Sony appears to be blocking players from booting the debug build of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 without updating the application.
The recent update version 1.002 for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 turned the game into a debug build that provided access to various options, including settings to tweak asset streaming, enemies. game systems, player health, and more. However, a hotfix was rolled out soon after, and it appears that those who have the game installed cannot boot it up without updating or completely cutting off access to the internet. Users who attempt to boot up the game prior to installing the new update version 1.002.001 will be greeted with the following message.
As seen above, the message states that users can start the game or app after updating it. This effectively prevents the user from canceling the update and booting it in offline mode. The only workaround to this is if you have a physical copy of the game or have Console Sharing and Offline Play enabled in the Users and Accounts sub-menu in the PS5’s settings. In the aforementioned case, users may unplug their Ethernet cable or head over to Network settings and disable the connected network. Doing so will finally allow the game to boot in offline mode.
Besides the inadvertent availability of a debug mode, update version 1.002 for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 brings many new features and improvements to the game. One of the expected additions is the New Game+ (NG+) mode, which allows players to go beyond the base game’s level limit with Ultimate Levels that are not tied to difficulty settings. The update also introduces other new features, such as Symbiote Suit Styles, which can be unlocked by progressing through the Ultimate Levels, Golden Gadget Styles, which can upgrade your gadgets, and the option to unlock both perks in a shared Suit Tech slot. Additionally, you can now earn the aforementioned new trophy by finishing the story in New Game + or via the development game menu, as outlined above.
