Marvel’s Wolverine is the latest production from Insomniac Games, available exclusively on PS5. The game brings one of the most iconic characters from the Marvel universe to the screen, drawing from his long history in comics and his many appearances across other forms of media. Developed in collaboration with Marvel Games, it tells a completely original story that puts the most famous clawed mutant from the House of Ideas at the center of the experience.
The Story
After trying to leave his Wolverine identity behind, Logan once again finds himself forced to confront his past. Three years after leaving his team, he decides to return to action and rejoin Team X, a task force of mutants going through one of the most difficult periods in its history.
To make matters worse, Bolivar Trask is determined to pursue his belief in human superiority. His campaign leads him to kidnap several mutants, forcing Wolverine to intervene and try to save them.
The story takes Logan across different parts of the world, from Canada to Japan and eventually Madripoor, the controversial island nation of the Marvel universe. Several mutant allies will accompany him, while the conflict between humans and mutants puts the future of both species at stake.
The story also tries to show a more personal side of Logan. Wolverine is not simply a hero equipped with claws and a healing factor. He is a troubled character, constantly torn between his more violent nature and his desire to protect the people around him.
Insomniac uses this element to build a version of the character that tries to respect his established identity while introducing a new interpretation at the same time. Logan’s past repeatedly resurfaces and becomes an integral part of the protagonist’s journey.
The result is a story that alternates between action, more intimate moments and numerous references to the Marvel universe, without limiting itself to being a simple adaptation of the character into the video game medium. And when the world needs a hero, Logan will once again have to face the part of himself that is hardest to leave behind. Wolverine.
A Symphony of Claws and Adamantium
The gameplay is probably the aspect that convinced us the most about Marvel’s Wolverine after its technical presentation. The combat system is visceral, brutal and successfully conveys the feeling of actually playing as Logan.
The attacks have excellent impact. Every hit feels powerful and the claws immediately become the main tool for dealing with enemies. Wolverine’s healing factor is also integrated into the mechanics, helping make the protagonist much more aggressive than a typical action character.
The abilities unlocked throughout the adventure gradually expand the protagonist’s options. Players can therefore build an increasingly effective Wolverine during combat, making use of new abilities and combinations.
The most important thing, however, is that playing as Wolverine is fun. The character is extremely powerful and the game manages to communicate this without turning every encounter into a simple walk in the park.
The problem is that, despite working well, this system is placed within a structure that fails to fully exploit its potential. The gameplay situations lack variety and the mission design often remains quite basic.
In most cases, we move through corridors and larger areas before facing groups of enemies. The gameplay loop tends to repeat itself throughout much of the adventure, eventually reducing the element of surprise after the first few hours.
The environment could also have been used more effectively. Wolverine has abilities that would lend themselves to greater interaction with the world, but the level design rarely creates situations capable of truly showcasing them.
The boss fights also fail to leave a lasting impression. There are only a few of them and they are generally not very elaborate, while the difficulty level, at least on the default setting, is rather low.
Wolverine is so powerful that you rarely find yourself facing situations that genuinely put his abilities to the test. It would have been interesting to see some encounters built more closely around the characteristics of individual enemies, forcing players to change their approach.
The stealth sections are another element that I found underwhelming. You can feel the influence of Marvel’s Spider Man in the way some situations are designed, but what worked well with Peter Parker is much less convincing here.
Wolverine is a completely different character and these sections do not seem to have been built around his characteristics. They therefore end up feeling rather simple and unsatisfying, especially considering how much more natural it is to see Logan taking enemies head on.
There are also several scripted sequences in which the player’s role is reduced almost entirely to that of a spectator. In some cases, it is possible to fail a QTE without consequences, while certain motorcycle sequences can practically be experienced by simply letting the game play itself.
I understand Insomniac’s intention to preserve the adrenaline of certain moments, avoiding constantly interrupting them with player input. In some cases, however, the game simply goes too far and gives you the feeling that you are watching rather than participating.
The biggest issue, however, is the pacing. Marvel’s Wolverine is a game that should thrive on adrenaline, but it constantly alternates between intense action sequences and much slower moments.
After a particularly intense fight, you may find yourself slowly walking, following tracks, searching for an object or completing an extremely simple activity before being allowed to return to the action.
The problem is not the existence of these sections themselves, but the way they are implemented. In an adventure with a relatively contained length, some of these activities end up feeling like little more than filler.
The gameplay therefore works best when it lets Wolverine do what he was created to do, fight. The combat system is fun and provides a solid foundation, but the lack of variety, an uninspired level design, underdeveloped boss fights and some pacing choices prevent the experience from reaching the level I expected.
Wolverine Has Never Looked This Good
If there is one aspect of Marvel’s Wolverine that leaves very little room for criticism, it is the visual presentation. The game is simply beautiful to look at and repeatedly manages to showcase the full technical potential of PlayStation 5.
