Terrifying Spider-Man PS4 Boat People Watch Us From the Water

Update: Turns out this is actually an intentional Easter egg from Insomniac, not a trick to lower the rendering load. The models are parodying the boat people models from Spider-Man 2 on the PS1, which were also notoriously terrible. This is actually pretty clever. Good game Insomniac! As long as they don’t try to parody the emo Peter Parker from Sam Raimi’s third Spider-Man movie, I think we’ll be okay.

Original: Games are complicated creatures. There are often a number interesting behind-the-scenes tricks that developers use to make everything work. Sometimes, playing against the developers intentions can reveal these tricks. That’s exactly what happened with the Marvel’s Spider-Man PS4 boat people, the terrifying polygonal mannequins who pilot the boats in New York City’s waters.

Players love photo mode, but it’s a risky proposition for developers as fans get to scrutinize the smallest details of their worlds. There are fun Easter eggs hidden there, like the Sable rockets that say “Guaranteed to Kill Spiders” on the side in fine print, and there are also horrifying creatures of nightmare hiding just beyond the water’s edge.

Spider-Man doesn’t exactly perform well in water, so Insomniac didn’t think that players would hurl themselves into the bay. The boats out there aren’t even physical objects. Spidey just passes through them. They are meant to to be visual flavor on the fringes of the city, but with photo mode, the true nature of Spider-Man’s watercraft reveals itself.

Insomniac never intended players to see these angular horrors up close, but launch Spidey into the water and do a couple of awkward water hops, photo mode lets you see that not only do the hills have eyes, but the water does too. Are these beings the true villains, surrounding New York City as it tears itself apart, waiting for the opportune time to move in and exact their vengeance for not being given the same number polygons as the animated people on the streets? Maybe the guy in the boat just wanted a high five from Spider-Man too, but it’s too late for the simple solutions now. Look at them.

They were designed to be silhouettes on the water, but we have cast them into the light. We’ve allowed the rigging of their own vessels to launch straight through their handless misshapen figures.

Remember their faces, for they don’t have names. We call them the boat people, and they watch us from afar.

Essential Reading

Marvel's Spider-Man PS4 Suits Ranked September 2018

Marvel's Spider-Man PS4 - All 28 Suits Ranked

There are 28 suits in Marvel's Spider-Man PS4, some far better than others. Using the photo mode, critical analysis, and our good ol' fashioned opinions, here are all 28 Marvel's Spider-Man PS4 suits ranked from worst to best.
#28 ESU Suit

Apart from being one of the most boring suits in the game comparatively, the slap in the face is that this is the reward for getting all of the secret photo ops hidden around the city, which will probably make it the final suit you unlock. I was kind of expecting something a little more for my efforts than just honoring Peter Parker's alma mater.
#27 Classic Suit

Now, there's nothing wrong with the classic Spidey suit per se, but it just can't compare with a lot of the other unique suits on this list. We put it low on the list simply because it lacks the flair and/or humor of the other suits.
#26 Electrically Insulated Suit

This suit was designed by Peter in Amazing Spider-Man #425 to combat Electro and protect himself from his electric attacks. While its function may have saved Peter's bacon on a number of occasions, the hero clearly wasn't thinking of fashion when he designed this fairly ugly suit.
#25 Spider Armor - MK III Suit

Created in Amazing Spider-Man #682, the Spider Armor MK III has a ton of features packed into its beefy shell, none of which are actually usable in Marvel's Spider-Man PS4. The mask is a little bit reminiscent of DC's Deathstroke, and it's a bit too bulky to be our favorite.
#24 Spider-Man 2099 White Suit

While a huge fan of Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O'Hara), and the theory behind his updated white suit, its appearance in-game is little more than some shiny power armor without some of the really cool visual features that make it special in the comics, like the red glow and ability to change colors. It still looks pretty cool, but it's not among our favorite suits in the game.
#23 Stark Suit

The Stark Suit is a special nod to the suit that Peter was given by Tony Stark (Iron Man) in the Captain America: Civil War MCU film, and subsequently used in Spider-Man: Homecoming. While a cool nod to more modern representations of the character, it's not a particularly spectacular suit among the rest of the pack.
#22 Wrestler Suit

When Peter Parker first discovered he had powers, he donned a mask and dove headfirst into an underground wrestling arena. This is the costume that he wore in that fated moment (where Uncle Ben would be killed shortly after). It's not the slickest looking suit in the game, but it's humorous and unique.
#21 Velocity Suit

The Velocity Suit is completely new for Marvel's Spider-Man PS4, and it's designed for speed. It's got a pretty cool futuristic look to it, with glowing accents and an overall sheen.
#20 Advanced Suit

The Advanced Suit is the main suit for Marvel's Spider-Man PS4. It was created by Insomniac specifically for the game and has an interesting origin story with who helps Peter to build it. Most notably, it has new white accents that really pop on top of the classic Spidey look.
#19 Dark Suit

