Some superheroes feel as if they were born to be video game characters. Spider-Man is an obvious example, but Wolverine has always been different. He is not about soaring through the skies or saving the day with a witty quip. Logan is angry, damaged, stubborn and very, very good at hurting people. Give him a pair of adamantium claws, a healing factor and a lifetime’s worth of bad memories, and you have the perfect ingredients for a game that can get seriously nasty.
That is exactly what Insomniac Games sets out to deliver with Marvel’s Wolverine, and thankfully, this isn’t simply Marvel’s Spider-Man with the webs replaced by claws. Instead, Insomniac has taken Logan in a much darker, more violent direction, creating a focused action-adventure that understands what makes Wolverine such an enduring character. There is brutality here, certainly, but there is also something beneath all the bloodshed. This is a story about a man who has spent much of his life trying to escape the person he believes himself to be, only to discover that the past has an irritating habit of catching up.
The Best At What He Does
Logan has apparently had enough. Three years after walking away from his team, he finds himself dragged back into the world of mutants, conspiracies and people who would very much like to put him in a laboratory. Bolivar Trask and his fanatical belief in human superiority provide the central threat, as mutants are kidnapped and hunted as part of a much larger plan.
Naturally, Wolverine isn’t the sort of man who sits around waiting for someone else to deal with it. What follows is a globe-trotting adventure that takes Logan from the frozen wilderness of Canada to the neon-soaked streets of Tokyo and the dangerous districts of Madripoor. These locations give the campaign plenty of visual variety without turning the game into another enormous open world filled with icons, collectibles and assorted busywork. It is a refreshing decision, because sometimes a game simply needs to get on with the bloody story.
Claws Out
Combat is where Marvel’s Wolverine truly comes alive. There is an almost animalistic quality to the way Logan moves through a fight, and Insomniac has clearly gone to great lengths to make his attacks feel fast, heavy and vicious. Those claws aren’t merely cosmetic either. They are the centrepiece of the entire combat system, allowing Logan to tear through enemies with a mix of quick attacks, heavier strikes, dodges, counters and brutal finishing moves.
The momentum system adds another layer to proceedings. The more aggressively you fight, the more momentum you build, eventually allowing you to unleash Wolverine’s Rage. This makes combat feel less like patiently waiting for an opening and more like constantly pushing forward. You want to stay on the offensive, keep the pressure on and make the most of Logan’s healing factor before the enemy has a chance to overwhelm you.
There is a particularly satisfying rhythm to entering a crowded encounter, slicing through one enemy, dodging a heavy attack, parrying another and then launching into a devastating finisher. It feels appropriately physical. Logan doesn’t glide elegantly around a battlefield like some superheroes might. He crashes into it, gets hurt, gets back up and keeps going. That feels like Wolverine.
No Pain, No Gain
One of the most effective touches is how Logan’s healing factor is portrayed. Wolverine is famous for being almost impossible to kill, so simply giving him a health bar that refills would have felt ordinary. Instead, damage is visibly shown on his body and clothing, with wounds gradually healing as the fight continues.
Seeing Logan battered, bloodied and barely holding himself together, then watching his body repair itself, is a small detail, but it helps sell the fantasy. It also reinforces the idea that Wolverine isn’t invincible. He can be hurt, sometimes spectacularly so, but he is capable of getting back up when most other people would be heading straight for the nearest hospital.
His heightened senses are another important part of the experience. Logan can track scents, follow trails and identify threats in ways that feel distinct from the abilities of Insomniac’s previous Marvel heroes. This adds a little more character to exploration and makes you feel as though you are actually playing as Wolverine rather than simply controlling another extremely capable action hero.
A Darker Marvel
Perhaps the biggest surprise is how fully Marvel’s Wolverine embraces the darker side of its protagonist. This is an M-rated adventure, and Insomniac isn’t afraid to remind you that Logan’s preferred method of conflict resolution involves several inches of razor-sharp metal being introduced to somebody’s personal space.
The violence can be shocking, but it rarely feels gratuitous. Wolverine is a character built around the conflict between the man he wants to be and the beast he fears he is becoming. The brutality therefore has a purpose. Every bloody encounter is another reminder that Logan’s greatest weapon can also be the thing that defines him.
