Marvel’s Wolverine, launching on 15 September for PS5, has sparked a split critical response, with reviewers highlighting its emotional character work while questioning its ambition and design choices. Early assessments from outlets like The Guardian and The Verge reveal a game that captures Wolverine’s complexity but struggles to innovate beyond its combat mechanics and narrative framework.
Character Depth and Combat Critiques
Reviewers consistently praise the game’s portrayal of Wolverine as a flawed, emotionally layered protagonist. The Guardian praised the characterisation and Liam McIntyre’s voice performance, describing the game’s Wolverine as a flawed and conflicted hero capable of both extreme violence and vulnerability. The Guardian noted that the game’s “heart” lies in its exploration of Logan’s rage and vulnerability, with combat mechanics that emphasize his signature abilities: claw slashes, dodges, and a rage-based attack system. The Verge was more enthusiastic about this approach, arguing that the straightforward, blood-soaked action is one of the game’s strengths. It praised the decision to move away from the sprawling open-world structure of Spider-Man, instead describing Wolverine as a tighter combination of God of War-style combat and Uncharted-inspired cinematic set pieces.
Marvel's Wolverine Has Heart but Lacks Ambition as Critics
However, the gameplay has drawn criticism for its lack of variety. The Guardian described the combat as “repetitive,” with encounters often devolving into older beat-’em-up mechanics. Unlike Spider-Man, where movement and web-based abilities encourage more varied combat, Wolverine can often come down to repeated melee attacks, parries, and special abilities. The Guardian compared some encounters to older beat-’em-up games and said the fights become more repetitive as players face familiar enemy types. The game is largely linear, with Logan travelling between locations and set pieces rather than freely exploring a large open world. While The Verge welcomed that more focused structure, The Guardian felt the restricted environments stopped locations such as Tokyo and Madripoor from feeling fully alive.
Narrative Choices and X-Men Absence
The game’s decision to exclude the X-Men entirely has sparked debate. Narrative director Walt Williams emphasized the creative choice to focus on Team X, a black ops group from Wolverine’s past. So Team X is canonical. It is Logan’s first team in his history,
he told IGN. We wanted to remind people that existence for a mutant is not safe. It’s hard. It’s scary.
Williams explained the decision to avoid the X-Men’s “safe space” to highlight the struggles of mutants in the Marvel universe. This approach has been met with mixed reactions. The game is set before the formation of the X-Men, following Logan as he becomes involved with characters including Sabretooth, Mystique, and Jean Grey while confronting elements of his past.
Developer Insights and Story Intent
Marvel’s Wolverine Lacks The X-Men to Remind Players of
The game’s 13-hour campaign, described as polished and visually impressive by The Guardian, includes 60 FPS Performance Mode with ray tracing and New Game Plus, marking it as a technical showcase for the PS5. The Verge argued that the game’s roughly 13-hour campaign avoids the bloat associated with many recent open-world releases, while The Guardian felt it did not fully match the potential of its protagonist.
What Comes Next for the Game
With the 15 September launch date set, the game’s reception will likely shape expectations for future Wolverine projects. Critics and fans alike await whether the game’s narrative and technical achievements can overcome its repetitive combat and structural limitations. The Guardian concluded that the early reviews suggest Insomniac may have created a game that captures Wolverine’s heart and rage more successfully than it explores how far the character’s next major game could go. The Verge, meanwhile, praised the game’s focus on a single-player action experience, arguing that it returns to a tighter combination of God of War-style combat and Uncharted-inspired cinematic set pieces.
For now, the game remains a polarizing entry in the Marvel lineup, offering a deeply personal look at Wolverine while raising questions about its broader creative ambitions.