Earned for completing all of the Black Cat photo-op missions in the game, this is a stealth suit with a red spider and eyes. It looks pretty cool, but it still doesn't rank among our most favorite Spidey suits in the game.
#18 Spider Armor - MK II Suit

How is it that the suit that came before the MK III armor looks better than that bulky mess? The MK II Spider Armor has a really cool black and gold sheen, keeping Spidey's narrow frame while giving him bullet proof plating.
#17 Secret War Suit

Not to be confused with his Secret Wars symbiote suit created in the '80s, Spidey's Secret War suit comes from the 2004-2005 Marvel crossover event, featuring a unique design of red webbing on black material, with blue accents.
#16 Spider Armor - MK IV Suit

Bythe Spider Armor MK IV, it looks like Peter just wanted to go with his Classic Spider Suit design with an armored plating over the top of it, so what we get is effectively shiny metallic Spider-Man. Who doesn't love shiny?
#15 Classic Suit (Damaged)

While we may not have been too keen on the clean Classic Suit, the damaged version of the suit tells a story through it's ripped fabric. This is a hero who has been through some stuff and only barely come out on the other side. We don't always need to see our heroes in their pristine costumes. Sometimes a bit of damage is good!
#14 Homemade Suit

More for laughs than anything else, this blue sweatpants, red socks, goggles combo is what Peter first wore in Spider-Man: Homecoming as he started his superhero career.
#13 Undies

Making a little bit more sense once you finish the game, the Undies Suit (or lack of suit) is your reward for finishing the entire game 100%. Get it done before the DLCs come out, and just maybe Peter can be super awkwardly in his skivvies for all of the cutscenes. Count me in.
#12 Anti-Ock Suit

Another exclusive for Marvel's Spider-Man PS4, this costume plays into the campaign, and we think that Insomniac did a pretty great job with the design.
#11 Stealth (“Big Time”) Suit

In the comics, this suit actually changes its accents from red to blue to green depending on which stealth mode it is in. Marvel's Spider-Man PS4 locks it into its neon green configuration, but it still looks pretty cool to swing around New York City with.
#10 Fear Itself Suit

Here we go! Top 10! For number 10, the Fear Itself Suit starts our list. During this comic arc, Tony Stark and the Dwarves of Nidavellir made a number of suits for various heroes and this was Spider-Man's. The aesthetic really brings across the whole Fear Itself storyline, which is about a villain who creates fear in Marvel heroes.
#9 Spirit Spider

What if Spider-Man and Ghost Rider crossed over? While that's not exactly what happened here, an alternate universe version of Spider-Man did try to absorb all of the other Spider-Men before having his own spirit trapped in Hell where it got saddled with dark powers similar to what gives Ghost Rider his flaming skull head. Ghost Spider!
#8 Spider-Man 2099 Black Suit

I just love the look of the Spider-Man 2099 Black Suit, even if it is decidedly blue. Peter Parker himself doesn't actually where this one. That honor belongs to a future Spider-Man, Miguel O'Hara. It's one of the most visually striking suits in the game while honoring some classic Spidey stories.
#7 Negative Suit

Despite fighting Mister Negative in the game, this suit actually has a history from when Spider-Man went into the Negative Zone. The Negative Zone has no color, so the suit transformed to match, and Insomniac designed it with their own special flair to match the look of Mister Negative and his Demons in the game.
#6 Spider-Punk

Spidey already shirks authority, throwing quip after quip around and skirting the edge of the law (as most heroes do). In reality, he's one step away from being a punk, so this suit really speaks to his brand. Spider Punk is not a Peter Parker outfit, but that of Hobart Brown, an activist fighting back against the man and an oppressive government in a way that only punks can.
#5 Scarlet Spider Suit

Something about the Scarlet Spider seems so cool and relatable. He wears a skintight red suit, but a sleeveless hoodie over the top of it. While Peter Parker did become the Scarlet Spider at one point, this version is Ben Reilly, a clone of Spider-Man.
#4 Iron Spider Suit

Paying homage to Avengers: Infinity War and the costume that Tony Stark gifts to Peter, the Iron Spider suit is an incredible looking Marvel that even comes with the extended metal spider legs as a bonus power.
#3 Last Stand Suit

Something about the Last Stand Suit just oozes cool. Here's a guy in what amounts to black jeans and a motorcycle jacket, wearing a Spider-Man mask and fighting crime. This is a much older and darker Peter from an alternate timeline, one that's not afraid to kill. This is the outfit he is wearing when he is ultimately shot and killed by the NYPD.
#2 Noir Suit

Spider-Man Noir is an alternate universe version of the Spider-Man story that takes place in the early 1900s. He uses guns for weapons and doesn't mind killing when needed, due to his dark upbringing during the Great Depression. This look for Spider-Man has always been one of my favorites, but it doesn't quite match up to number 1.
#1 Vintage Comic Book Suit

The Vintage Comic Books Suit gives Spidey a cartoony cel-shaded appearance that looks incredible against the high-resolution backdrop of New York City. It reminds me a lot of the upcoming Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movie with the way the animation looks, and is an amazing addition to the game.