Insomniac Games has already spent several years proving that it knows how to translate Marvel superheroes into compelling interactive adventures, but Marvel’s Wolverine gives the studio a very different challenge. Logan may have superhuman strength, a healing factor and a skeleton made from adamantium, yet simply making the character powerful is not enough to create an interesting game around him. Instead of turning Wolverine into another version of Spider-Man, Insomniac has built a more focused and violent action adventure that puts Logan, his troubled past and his relationships with other mutants at the centre of the experience. The result is an entertaining and technically impressive PlayStation 5 adventure that gets many of the fundamentals right, even if its relatively linear structure and repetition prevent it from becoming quite as ambitious as its pedigree might suggest.
The story takes place in an original interpretation of the X-Men universe, allowing Insomniac to rearrange familiar characters and relationships rather than simply retelling an established comic-book storyline. Logan finds himself caught up with Team X, alongside characters such as Sabretooth, Mystique and Jean Grey, while Bolivar Trask and his forces pose a growing threat to mutants. The resulting narrative works particularly well when it concentrates on Logan himself. His fractured memories, violent instincts and attempts to reconcile the man he was with the person he has become give the story a more personal dimension than the usual superhero spectacle. The relationships between Logan and the other members of Team X are also among the stronger elements, particularly his complicated history with Sabretooth and Mystique and the more vulnerable side of his character that emerges around Jean. There are some fairly predictable developments along the way, and players familiar with Marvel lore may spot certain turns coming, but the decision to build an original continuity gives Insomniac enough freedom to put its own stamp on these characters.
That personal focus also helps prevent Logan from becoming little more than an excuse to unleash increasingly elaborate finishing moves. During quieter sequences, the game gives him room to investigate his surroundings, follow clues with his enhanced senses and uncover fragments of his past. There are also occasional stealth sections, small environmental puzzles and other changes of pace, although these elements are not developed to the same degree as the combat. The more unusual sequences, including sections involving disguises and Logan’s motorcycle, can be enjoyable precisely because they break up the action, but they are used sparingly. The overall structure is deliberately linear, with the campaign moving from one carefully constructed sequence to another rather than offering the kind of open-ended playground associated with the Spider-Man games. That makes the adventure easy to follow and keeps the narrative moving, but it also means there is considerably less reason to linger in the environments.
Combat is where Marvel’s Wolverine most convincingly establishes its own identity. Logan’s claws give every encounter a physicality that is considerably more vicious than what Insomniac previously offered with Spider-Man, with attacks capable of leaving enemies dismembered and Logan himself covered in blood and damage. The basic controls are straightforward, combining light and heavy attacks with dodges, blocks and well-timed parries, while additional techniques can be assigned to expand the repertoire. The parry is particularly important because it can stagger tougher opponents and create opportunities for more damaging attacks, meaning that blindly hammering the attack button is not always the most effective approach. Wolverine’s enhanced senses, mobility and environmental interactions also help differentiate him from Insomniac’s other heroes, even if the combat clearly shares some of the studio’s familiar design principles.
The Rage system is a particularly smart way of translating Wolverine’s regenerative abilities into gameplay. Successful attacks build a multi-stage meter that can increase Logan’s damage output, accelerate his healing and eventually turn him into an almost unstoppable force. Having Rage available can even give Logan another chance after his health is depleted, which makes the system more than simply another super meter. Combined with his healing factor, it creates a combat loop in which taking damage does not necessarily mean the end of an encounter and encourages players to keep up the pressure. The progression system adds further flexibility through unlockable techniques and passive adaptations, allowing Logan’s abilities to be adjusted to different play styles. There is enough choice to make progression satisfying without turning the game into an unnecessarily complicated RPG, although some abilities inevitably prove more useful than others and can become the default choices.
