Struggling to take down Scream in Marvel's Spider-Man 2? Don't worry, as we've got all the information you'll need in order to beat the Scream boss fight in Spider-Man 2. Plus, we'll be dropping in some of our own tips and tricks for the fight, to help you succeed on your first try.
Spider-Man 2 is a game that sports a huge range of villains and bosses. Fans less familiar with the Spider-Man franchise may not be aware of who the character Scream is. However, they'll almost certainly be familiar of Scream's fellow symbiote Venom, who plays a major role in Spider-Man 2.
Use this guide to help you take down Scream while learning about the surprising twist that is revealed to you during this boss fight.
If you're looking for more Spider-Man 2 guides like this, why not check out our walkthrough hub for the game? It's the best place to go for the latest tips and tricks for Spider-Man 2, such as how to use web lines or how to solve Dr. Connors' house door puzzle.
How do you beat the Scream boss fight in Spider-Man 2?
In Spider-Man 2, the boss fight against Scream is actually a fight against Peter's love interest, Mary-Jane Watson, who has been taken control of by the Scream symbiote. This will come as something of a shock to Spider-Man fans, as Mary-Jane is not traditionally the host of Scream in the Marvel comics.
You'll have your fight with Scream towards the end of Spider-Man 2, during the mission "This Isn't You". The fight will be the longest you've had so far in the game, with Scream boasting four different phases of difficulty and movesets. However, compared to other bosses, Scream has less variety in the attacks she can use.
In each phase, Scream will cycle through every one of the symbiote powers that you'll have become accustomed to using as Peter from earlier in the story. This helps to make the fight feel more familiar from the off and simplifies getting to grips with Scream's different phases.
As a general rule for this fight, your strategy will be to stun-lock Scream for as long as possible, using the wide range of tools that are at your disposal. Each phase is something of a marathon, with most of your damage likely coming from your basic attacks, supplemented by using your suit tech for some bonus damage.
Phase one
Scream's primary attack in phase one and throughout the rest of the fight is a basic arm swing attack combo. You're able to block the swings, reducing the damage you'll take from 15 all the way down to four.
Blocking these attacks results in you taking a negligible amount of damage. Therefore, you'll be safe to always block these attacks early in the fight, as it's the easiest way to counter this attack.
Additionally, Scream will often finish her basic attack combo with a symbiote spike attack that hits everything that is in close proximity to them. You can predict when this attack is incoming based on whether there are blue rings emanating from Scream's head. Scream can also use this spike attack at any time during the fight, so whenever you see the blue rings get ready to make some distance between Scream and yourself.
Throughout this whole fight, Scream can also throw slow-moving projectiles at you. These are easily dodged due to their low speed, although it's the only way you can counter this attack. Sometimes, Scream may jump on top of one of the house roofs to perform her ranged attack. If this happens, you can use your web shooters to cancel her attacks or wait for her to return to the ground.
Another use for your web-shooters in this fight is to fire them at Scream while she's on the ground, in order to briefly stun her. This will make her vulnerable to an attack and unable to fight back.
Scream's final attack for phase one will have her whip her hair towards you. Each hit will deal around 20 damage to Spider-Man, however blocking the attack will negate all damage. Alternatively, if you're able you can strike between swings to interrupt and stagger Scream. Unless you are confident of pulling it off, interrupting Scream's swings is usually an unnecessary risk.
You'll also have opportunities throughout the fight to use L1+R1 on cars or other environmental objects. When used on a car, the vehicle's alarm will sound and Scream will briefly be distracted by the loud noise. Use this to get some free damage in against Scream.
Other environmental objects throughout the fight can be used to make sound, which will also provide a brief stun. This can be done in all of the phases of this boss fight.
Scream has a lot of health within her health bar, more so than other bosses that you'll have fought in the game previously. Her attacks hit hard, but her small moveset makes the fight a lot more manageable if you exercise patience and take time to learn the timing of her attacks.
Phase two
In phase two, Scream switches out her spike attack for a massive single-line tendril attack, which is also one of the symbiote powers you'll have used previously. All her other attacks will persist in this phase.
Scream will use her symbiote power much more frequently during this phase; the attack will appear at the end of her basic attack combos, in the middle of her hair-whip attacks, or spontaneously throughout the fight. Once again, use the blue rings generated from her head to predict and dodge the attack.
At this point in the fight, it's important to make sure you're utilising your heal throughout the fight. Don't be overly cautious with using your heals, as Scream's attacks do high damage and you won't be able to keep tanking hits. Keep your health topped up so that if you get caught by Scream, you won't have to start all over again.
Phase three
For phase three, you'll be transported from the main road to the backstreets of Queens. Scream will revert back to using the Symbiote ability that was used in phase one, which you should already be adept at avoiding. Beyond this, phase three is essentially a combination of features from phases one and two, and there aren't many new challenges you'll face.
The only notable development in phase three is a brand-new addition to Scream's moveset. Now, Scream is able to perform a devastating aerial slam attack. You are able to block this attack, reducing its damage from 20 down to 5.
Alternatively, you can attempt to parry the slam, resulting in you seizing the initiative of the fight without taking any damage To do this, you'll need to time your parry when Spider-Man glows red. However, if you're not confident with parries, blocking the attacks should suffice to keep you alive.
Phase four
Congratulations, you've made it to the final phase of the Scream boss fight! Now, you'll have to use everything that you learned from the previous three phases in order to land the finishing blow.
In phase four, Scream's attacks are much faster. If you've been parrying or dodging her attacks previously, now may be the time to switch to blocking where you can, as it will be more consistent and reliable for this stage.
Moreover, Scream will be using both of the two symbiote abilities we saw in phases one and two respectively, so be alert for those blue rings appearing around her head in order to steer clear of them.
For this phase, Scream will also have a third symbiote ability, in the form of a second type of slam. Using this attack, Scream will grab ahold of you with her tendrils and slam you to the floor, dealing a whopping 27 damage. Like the other two symbiote abilities, the blue rings will foreshadow the use of this symbiote slam, so as ever be ready to dodge as soon as you see them appear.
As per your previous bouts in the last three phases, your main source of damage dealing will be your fists and your tech abilities. Whittle down her final health bar to trigger the ending cutscene, where you'll save MJ from the symbiote and defeat Scream once and for all.
That's all there is to know about how to beat Scream in Spider-Man 2! For more guides like this, why not check out the latest on whether Spider-Man 2 has a New Game Plus, or how to switch between Peter and Miles in-game? We've also got guides on how to perform tricks and how to use the brand-new web glider so you can traverse New York in style.