Having completed the game 100%, I admit I had a blast playing as Wolverine in Marvel’s Wolverine. Is the game what I expected? Not at all, but I still enjoyed it for what it was.
That said, some of the game’s criticisms are understandable, as it’s not perfect, especially when compared to Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Marvel’s Wolverine Shouldn’t Be Compared to Marvel’s Spider-Man
Starting with the story, Marvel’s Wolverine is its own thing. Most of the characters are very different from those in the comics they come from. Some differ in character, and some in backstory. Purists of the comics may have gripes, but I found it refreshing to see some new spins on classic characters from the Wolverine mythos.
Throughout, there are many Easter eggs for other X-Men and Marvel characters, as well as for Insomniac’s previous Spider-Man games. There are certainly some basic tropes and some hard-to-swallow dialogue, but ultimately I found the story fun. It had just enough twists on familiar beats to keep me interested, even if it was somewhat predictable in spots.
On to the gameplay. If you were expecting Insomniac to copy Spider-Man and insert Wolverine, as most of us were, this is not that. Instead of an open world, this is a very linear game, which is where my biggest gripes stem from. I found it frustrating not being able to explore more, especially when the set pieces are really amazing.
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If you stray too far from the path, the game spins you around or throws a laughable obstacle in your way. This also made searching for collectibles extremely easy.
Throughout the game, you will find notes, whisky bottles, material crates, and nightmare doors. Whisky bottles unlock memories for Logan to reminisce about. Material crates provide you with currency to unlock various suits. Nightmare doors present you with different challenges that can unlock points to spend on upgrading certain aspects of the character. Scent trails will lead you to most of them.
While a couple might be missed, most are right in front of you if you just follow the main path. This felt like they were holding my hand much more than needed.
Marvel’s Wolverine Holds Your Hand, But Has Epic Boss Battles
Combat was very simple on normal mode. It mostly involved spamming the attack button, with other moves thrown in as you unlocked them. My biggest pro would be the boss fights. They all felt pretty epic, even though the attack patterns were simple to figure out fairly quickly.
My biggest con is the quick-time events that won’t let you fail. Press the wrong button? The game will continue as if you hit the right one. I’m not a fan of them on their own, but if you can’t fail them anyway, what was the point of having them at all?
Overall, Marvel’s Wolverine is a straightforward action game with impressive set pieces and great boss battles. Although more exploration and less hand-holding would be preferred, it was a joy to step into Logan’s shoes and eviscerate everything in my path in a gory fashion. I mean, c’mon, isn’t that what we really signed up for?
Interested in playing Marvel’s Wolverine for PlayStation 5? Check it out on Amazon.
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