Marvel’s Wolverine is out today, and the game is doing exactly what you’d expect from a character-action romp starring the mutant with the metal claws: a lot of scratching, sniffing, and repeated fights against the same foes in mostly the same corridors. That’s the gist of most of the game. But there is one moment where Insomniac actually lets Logan’s powers do something interesting, and it stands out precisely because it breaks the pattern. It’s a sequence involving Sabretooth, and it ends with Sabretooth gouging Wolverine’s eyes out. And it’s genuinely the coolest thing in the game.
Sabretooth Turns On Logan
The sequence happens in the latter half of the game, after Sabretooth has finally turned heel. He and Logan were begrudging allies at the start, but now the two bestial mutants are enemies again, and the game makes you fight him at the docks of Lowtown. The fight is brutal and animalistic, with the two hacking into each other. As the brawl escalates, Sabretooth gets the upper hand and throws Logan onto a raft on the water. The rival pulls his adamantium arms back and starts smashing Wolverine’s head into the raft.
Logan, unsurprisingly, is not impressed. Instead of giving in, he taunts Sabretooth, saying he’s “blind” if he can’t see that he’s being manipulated. Sabretooth responds by taking that taunt and turning it back on him. He gouges Logan’s eyes out.
Blind Vision, Healing Factor
Here’s where Insomniac gets clever. Wolverine is built on a near-immortal healing factor that lets Logan endure what would be lethal blows for anyone else. The game has spent hours showing Logan getting impaled, sliced, and burned, only to get back up like nothing happened. But this time, Insomniac uses that healing power to create a gameplay moment that is genuinely different.
The game shifts to a first-person perspective. Since Logan literally cannot see, neither can you. You can look around and listen for Sabretooth, but your vision slowly comes back as Logan’s healing factor regenerates. The catch is that it might not be fast enough. Sabretooth is still attacking, and you have to dodge and react without sight. As Logan’s eyes grow back, your vision returns in stages:
- You gradually start to make out the general outline of Lowtown.
- Color returns slowly.
- By the time everything comes back into focus, Sabretooth has probably already gotten a few good scratches in.
It’s a small window of vulnerability, and the game leans into it. You’re desperate, you’re listening for sounds, and you’re hoping your vision returns before Sabretooth lands another blow.
The Fight Continues
The blind sequence is only one piece of the whole encounter. It doesn’t last long. Soon enough, Logan and Sabretooth stop fighting blind and get back to clawing each other the way they always do. The game revels in a kind of mindless violence that can be monotonous or freeing, depending on whether you enter a flow state of slashes and parries. But the game doesn’t repeat this kind of inventive use of Logan’s powers elsewhere.
“I just wish it had more moments like this that got creative with how you fight, allowing Logan’s unique powers to be more than just a superficial visual effect as his bloody, burnt, and battered body takes untold amounts of damage mostly for the sake of gory spectacle.”
Why This Moment Works
The moment works because it treats Logan’s healing factor as a mechanic rather than a cosmetic effect. Most of the game shows Logan getting hurt and getting back up instantly. This sequence makes you live through the hurt, even if briefly, and it makes the healing feel earned. It’s a rare instance where the game trusts the player to handle a different kind of challenge.
The sequence also captures the relationship between the two characters. Logan’s taunt about Sabretooth being blind is a dig about manipulation, and Sabretooth’s response is brutal and immediate. It’s a fight between two men who understand each other completely, and it plays out in a way that respects their history.
What The Game Should Have Done More Often
The problem is that this moment doesn’t recur. The game spends most of its runtime on the same kind of combat: Logan scratches, Logan smells, Logan slices through enemies in linear levels. There’s a reason the review points to the game being “mostly fine, I guess.” The core loop is solid, but it gets very repetitive, and the game rarely deviates from it.
There’s a version of Wolverine that could have been more interesting. This sequence suggests what that version might have looked like. It’s a glimpse of a game that uses Logan’s powers as tools rather than dressing. But that glimpse is fleeting.
The Verdict On Wolverine
Wolverine is a competent, occasionally thrilling ride, but it’s a ride that repeats itself far too often. The Sabretooth sequence is the clearest example of what the game could have been if it dared to experiment more. It’s a clever use of the character’s powers, and it stands out because it breaks the game’s usual rhythm.
The game’s approach to violence is also worth noting. It’s nasty, and it’s unflinching. Logan gets gouged, he gets smashed, and he keeps coming back. The game doesn’t shy away from the brutality of its world, and that honesty carries some weight. But the repetitive nature of the combat means that the nastiness can become tedious rather than exciting.
The blind sequence is a reminder that the game has the tools to do something more. It just doesn’t use them often enough. The Sabretooth fight is the peak, and the rest of the game is the plateau. That’s a shame, because the peak is genuinely impressive.
If you’re a fan of Wolverine, this game delivers a solid, if familiar, experience. If you want something that pushes the boundaries of what a Wolverine game can be, you’ll find that moment buried in the middle of the game. Just be prepared to wait for it.
The Coolest Moment In Wolverine Is So Good I Wish It Happened More Than Once. That’s the honest assessment, and it’s one that holds up.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.