Review – Marvel’s Wolverine

Depending on your corner of the internet, gamers are eagerly awaiting Insomniac’s next Marvel game — or you’re in an echo chamber where everyone projects meaning onto whatever confirms their existing belief.

And then you’re me. A person who got to play Marvel’s Wolverine two weeks early, and you have to look at all of this and think…”Well. Shit.”

Taking a leaf from Logan’s playbook, we’re gonna use some profanity in here. With Marvel’s Wolverine, Insomniac has fulfilled a promise made back in 2018’s Spider-Man on PS4. To be greater. And with our first title taking place outside of the confines of New York City, I think they’ve done it.

Marvel’s Wolverine is an on-rails, third-party adventure featuring everyone’s favourite X-Man, Wolverine. But on Earth-1048, where Insomniac’s Marvel heroes reside, they don’t quite exist yet. Mutant-kind hasn’t bloomed the way we’re used to seeing. But they exist like a shadow. Outliers of society with powers ranging from talking to animals. To being able to completely change their body and voice to somebody else.

And it’s here we pick up with Logan, and the aptly named Team X. Named after the mutant gene which affords mutants their powers, we land in the jungles of Telambang to rescue an unnamed hostage. And it’s all go. Wolverine will go on a global journey similar to the likes of Ratchet & Clank, or to be more terrestrial: Nathan Drake. Roaming cities both real and within the realm of Marvel, and especially Wolverine, it sets out to accomplish one very clear goal.

To build a team.

And I think using the likes of amnesiac Logan, is a fitting way of doing so. An unlikely benefactor has worked to remove the savage side of Logan. And this leads to him wanting to not only discover the self. But also what’s out there. And it’s this mash-up of things which I think the game executes well. Insomniac fills it to the brim with lore, and connective branches to lead elsewhere in future. All behind the guise of bloody and undying combat.

Okay, yes you can die. But similarly to Uncharted and its ‘luck’ health system, Logan doesn’t die. He is instead overwhelmed. Blacking out which leads to a ‘Game Over’ screen. You’ll then restart with a brief animation, showing Logan trying to right themselves. Because you have somehow died, but not.

When you’re ready to fight again, you have attack bound to square. Leap/Heavy bound to triangle. Both a dodge and roll on circle. And an L2 plus face button modifier attack. R2 will be sprint, while L1 is a parry. R1 I…won’t disclose but it will be explained in-game in time. Thanks to the games fantastic accessibility, I ended up swapping L2 and R2 around, as it was easier to constantly sprint with L2 and use R2 to modify the face buttons in my mind. But just know you can customize the controls to how you want! And even more!

Regarding the modifiers, these are techniques you will learn as you level up. Whether it’s a spinning attack to grant you CC (crowd control), or a skill which allows you to push your health and rage beyond its limit, you can find a playstyle which fits you. Add to that the mutations, which allow you to grant passive abilities to Logan via…your mutation, it all steers toward an RPG-lite experience fitting of the X-Men’s most experienced member.

“Wait, what the fuck is Rage?”

While it isn’t against the machine in this case, Rage is a separate meter which will grant Wolverine two of his most important skills: Last Stand. The ability to quickly heal when downed in combat. And Berserk. The ability to give in to your animalistic side and completely lose control. Enemies who would normally take multiple hits, will suddenly fall to your claw as you pounce around the screen like Sonic The Hedgehog. Except you’re somehow more spiky. And more fast.

Similarly to my introduction, I think the runtime will create more debate because everyone loves hating everything these days. But I adored my 35 hour run I had with the title. And this is my first review where I have managed to get the Platinum trophy before release. Trophies are a set amount of fun goals games will set for you to get. While they can vary in difficulty, Marvel’s Wolverine isn’t easy. But Insomniac has done something better. They’ve made it so that you will probably find them as you explore. Which I think is more rewarding than “stand in place for 3 hours without pausing”.

And you will explore Marvel’s Wolverine. Insomniac are at their absolute best right now with their proprietary engine. Every character drips beauty and cool, and Liam McIntyre absolutely shines as Logan. Fully embodying the character of Weapon X, their quiet confidence is so incredibly fitting of the Wolverine. Nothing is ever really loud with this portrayal of the character. And if it is, it’s because they’re either burning alive or their heart has been broken in two. But it really is an either/or. Which is wild for a character who doesn’t know who they are.

David Fleming‘s incredible score rounds it all out, as Insomniac deliver a tight, ‘doesn’t overstay its welcome’ adventure, which bleeds all things X-Men. And I honestly would not be surprised if its follow-up is announced soon. So much is in place to quickly deliver upon it, and follow what will hopefully be a successful launch. Because if you don’t love PlayStation, then you love Wolverine. And even in a combative age, where up is down, and left is right. One of those things will see you picking it up to have an incredible romp through a world Insomniac want you to experience.

With New Game+ available on Day 1, get ready to to play it like you forgot. And I’ll wait for you in my third save file. That’s if I remember who you are.

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