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Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six

Review

Control Spider-Man across six side-scrolling levels, using web-swinging and combat to defeat the Sinister Six.

Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six was developed by B.I.T.S. and published by Flying Edge/LJN for the NES in 1992; it was not released on any earlier platform, so the NES version is the original release.


							Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six cover
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About Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six

Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six is a side-scrolling action game where the player controls Spider-Man. The narrative premise involves Doctor Octopus assembling a team of villains known as the Sinister Six with the goal of world domination, setting the stage for the conflict.

Gameplay involves navigating six distinct levels, each featuring a confrontation with a different member of the villain group: Electro, Sandman, Mysterio, Vulture, Hobgoblin, and finally Doctor Octopus. Progression sometimes requires solving basic environmental puzzles, such as locating a key. Spider-Man's moveset includes wall-climbing, a duck jump, punching, and a jump kick executed with a specific button combination. He can also swing using his webbing, which is activated by a simultaneous button press.

The game's resource management is defined by limited web cartridges for projectile attacks. While Spider-Man is challenging to defeat in direct combat, the overall structure is demanding due to a single life and only one continue. Health can be partially restored by defeating certain enemies, as there are no other restorative items.

Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six Screenshots

10 images
Title Screen
Game intro
Stage one intro
This is a web cartridge. With those, Spidey can fire web projectiles.
Here's Spidey performing Tarzan.
You'll have to break this door by punching or shooting it, in order to continue.
Some levels will require some puzzle solving, like finding this key.
You'll have to turn off this switch in order to avoid Electro from recharging his life.
Stage two intro
Here's Spidey climbing a ladder.