Wolverine Review, Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Top Features

Marvel's Wolverine from developer Insomniac Games couldn't have more hype behind it. 

The action-adventure romp, after all, features one of the most recognizable characters on the planet. It's backed by the studio that put out a wave of excellent Spider-Man video games and happens to share that same universe, too. 

Granted, Wolverine isn't Spider-Man, which creates some obvious questions around keeping gameplay fresh. The darker, grittier combat and character equate to pretty big tonal shifts for the story and familiarity of the tale, too. 

But given Insomniac Games' history, there's no question Wolverine will land as one of the best releases of the year. Longevity and future sequels, then, might be the big question floating around the release at launch. 

Graphics and Gameplay

A Wolverine game can't be anything but grisly, bloody, vulgar and sometimes off-putting. 

That's all here. 

Insomniac's trio of Spider-Man games were genre-leaders in graphical horsepower and immersion. The detail was sometimes a bit lacking, but given the sheer scale of the open world there, the achievements were staggering. 

Same vibes here. This isn't a game with a massive cityscape, but darting through the fictional Madripoor, romping through sewers and other various places all have that attention to detail and fidelity that is simply fantastic. 

Same story for the sound design, which boasts the fantastic guttural roars and voice acting the property deserves. And the damage and wear and tear on Logan and his consistently bloody, falling-apart enemies is a little wince-inducing at times, in a good way.

On the gameplay front…this is very much what everyone always thought a top-tier Wolverine game should feel like. 

And that's a good and bad thing. 

Good, because the power fantasy is there. Wolverine loops in punches and kicks and the environment and combos while popping holes in anyone that gets in his way. Big boss setpieces? Indeed.

But that's also just, well, it. The Spider-Man comparisons are inevitable. The characters are just too different. Peter Parker is a genius who experiments with all types of gadgets, can stick to any surface and gets super acrobatic in his combat. The sheer variety and number of ways to approach any situation was quietly a really big reason for that series of games' successes. 

Wolverine has claws and not a lot of patience for any of the other nonsense. 

In a video game lens, that means things can get repetitive fast. 

Wolverine has combos. He has a leap to close the gap and players will be doing a lot of kicking to break an opponent's blocking stance. He also needs to parry constantly with proper timing to counter very aggressive enemies throughout the game. 

Aggression is the name of the game, as expected. Logan has a few special moves to use and, of course, a rage meter. Build this up and players get rewarded with bonus damage on combos and even activate a "last stand" mechanic, a nod to his regenerative healing factor. Fall out of combat for too long, though, and the rage meter starts to diminish.

Not that there aren't some variations. The always-controversial inhibitors are in the game and, at times, remove some of Wolverine's abilities. Like other superhumans, he has enhanced senses too, so he can go the stealth route while tracking baddies. 

Make no mistake, this is fun. It just feels right, too. That's important. But Wolverine as a character flies far closer to the sun in terms of general action-adventure third-person combat than Spider-Man, and it shows. 

Story and More 

Thankfully, as comic book readers can attest, this isn't the standard Wolverine tale within the scope of the X-Men. 

Rather, it's a deep-dive interpretation of his origins and those near his orbit in the early days. In this canon, Logan has left Nathaniel Essex's super team of mutants in recent years, only to rejoin when Bolivar Trask and his Reavers militia start disappearing his fellow mutants. 

Side characters include, but certainly aren't limited to notables like Sabretooth, Jean Grey and Mystique. The presentation plays with really fun themes, going super-quiet at times compared to the bombast of the levels and combat. It's easy to get invested and memorable. 

Still, the confines of the experience matter. New York and all of its personality and NPCs were a big part of the Spider-Man experience. Seeing the massive world react to him from street level on up, was a big part. Wolverine is much more subdued, demanding even more from the supporting cast, which it mostly gets in a good way. 

The overarching narrative isn't going to shock anyone familiar with these types of games. It's solid. Where it really shines, though, is in the careful attention to Logan as a character. He's human when he can be, but filled with distrust, aggression and so much more. A few side items like Nightmare Doors really explore the depth of this character, too, very much in a good way. 

Progression-wise, Wolverine hits on the usual notes too. There are meaningful skill trees to invest in and other upgrades that can freshen up the experience a bit. 

This isn't an open-world romp, but as a superhero video game, there are little easter egg nods and goodies to collect. Linear levels or not, paying close attention and even getting distracted exploring is a must. 

It's all a pretty strong technical feat, too, as Wolverine runs well performance-wise and comes with a robust suite of options, including accessibility must-haves. 

Conclusion

Wolverine plays in a much more restrictive sandbox than Spider-Man and it shows in its linearity and combat. 

But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. 

This is essentially what everyone has dreamed about for 30ish years when envisioning a powerhouse Wolverine game. The comic-accurate short guy with the claws is violent, loves hard and goes through a lot in about as gruesome a fashion as possible. 

Wolverine is not a God of War or similar experience. It's unabashedly itself and a must-feel experience for those with even a passing shred of interest in the character, or of video games in general.