That emotional conflict gives the story considerably more weight than you might initially expect. Beneath the gruff voice and constant threats lies somebody who cares deeply about what happens to other mutants. His relationships with fellow mutants and the people he encounters along the way give the campaign room to explore loyalty, identity and the consequences of Logan’s forgotten past.
A World Worth Exploring
The decision to abandon the open-world format works surprisingly well. After several games that have encouraged players to explore enormous versions of New York, a more linear structure feels almost liberating. There is less temptation to pause the story every five minutes to hunt down another collectible or complete a task that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot.
That doesn’t mean the environments feel small. Canada, Tokyo and Madripoor each have their own personality, and the change of scenery helps the adventure maintain its momentum. The frozen Canadian wilderness provides a suitably rugged opening, Tokyo brings a neon-soaked urban spectacle, while Madripoor delivers the grimy, dangerous atmosphere that fans of Marvel’s more criminal underworld will appreciate.
There is also plenty of room for spectacular set pieces, and Insomniac knows how to put on a show. Buildings collapse, enemies swarm from every direction, and Logan finds himself thrown into situations that would leave an ordinary human considerably less enthusiastic about getting out of bed the following morning.
The Villains Come Out To Play
A Wolverine game would hardly be complete without familiar faces, and Marvel’s Wolverine isn’t shy about drawing on Logan’s extensive history. The Reavers provide a suitably dangerous set of enemies, while the appearance of characters such as Omega Red gives the campaign a proper comic-book menace.
Omega Red, in particular, is a welcome reminder that Wolverine has one of the strangest rogues’ galleries in Marvel. These aren’t necessarily villains who would slot comfortably into any superhero story. They belong to Logan’s world, where experiments, mutants, military conspiracies and decades of personal grudges can collide spectacularly.
It is this sense of history that helps the game feel like a genuine Wolverine story rather than simply another Marvel adventure wearing his costume. Logan’s past is important here, and the further you progress, the more it begins to explain the man standing in front of you.
Built For The Long Haul
Although the main campaign remains focused, there is enough here to encourage players to stick around after the credits. Techniques and Adaptations let you develop Logan’s abilities and tailor his approach to combat. Whether you prefer stalking enemies, ambushing groups, or simply charging straight into the middle of the carnage, there is room to experiment.
Challenge stages and a New Game Plus mode also give the combat system something to do once the main story is finished. This is important because the fighting is easily one of the game’s strongest elements. Once you’ve mastered the timing of the parries, learnt how to build momentum, and become comfortable managing groups of enemies, there is real satisfaction in seeing how efficiently you can tear through an encounter.
A Wolverine Worth Waiting For
Visually, Marvel’s Wolverine is an impressive showcase for Insomniac. The environments are packed with detail, the character animation is excellent, and the combat has the sort of impact you would expect from a modern blockbuster. There is an appropriately grimy quality to the violence, with Logan’s battered appearance changing as fights progress, before his healing factor gradually puts him back together.
The sound design deserves equal praise. The distinctive metallic snap of Wolverine’s claws extending is exactly the sort of detail that makes fans smile, while the crunch of combat and the atmospheric score give the whole adventure a suitably weighty tone. When Logan launches himself into a group of enemies with his claws extended, the game makes absolutely certain you know that somebody is about to have a very bad afternoon.
Final Verdict
Marvel’s Wolverine is not trying to be Marvel’s Spider-Man 3, and that is perhaps its greatest strength. Insomniac has resisted the temptation to simply repeat the open-world formula and instead created a much more focused action-adventure that puts Logan, his claws and his complicated past firmly at the centre of everything.
The combat is brutal, responsive and hugely satisfying, while the healing factor and mutant senses give Wolverine his own identity rather than making him feel like another variation on an existing hero. The linear structure may disappoint anyone expecting another massive open world, but personally I think it is one of the smartest decisions Insomniac could have made. The result is a campaign that keeps moving, keeps punching and rarely loses sight of what makes its leading man so fascinating.
Most importantly, Marvel’s Wolverine understands that Logan isn’t really a hero in the traditional sense. He’s a survivor. He’s a fighter. He’s a man carrying decades of pain, and sometimes the only way he knows how to deal with that pain is by putting his claws through something. And frankly, that’s exactly how a Wolverine game should feel.
