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered will look like on Sony’s upcoming console. For starters, it features a Peter Parker whose likeness hews more closely to Marvel Cinematic Universe actor Tom Holland’s.

“Our characters have also gotten a huge upgrade,” wrote Insomniac community director James Stevenson. “From higher-fidelity skin, eye, and teeth shaders to individually rendered strands of hair, the new tech and detail brings our characters and their performances to new life.”

I’m not going to lie, the new Peter Parker face is a little jarring, if only because it’s so different. The provided footage doesn’t seem to indicate that other characters, like Otto Octavius, have received facelifts even half as drastic as the main character’s, but the more powerful platform improves the visuals from the original game more generally.

The updated game also includes improved models, ray-traced reflections, and ambient shadows. Whether you’re down with the tech lingo or not, it sure looks pretty! Case in point, here’s the first 60 fps footage of Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered running on PlayStation 5:

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered will be available on PlayStation 5 as part of the Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition package releasing November 12. There won’t be a free upgrade for those who already own Spider-Man on PlayStation 4, but a paid Ultimate upgrade will be available to folks who buy the standard version of Miles Morales on either platform.

Update (3:39 p.m. ET, 09/30/2020): Spider-Man creative director Bryan Intihar has responded to scattered criticism of Peter Parker’s new look, writing that he himself took some time to come around on the update but that finding a better visual match for voice actor Yuri Lowenthal was “a necessity.”

“We care as much about this character as your attachment to him, so please know we didn’t make this decision/change lightly,” Intihar’s statement continues. “As we did throughout the development of Marvel’s Spider-Man, we’ll continue to read your comments, listen, and always be looking for ways to improve every facet of the game. At the same time, I hope you can trust us that this decision is what we feel is best for the future of the franchise and our upcoming goals for this beloved Marvel character.”