Not only is Marvel’s Wolverine one of the hottest video games of the year, but it’s also the successor to the Marvel’s Spider-Man duology, officially giving birth to a shared universe for Insomniac’s Peter, Logan, and a whole band of lovable mutants. After seeing our Hugh as James “Logan” Howlett for what feels like forever, it’s encouraging that the baton has been passed to another Aussie as we remain the number one global exporter of Wolverines.
Although there are still plenty of questions that’ll be answered in due course, we learned a lot about Marvel’s Wolverine during our recent hands-on preview of the game, where we got to visit Insomniac’s Burbank office to meet part of the team, tour their state-of-the-art space, and, perhaps most importantly, get a few hours with the game.
To read our full preview, click HERE.
To read our interview with Insomniac’s Brian Wyser and Grant Hollis, click HERE.
Here’s everything we now know about Marvel’s Wolverine after our hands-on time, along with the answers to all of your questions.
Marvel’s Wolverine releases on September 15 this year, exclusively for the PlayStation 5.
$99 (free delivery) at Amazon.
One thing that has been made abundantly clear is that Marvel’s Wolverine takes place in a time before the formation of the X-Men.
That’s not to say there isn’t a fair share of the mutants we know from the franchise. Jean Grey, Mystique, Sabretooth, Leech, Callisto, Toad, and Caliban are among those confirmed so far, and we’re expecting plenty more to show up.
Although he’s not going to be swinging through Madripoor on a web-line, Logan has proven to be as nimble in both traversal and combat.
Wolverine shares a lot of DNA with its spiritual predecessors, Insomniac’s Spider-Man games, as an enormous focus is placed on satisfying locomotion and combo-driven combat, complete with all of the hallmark violence you’d expect from a game about Weapon X.
Marvel’s Wolverine isn’t for the squeamish at all; it definitely earns its rating with graphic dismemberment, claws impaling flesh, enough blood spatter to dress the set of Dexter, and just raw aggression from the little hairy Canadian.
If you are faint of heart but still want to enjoy a fun globetrotting romp as Wolverine, Insomniac has implemented some great accessibility settings to allow players to tone down the gore if that’s their choice.
After seeing Hugh Jackman dominate, and quite frankly popularise, the role of James “Logan” Howlett across the last near thirty years, another Aussie has slipped into the cowl to bring the character to life in the Insomniac-verse.
Liam McIntyre, best known to the world for his role in Spartacus: Vengeance and War, is no stranger to exercising his leading man chops in a video game franchise, having, for a brief moment, led the squad as J.D. in the sequel trilogy of Gears of War.
With Logan’s early arc revolving around the safe harbour for his fellow mutants, the main threat appears to be wealthy tycoon Bolivar Trask, who avid readers would know as the creator of the Sentinels and self-proclaimed last bastion for human superiority.
However, those who know ball will recognise Logan’s, at times, uneasy ally Nathaniel Essex, portrayed by the venerable and forever-working Troy Baker. In the comics, Essex does go on to become Mr. Sinister so it’s possible we might see him rear his head in Wolverine’s endgame as the bigger bad.
One of the biggest questions many had before the hands-on time with the game pertained to its mission structure and how big its levels might be. Though we didn’t get a great gauge of the transition between levels, or whether a hub might exist, I think Wolverine is definitely a more linear, story-driven adventure; the kind PlayStation built its house upon.
There are some open zones, like a couple of wide city blocks in Madripoor that can be explored a bit, though it’s a far cry from the open-world sandbox from the Spider-Man games. I’d say it’s most comparable to Uncharted or The Last of Us.
As is to be expected, there are a plethora of skins you can unlock in Marvel’s Wolverine to change Logan’s look—whether it be his outfit or the claws themselves.
The ones we’ve seen cover a range of comic runs and films, and I quickly settled into accepting the Weapon X outfit as my favourite. Along with several Insomniac originals, including his new battle suit and a blue number, I did spot the likes of the Deadpool & Wolverine suit in the build I played.
The game’s digital deluxe edition also grants immediate access to a handful, pardon the pun for one of them, of comic-inspired suits:
Marvel’s Wolverine is a PlayStation 5 Pro-enhanced game, meaning that it utilises PSSR as well as advanced ray-tracing to target 4K/60.
There’s also limited-edition hardware launching in time for the game’s September release in the form of a Wolverine-themed DualSense and faceplates.
Sumit Roy asks: Is Cyclops in the game?
There’s nothing, at this stage, in previews, marketing, or otherwise, that seems to suggest Cyclops is in the game. But, one can hope. If anything, his omission leads me to assume, based on Wolvie and Jean’s pre-existing relationship, that they might be the X-Men founders in Insomniac’s likely team-up game?
Mark Corlson asks: So is it like Uncharted 4 with open arenas, or Spider-Man with an open world?
