Spider-Man: Friend or Foe begins on a mysterious night as Spider-Man engages in a fierce battle on the rooftops of New York against his arch-enemies: the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman (William Baker), and Venom, with assistance from New Goblin. As the battle intensifies, strange creatures known as Phantoms suddenly appear and attack everyone indiscriminately. Before the heroes and villains can fully respond to this new threat, the villains and New Goblin are mysteriously teleported away, while Spider-Man is rescued by the SHIELD organization and taken to their aircraft carrier.

Onboard the carrier, Spider-Man meets Director Nick Fury, who explains that these strange creatures are the result of merging holographic technology with symbiotic organisms. He further reveals that the meteor that brought the Venom symbiote to Earth had shattered into multiple fragments upon entering the atmosphere, scattering them across different locations worldwide. Someone has gathered one of these fragments and used it to create the Phantoms, intending to collect the rest to strengthen his army and take over the world. Fury assigns Spider-Man the mission of retrieving these fragments before they fall into the wrong hands. His journey begins in Tokyo, and as he collects most of the fragments, the Phantoms grow stronger, forcing him to travel to Nepal to confront the mastermind behind it all—Mysterio. After an epic battle, Spider-Man defeats Mysterio, recovers the fragments, and returns to the aircraft carrier, where he removes the black suit and hands over the fragments to Fury. As a token of appreciation, Fury informs Spider-Man that SHIELD has paid off all his student loans. While analyzing the fragments, Fury hints at a new project called Project Carnage, suggesting a future threat.

The game offers an action-adventure experience in a 3D environment where players control Spider-Man and can choose a supporting character from among the heroes or villains recruited throughout the story. The game features cooperative gameplay, allowing a second player to join at any time and control the supporting character. Each character has a unique fighting style and special abilities, adding variety to the gameplay. The game consists of multiple stages set in different locations worldwide, such as Tokyo, Tangaroa Island, Cairo, Transylvania, and Nepal. In each stage, players face waves of enemies known as Phantoms, along with main bosses representing classic Spider-Man villains.

This game offers a different experience compared to previous Spider-Man games. Unlike past installments, which provided a deeper free-roaming experience across New York City with refined swinging mechanics, Friend or Foe focuses more on cooperative action and direct storytelling. One major difference is the nature of the story; whereas previous games were inspired by movies or comic book plots, Friend or Foe presents an original storyline centered around recruiting allies, including former villains who were once Spider-Man’s enemies. This feature makes it more similar to games like LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, where players can switch between characters and utilize their unique abilities in battles.

In terms of graphics, the game adopts a simplified cartoon-style design, making it more suitable for a younger audience compared to previous installments that emphasized realism and detailed character and world designs. This change makes the game more accessible to children and teenagers but sacrifices some of the depth that characterized earlier Spider-Man games. The combat system here is simpler and more arcade-like than in previous titles, with Spider-Man having a limited set of moves and attacks that can be upgraded. It does not offer the same level of freedom and realism in combat as Spider-Man 2. While earlier games featured more challenging boss fights and diverse combat mechanics, Friend or Foe relies mainly on repetitive combat against waves of enemies, which might make it less exciting for players who enjoy a greater challenge.

Regarding game modes, this installment stands out by offering cooperative gameplay, something that was not available in previous Spider-Man games, which were entirely single-player experiences. This change adds a social aspect to the game, making it more enjoyable when played with a friend. Although it moves away from the open-world experience, it still delivers an action-packed and entertaining adventure.