Here I am, writing a review for a game by Insomniac, one of my favorite PlayStation studios—or at least, it used to be. I spent about 18 hours playing Marvel’s Wolverine, collecting everything, unlocking every trophy, and completing all the Nightmare Doors challenges with the highest rank.
At the end of the journey, my overall impression is quite mixed.
Disconnection from the Audience
Let’s start with the narrative of Marvel’s Wolverine. Fortunately, Insomniac didn’t write an origin story for Logan. The character already has years of combat experience and resurfaces to help Team X—consisting of Sabretooth and Mystique—and rescue Essex, the group’s “Professor Xavier.”
Team X’s central objective is to defeat the forces of Trask, the richest man in the world, whose mission is to exterminate all mutants on Earth. Right away, we encounter clichés seen in practically every other X-Men media format, which personally didn’t bother me. In many of Logan’s stories, his core motivation is protecting mutants, but my issue with Marvel’s Wolverine lies in how it happens.
The dialogue is super stiff, the antagonists’ motivations are poorly formulated, and the game fails to generate an emotional connection with the player. In a story like this, it would be very easy to make an impact and provoke reflection, but the script leans heavily toward recent MCU films, embracing safety and obviousness.
We have several plot holes, and characters who are initially important—like Mystique—simply disappear for a huge chunk of the plot, suggesting the studio may have heavily reworked the game after the massive leak Insomniac suffered.
Despite failing heavily in the presentation and building of its villains, Marvel’s Wolverine delivers a good dynamic between Logan, Mystique, and Sabretooth—at least during the few minutes of screen time they share. Sabretooth has a flashy, explosive demeanor, yet he is emotionally fragile and feels abandoned by his brother (Sabretooth).
Meanwhile, Mystique remains emotionally distant from the group, avoiding deep bonds. It would have been great if these glimpses were explored and deepened throughout the story. Still, the studio discards them to focus on Logan’s relationship with Jean Grey, his romantic interest.
The problem is that their relationship never quite clicks because things move so fast. As a result, you rarely care about their romance. This happens despite Liam McIntyre’s stellar performance. I liked his interpretation of Logan so much that I would love to see him play the character in a live-action movie.
I must confess I was surprised by how safe the story is. I expected something completely different given that Walt Williams, writer of BioShock 2 and Spec Ops: The Line, is one of the writers behind Marvel’s Wolverine. We can see some of his influences in Logan’s development throughout the campaign, as his past and his inner fury haunt the character, and it’s interesting to see how that unfolds. It would have been fantastic if the rest of the story shared that same quality and complexity.
Visceral and Repetitive
Remember those PlayStation 2 games that flirted with brawler mechanics, like God Hand? Playing Marvel’s Wolverine reminded me a lot of them. The missions are linear, and almost every combat encounter throws groups of enemies at Logan in tight spaces.
Fortunately, Insomniac understood what a fan of the character expects from combat, at least in part. It is brutal and visceral, with Logan tearing off heads, legs, and arms. We have several set pieces where his body is almost completely destroyed, reinforcing his mythological aspect and healing factor!
The big problem with the gameplay is repetition. For many hours, you will be using the same moves against the same enemies. Worse yet, enemies almost always share the exact same visual design, intensifying that sense of déjà vu. I understand this is relatively common, but for a AAA game of this caliber and budget, the lack of better NPC variety is unacceptable.
Combat improves as we unlock new abilities, opening up a wider range of combos. I cannot put into words how fun it is to reach Fury Level 3 with Wolverine and tear through every enemy in your path.
A downside is the finisher animations. They are incredible and emphasize Wolverine’s savagery, but the problem is the sheer quantity. After 3 to 4 hours of gameplay, you will have seen practically every possible finishing attack, highlighting the combat repetition.
And when you think it couldn’t get worse, boss fights fall flat. They are mechanically poor, and even the artistic design—such as the arena layouts and soundtrack—falls short of expectations for a game—and studio—like this.
Exploration and Extras
Social media was flooded with criticism of the game’s tracking mechanics, with many complaining that it guides the player too much. That does happen, but it didn’t bother me simply because the studio took care to explain it through lore.
Logan has super-advanced hearing and smell, and at various points in the campaign, we need to use his enhanced senses to track down a person or object. Besides, it’s a linear superhero game with a hefty budget, so those were my expectations. It feels naive to expect the game to be mechanically complex; none of Insomniac’s recent projects had that goal.
Marvel’s Wolverine pads its length with collectibles and Nightmare Doors. The Nightmare Doors are placed along the main story path and consist of timed challenges, requiring the player to survive waves of enemies, complete platforming sections, or defeat specific targets. The challenges are short and straight to the point so you aren’t kept away from the campaign for too long.
PlayStation 5 Pro Shines
PlayStation studio games usually shine brightly in the technical department, and Marvel’s Wolverine is another one in that stack. The accessibility options are vast, and the game features two modes focused on the PS5 Pro. I played on Fidelity Pro with VRR enabled, and the experience looked gorgeous with a great level of fluidity.
The cutscene direction is a major highlight. As I mentioned earlier, several sequences show Logan being practically destroyed down to a skeletal frame, reminiscent of The Terminator. Seeing his healing factor in action is really cool.
Another point these scenes emphasize is Wolverine’s savagery and brutality. It’s great to see a contrast with Marvel’s Spider-Man, a traditional hero through and through. Logan doesn’t think twice about killing threats in his path, and I was glad Insomniac didn’t water that down.
The Verdict
Despite combat repetition, unmemorable villains, and a story completely averse to risk, Marvel’s Wolverine entertained me for its 18-hour runtime. He is a character I personally love much more than Spider-Man, and several core elements of Logan are present in the game, reinforced by Liam McIntyre’s fantastic performance.
I cannot recommend buying the game at its current price, as the overall quality of Marvel’s Wolverine doesn’t reflect a full-price game, but definitely sharpen your claws for a sale or a PS Plus addition. Insomniac’s consistency and complacency could end up being the company’s own worst enemy.
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Ruan está cobrindo a indústria dos games desde 2017, trazendo várias informações sob a ótica do mercado e reviews após o 100%. Quando ele não está escrevendo, está jogando algum…
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