The quality of the character models is extremely high, as is the quality of the facial animations. The faces effectively convey the characters’ emotions, especially during close ups and more intimate scenes.
During combat, meanwhile, the work on the animations helps make every encounter extremely spectacular. Wolverine’s movements are aggressive and packed with detail. The way the character reacts to attacks also contributes to the feeling that we are playing as a fighter who is very different from the typical superhero.
The lighting system and reflections also play their part, giving the environments a highly realistic appearance. Light sources effectively enhance the scenery, especially in urban areas and during nighttime sequences.
The environments themselves deserve special mention. Marvel’s Wolverine takes us through very different locations, moving from the colder and wilder atmosphere of Canada to the much more colorful environments of Madripoor and Tokyo.
This variety allows the game to constantly change its appearance. At the same time, it gives Insomniac the opportunity to showcase its work across visually very different settings.
The natural areas make good use of vegetation, lighting and weather conditions to create atmospheric environments. Urban areas, on the other hand, focus on the density of the elements displayed on screen.
Tokyo, in particular, offers a completely different aesthetic. Lights, signs, alleys and environments stand out clearly from the other sections of the adventure. The interiors are also generally very detailed, with structures, materials and small details that help make the spaces feel believable.
The result is a game that manages to be spectacular in practically every setting. This is especially true during the most intense sequences.
The visual effects during combat, the blood, the damage on the characters and the impact of the claws also make the fights feel even more brutal from an aesthetic standpoint.
The only slightly jarring note concerns some animations that, at certain moments, appear excessively sped up. They therefore do not always reach the same quality level as the rest of the production.
The audio department also performs very well. The sound effects effectively accompany combat and exploration, while the Italian voice acting is one of the elements I appreciated the most.
The quality of the voices and the direction help make the conversations more believable. It is clear that Insomniac wanted to leave nothing to chance and, from this perspective, Marvel’s Wolverine is a production of an extremely high standard.
Logan Doesn’t Drop a Frame
When it comes to optimization, we need to start with a fairly simple consideration. A game developed exclusively for PlayStation 5 should run well on the console it was designed for.
Marvel’s Wolverine does its job in this regard. On the base PS5, the game is even able to make use of ray tracing, delivering a very high level of technical quality.
The problem appears when looking at the overall polish of the experience. Wolverine, as unfortunately happens with several day one releases, contains a number of bugs that would have been better left out.
During the adventure, you may occasionally see parts of the map temporarily disappear. In other cases, vehicles can suddenly move backward on their own, almost as if they had decided to change direction.
On other occasions, Logan can become stuck when climbing down from trees. This temporarily prevents you from progressing and forces you to wait for the game to start working normally again.
These issues do not completely compromise the experience. They are nevertheless noticeable and create the impression that the game is missing a certain degree of polish.
Some animations could also have been handled better. These imperfections do not erase the technical work carried out by Insomniac, but they prevent the game from reaching an absolutely flawless level of polish.
From a performance standpoint, however, Marvel’s Wolverine manages to do what it needs to do on PS5. The biggest problems therefore concern the presence of some bugs and a series of minor imperfections.
Ultimately, the optimization is solid but not flawless. The technical foundation is excellent and once again demonstrates Insomniac’s capabilities, but a few additional weeks or months of polish would probably have allowed the team to eliminate some of the more annoying issues.
A New Adventure for Logan
Marvel’s Wolverine is a project that is most convincing when it puts its protagonist at the center of the experience. Logan works both from a narrative perspective and when directly controlled by the player.
The story offers an original version of the character and makes use of several elements from Marvel mythology without simply repeating what has already been seen in previous adaptations.
The real strength, however, remains the combat system. Fighting as Wolverine is satisfying and the weight of his attacks effectively conveys his physical strength.
It is a shame that all of this is accompanied by a less convincing structure. The variety of activities, mission design, some stealth sections and the pacing could all have been more carefully developed.
The technical presentation, on the other hand, further elevates the experience. The models, environments, animations and lighting all display a very high level of quality and help make the adventure spectacular.
Marvel’s Wolverine is therefore not without flaws. Some choices prevent the game from fully expressing the character’s potential. However, when Insomniac gives the claws, combat and Logan’s more brutal side room to breathe, the result manages to be exactly what you would expect from a game dedicated to Wolverine.
| PRO | CONS |
| – Visceral and satisfying combat system – Exceptional visual presentation – Varied and highly detailed environments – Excellent Italian voice acting – Extremely high quality character models and facial animations |
– Visceral and satisfying combat system – Exceptional visual presentation – Varied and highly detailed environments – Excellent Italian voice acting – Extremely high quality character models and animations |
Reviewed By: Alessandro Dato
