Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Next Level Games’ first foray into the Marvel universe, is a simplified brawler that is sure to please gamers of all ages. The developer behind Mario Strikers Charged and NHL Hitz Pro has done an admirable job in returning the digitized Spider-Man back to his old self, with cheesy quips and webslinging action. This is the superhero that I grew up on, and this is a release that will undoubtedly be a favorite of young fans growing up with Spider-Man today.

If there is one thing that Next Level knows, it is their target audience. Friend or Foe isn’t aimed at the crowd that bought the last movie-based released but at the younger gamer that wants something colorful, energetic, and lighthearted. Not entirely separate from the movies, the game is purported to take place after the third film but, aside from the inclusion of a character or two, the movies are a different beast altogether. Surprisingly, the story isn’t based upon rescuing Mary Jane or Aunt May but Spider-Man’s involvement with Nick Fury in finding meteor shards that have possessed heroes and villains within the Marvel universe. To get to the pieces Spidey will have to wade through hundreds of soldiers called phantoms, then defeat the possessed character. Each time a character is beaten or rescued they join the cause and become selectable from the S.H.I.E.L.D. base. The cast of characters will no doubt surprise and delight as Blade, Sandman, Green Goblin become selectable, as well as older characters like Iron Fist. It’s this emphasis on variety that keeps Friend or Foe sailing along nicely.

Each character is not only playable, but they are upgradeable as well. As players battle a template set of villains in one of five locations, enemies drop orbs that charge a combo meter. As combos are dolled out and orbs collected the meter gradually increases in levels, with the result being that the higher the level the greater the orbs dropped – it’s a looping system in which advancement begets advancement. These are then tallied up at the end of one of the locations’ levels – three levels and one boss battle per area – and can then be spent on upgrading a character’s stats – toughness, health, or even to unlock a special ability – or on Spider-Man’s web powers.

The web powers are pretty enjoyable, consisting of web lines, web balls, and web spray. The lines can be upgraded so that enemies tripped by them cause radial damage by exploding upon impact while the web balls can be shot out faster. There is also melee combat that is used in tandem with the webbing, but the combo system is very basic. The simplified fighting is intentional though, and I find it refreshing that a company finally cut out the fat in a brawler – for so long gamers have been given eighty moves when only three were needed – and successfully compensated for the absence elsewhere.

If there is one word that I would use to describe Friend or Foe it would be ‘focused.’ The game’s approach can be described as cookie cutter: five locations, four sections per, each section broken down into several one- to two-screen areas where successfully defeating a handful of enemies unlocks the next area. The enemies follow the same pattern, in terms of overall design and frequency – a large, shielded variant will inevitably spring up amidst the pawns and brawlers. Hidden away in not-too-secret spots are DNA strands to unlock goodies, and there are items to break that release orbs that replenish health and fill the combo meter. In fact, every few areas there will be a screen or two void of enemies but filled with objects to smash for powering up for the next few rounds. While that approach might be too bland in many cases, it happened to fit in nicely with Friend or Foe’s overall design.

It would be easy to make a Spider-Man game convoluted, but this isn’t. The paths are typically clear, only being somewhat less in the later levels, and the goal is simple: pummel away until an area is unlocked. For the target audience, this is perfect. Bear in mind that the variation isn’t so much in where a fight is or who is being fought but in how the fight is happening and with whom. Spider-Man’s powers are unsurprisingly more pronounced than his teammates, but each member has a certain play style that is different enough that they don’t feel tacked on: brawling about as Venom or firing off laser beams as Prowler is still good times. Better yet, a second player can join in any time; if there is only one player, then a competent AI takes control of the other teammate. This means that a parent or friend can hop in at any point to join in on the fun. There is also a versus mode with stages that are unlocked within the main campaign by finding special key cards and clearing the associated room of the phantoms inside; this mode isn’t terribly involving, but it’s certainly good for a few run-throughs. Everything is laid out in such a way that progression is easy, combat is fast and varied, and there is a hint of exploration, but none of which is taxing or frustrating.

There is bound to be a few disappointed at the exclusion of webslinging, though. The noteworthy element of the last few big Spider-Man releases is strikingly absent here. There is still some swinging, but the swings cannot be linked and are primarily used to attack. The design doesn’t allow for the open-ended swinging about like the other releases, but it is still missed. One thing swinging can do, unfortunately, is cause Spider-Man to go off the side of a plane. The 3D graphics are set in a 2D world, which can create some minor problems with depth perception. The accidental misstep is typically resolved by Spidey autograbbing a ledge or shooting webbing to zip back on to the ground, but swinging over an edge will cause a complete drop, resulting in a loss of orbs. Although this is a constant nuisance, it is nothing too serious. The Wii’s motion sensing is also used sparingly, thankfully, with the nunchuck used to move around, jump, and select between characters and the remote to attack and shoot webbing. Instead of gratuitous waggling, the only movements necessary are shaking the nunchuck for in-level character selection and the slightly trickier remote move to determine how to finish off a foe after grabbing them. 

Friend or Foe is also short. Very short. I can see wanting to keep the scope limited so that players will go from one action spot to another and end before getting bored, but sixty bucks is serious scratch to spend for about 3 hours of gaming. There is high replay value though, due to the versus mode, ability to replay the levels with any character, as well as the unlockable characters and their upgrades as well. And the length fits in well with a younger demographic, especially for parents that don’t mind replaying a level or two at a time so the little ones can get their superhero kicks.

The presentation is also geared towards the cartoon-loving crowd. The colors are bright, the models are basic but stylized, and the menu system is extremely easy to navigate. Due to Friend or Foe's stylized approach, the Wii version holds its own with its high-end console brethren, though there is some slowdown when things heat up. I was also pleasantly surprised by the quality of the voice-over work, particularly because the one-liners and teammate comments were actually decent. There is even an unlockable short Spider-Man cartoon to boot.

Overall: 8/10