I’d say it’s a mix of linear action and Uncharted 4’s open areas from what I got to experience.
Isiah Hill asks: Suits, combat, and vehicle combat?
Touched on both suits and combat above, but we also didn’t get to sample the motorcycle parts seen in the trailers.
Entity asks: How does the combat feel? Is it like Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima, or something else?
It’s definitely more like Spider-Man than anything. Its focus on combos, using Wolverine’s ability set while dodging and countering, makes it feel quite familiar. The main difference is how savage and unrestrained Logan’s approach is compared to Peter’s.
Entity asks: Does it feel good to control Logan, and how heavy does he feel?
Though clearly a gruff, aggressive, grounded character, there’s definitely an acrobatic nature to some of Logan’s traversal and combat. If Spider-Man is a 10 on the acrobatic scale, Logan in this game would be a 6.
Entity asks: What is one thing they did really well, and one thing they did really badly?
Another good question. I am loving the narrative framing thus far, and how the game moves cinematically from scene-to-scene; I feel it much better fits PlayStation’s wheelhouse in that sense than perhaps even Spider-Man did. While not really bad, I didn’t always love the visual flourishes and cheesy blood effects during Logan’s rage mode.
Matthijs Gillot asks: How is the dismemberment?
Bloody. And plentiful.
Ansh Shokeen asks: I just wanted to know about how many claw options there are, and do we get to see the return of 12-inches of claws meme?
There are definitely many customisable claw options, which can be mixed and matched with different suits, but I’m afraid I have no clue as to whether footlong claws will feature.
K asks: Can Wolverine pee with his claws out? Or is that a little risky?
Are you OK?
FoxDieSenpai270 asks: Does the blood fade out, or is there an option so that it stays on?
While there’s an option to tone the blood down, I can’t say whether there’s an option to tone it up – I expect it starts at 11. Similarly, I’d imagine due to engine constraints, there’d be no possibility of persistent staining.
Salv asks: Did the game have any challenge maps or enemy camps, and are they replayable?
The game has Nightmare Doors, which are akin to Spider-Man’s Taskmaster challenges. In my experience, you’re able to replay any of the previously discovered trials from within any door.
Nicolas Howlett (unrelated) asks: Do we get to see Logan in full Adamantium skeleton? Also, how does the DualSense feel?
Not sure if there’s a skin or outfit where it’s just his Adamantium skeleton, although you’ll see plenty of it as he’s torn up by enemy artillery. In our preview, we got a good glimpse of his healing factor as he repaired missing chunks of flesh, which had revealed his skeleton.
Websta asks: Will it be on disc?
Yes, this has been confirmed. Although I’m sure the countless entries we had asking this question were facetious, PlayStation doesn’t plan to enact their all-digital future until the beginning of 2028.
Eduffle asks: Is it fun?
I sure think so.
skgw2010 asks: How versatile is the combat? Can you chain together attacks and combos? Are there unique animations during combat that fit Wolverine’s character? How destructive are the environments?
Lots to tackle here. I think there’s a lot of fluidity in combat through your ability to toy with Adaptations and other abilities; there’s a certain level of buildcraft involved. Yes, there are definitely combo chains and combo enders. I do think Logan’s stance and how he moves, in general, does feel very in-character. I’d say moderately destructible.
Bryan Franck asks: How does Logan’s healing factor work?
I think Wolverine tackles the elephant in the room of Logan’s immortality quite well, both narratively and as a game system. In the game, death is still possible through an “overwhelming” of the healing factor, while levels are often littered with inhibitor projectors which suppress Logan’s mutated genes, making him even more susceptible to death. Although it does feel at odds with the lore, a bit, it’s essential for a balanced experience.
Daniel Goofy Jones asks: Will the Australian gov ban this one, too?
No, because I don’t expect it’ll include either gambling or the devil’s lettuce like some others.
Josh Cochrane asks: What’s your favourite colour?
Thanks so much for asking; it’s blue.
Neeraz Jaiswal asks: Is it good enough for replayability?
It’ll likely lack the moreish sandbox appeal of Spider-Man, but I think it’ll deliver on the cinematic, narrative-driven appeal of other first-party PlayStation games. Whether I’d replay it, personally, will depend on how good the story ends up being.
Aidan Steinhardt asks: I’d like to know how on rails it is, and if there’s much variation in approaches to combat encounters?
It does depend on the scenario; there are quite linear portions of the game, like the Telambang jungle raid; however, later areas like Madripoor are much more open.
While combat encounters will all tend to be similar, I expect it’ll be the differences in the enemy factions that give them differing flavours. That, and the bosses, like the big prototype Sentinel, which is a huge damage sponge with attack patterns to learn.
Marvel’s Wolverine is releasing on September 15, exclusively for PlayStation 5. Amazon has the lowest price at $99, including free delivery.