One of the best gaming companies for storytelling, Insomniac Games has gone from its early franchises to being one of the most well-recognized developers of instant classic games today. Their most recent adventures withSpider-Mangames have helped drive them to the next level as a developer, pushing them to the forefront of the industry.
Not only this; their work on classic franchises such asSpyroorRatchet & Clankhas proven they have a lot of longevity as a company, and a great ability to diversify. With female representation at the top of the gaming industry having become a major priority over the last decade, Insomniac has, like many other companies, created some iconic female characters.
One of the most intriguing characters given focus in Insomniac’sSpider-Mangames, Silver Sable, is the leader of an international mercenary organization, as well as the princess of a foreign royal family. With all this going on, it’s no surprise to find that she is a pretty complex character.
Silver Sable not only gives Spider-Man trouble as a villain but also occasions to help him, her morals shifting usually based on who is paying her at the time. While a game based on her would have fascinating consequences and moral implications, she makes for a fantastic character inthe world of Insomniac’sSpider-Man.
It has been some time since Insomniac strayed into the world of FPS games, butResistance: Fall Of Manand its sequels are well-rememberedby many fans who loved them and their innovative gameplay at the time. The first game, featuring a world that had been invaded by an alien race called the Chimera in the 1900s, was set in 1951 and saw characters like Rachel Parker helping Sgt Nathan Hale as they attempted to stop the Chimera from taking control of the UK.
The story was a fascinating one, set in a unique world, and Rachel Parker was a great character, who’d grown up with a father in the army and worked alongside him until the Chimera invaded and he perished. Not only a capable leader and a good early example of a strong female character in gaming, but also a tragic character whom players can feel sympathetic for, as she has lost everything to the Chimera threat and is relentless in attempting to stop it.
TheRatchet & Clankfranchise is known for a long list of beloved characters. Angela Cross is one of the few names that can be considered a primary protagonist alongside the cover stars in one of the franchise’s games. Angela joins Ratchet and Clank as they attempt to unravel a conspiracy, starting out as a thief whom they are sent to chase.
When she is revealed, her backstory as a MegaCorp scientist who defected after discovering how dangerous their latest experiment was is explained. Angela becomes a huge help to the heroes, working alongside them to take MegaCorp down, proving herself to be a badass thief and warrior but also a genius.Though Angela didn’t appear much in later games, she has been referenced a number of times and remains popular with fans of the series.
Though Insomniac’s version of the character has proven somewhat divisive over time, most fans came around to her by the conclusion ofSpider-Man 2. Mary-Jane Watson is a love interest to Peter Parker in the Spider-Man games, as well as a reporter who becomes playable for multiple sections in both of the primary InsomniacSpider-Mangames.
While her gameplay sections in the firstSpider-Mangame were generally considered uninteresting by many players, they were greatly improved in the sequel, and MJ’stransformation temporarily by a Symbiote into Screammeant that Peter also had to take her on in a boss fight. Her and Peter’s story, as well as her own journey to quitting the Daily Bugle and starting a podcast, made for a great story running throughout the second game.
A fascinating character from the earlySpyrogames that Insomniac developed, Elora is a Faun from Avalar who was part of an experiment with portals that accidentally brought the dangerous Ripto to her world. Fortunately, she was able to instruct her friends to scatter the orbs that brought him there across their world, making it difficult for him to bring more trouble with him.
Elora also came up with the idea to try and capture a dragon after hearing Ripto say he hated the creatures. A strong guiding hand to Spyro on his journey, and desperately motivated by a need to restore order to her world, Elora isthe most fascinating female character includedin the originalSpyrotrilogy, and later the Reignited remakes of the same games.
3Yuri Watanabe
Appears In Spider-Man (2018) & Spider-Man 2
Though her story is one that has been seen before in comic book vigilantes, Yuri Watanabe’s journey through the InsomniacSpider-Mangames is a great one. Initially seen as a member of the NYPD, Yuri helps Spider-Man combat crime at various times throughout the first game.
However, by the sequel, Yuri has become so irritated with the limitations of the justice system that she quit, having gone on a vendetta against Hammerhead which ruined her reputation within the NYPD. She becomes a vigilante called Wraith and works both alongside and against Spider-Man, too violent for his tastes but still going after only the worst criminals.
TheRatchet & Clankseries has dealt with many different types of stories. The Multiverse was the latest inRatchet & Clank: Rift Apartwhen Rivet, a lombax from an alternate dimension, and that universe’s counterpart to Ratchet, joined the heroes as they crash-landed in her dimension.
A great warrior for the Resistance working against Emperor Nefarious, Rivet is a brilliant character and a great introduction to the long-running franchise. She’s not just a great side character, but additionally, a playable one at times. Althoughanother major game in theRatchet & Clankfranchisehas not been released since Rivet could easily return or get a spin-off based on her immediate popularity in this entry.
1Felicia Hardy
Appears In Spider-Man (2018)
The Black Cat has always been a contentious character in Marvel Comics, but in Insomniac’sSpider-Mangames, she was a huge hit. Felicia Hardy manages to be an enemy, friend, associate, and love interest to Spider-Man, sometimes all at once, and is a major character inThe City That Never SleepsDLC, in which she collects a series of drives and pretends to sell them to Hammerhead.
Black Cat is one of the more complex comic book characters morally, and fans of theSpider-Mangames took to her immediately. She appeared again after helping Peter in the end against Hammerhead inSpider-Man 2, in which she was targeted by Kraven the Hunter and helped by both Peter and Miles Morales. A fantastic characterwhose popularity could easily lead to a spin-off game, Felicia Hardy remains one of Insomniac’s best characters to date.