Unfortunately, the same combat system that makes Wolverine so enjoyable can also expose one of the game’s biggest weaknesses: repetition. There is a reasonable selection of enemy types, including more heavily protected opponents and foes that require particular approaches, but the fundamental solution to most encounters remains remarkably consistent. The campaign throws a great many ordinary enemies at Logan, and by the second half, the frequency of these battles can make even satisfying fights begin to feel routine. Enemy AI is not always especially sophisticated either, with some opponents behaving predictably enough that stealth eliminations can become almost comically easy. The boss encounters generally fare better, providing tougher fights that make more use of the parry and demand greater attention to enemy patterns, but they do not completely solve the wider issue of variety.
The optional Nightmare challenges are consequently a welcome addition because they provide a place where the combat and movement systems can be pushed harder. These portals lead to timed combat encounters, platforming challenges and other trials, with better performances providing additional rewards and progression materials. They are among the more effective diversions in the game and demonstrate that there is more potential in Wolverine’s movement and combat systems than the main campaign sometimes allows players to explore. The problem is that even these challenges can become repetitive when tackled in succession. The same applies to the exploration itself. Collectibles and resources are present, and Logan’s enhanced senses make many of them extremely easy to locate, reducing the satisfaction of hunting them down. The environments look substantial, but they rarely offer the freedom needed to make exploration feel like a major part of the adventure.
There is at least plenty to collect for players who enjoy customising Logan’s appearance. A sizeable selection of costumes draws from different versions of Wolverine and the wider Marvel universe, while alternative claw designs provide another way to change his appearance. These are largely cosmetic rather than gameplay-changing rewards, but the sheer variety makes them worthwhile additions, particularly for Marvel fans. The game also includes numerous references and smaller details for those familiar with the source material, while the photo mode provides plenty of tools for creating more elaborate shots. None of this transforms the relatively straightforward campaign structure, but it gives completionists and Marvel enthusiasts additional reasons to look beyond the main story.
Technically, Marvel’s Wolverine is a showcase for what Insomniac can achieve on PlayStation 5. The Canadian wilderness, Tokyo and Madripoor all have distinct visual identities, and the environments are packed with detail, lighting effects and destructible objects. Character animation and performance capture are particularly effective during the more emotional scenes, while combat animations give Logan’s attacks the weight and brutality they need. The visual damage system is also a strong touch, with both Wolverine and his costume showing the consequences of particularly violent encounters. There are occasional criticisms to be made of individual character models and facial animation, but these do little to undermine an otherwise impressive presentation. Performance is generally smooth, although small glitches mean that the technical polish is not entirely flawless.
The audio presentation complements the visual spectacle effectively. Combat sounds have plenty of impact, from the sharp noise of Logan’s claws to the heavier impacts of his attacks, while the soundtrack knows when to step back during character-focused scenes and when to add weight to the larger action sequences. The music itself is effective rather than especially memorable, but the voice performances do much of the heavy lifting. Logan’s portrayal succeeds because the performance has to sell both his ferocity and his more vulnerable moments, and the result gives the character considerably more personality than the combat alone could provide. PlayStation 5 features are also put to good use, with the DualSense’s haptic feedback, adaptive triggers and built-in speaker adding physical and audio feedback to attacks and other actions.
Marvel’s Wolverine ultimately works because Insomniac understands that Logan should not simply feel like Spider-Man with claws. The more linear structure, emphasis on combat and darker tone suit the character, while the original X-Men setting gives the story enough freedom to explore familiar characters from different angles. The campaign can be very entertaining when the combat, spectacle and character development all come together, and the progression system provides enough additional abilities to keep Logan evolving throughout the adventure. At the same time, the lack of meaningful exploration, limited enemy variety and repetition in the combat encounters become increasingly apparent as the hours pass. Some of the secondary gameplay ideas, particularly the stealth, motorcycle sequences and other movement-focused sections, also feel as though they could have been given more room to develop. Marvel’s Wolverine is therefore a polished and frequently brutal superhero adventure that delivers a convincing interpretation of Logan, but its streamlined design leaves it feeling more constrained than the impressive technology and character at its centre might suggest.
Score: 8.1/10