Marvel’s Wolverine is a throwback. The new PS5 exclusive from Insomniac, the studio behind Spider-Man, trades open worlds for a linear, bloody action game built around one idea: keeping Logan angry. It launches September 15th on the PS5.
Logan’s Rage Is the Whole Game
The most important thing about Wolverine is fighting. The combat is fast, violent, and forces you to be aggressive. Wolverine can leap huge distances, use his claws to repel attacks, and slice at enemies with very gruesome results. At the end of a battle, he’s usually coated in blood.
The system that drives it all is Wolverine’s rage level, which increases the more you fight. As his rage grows, you can do two things:
- Go absolutely berserk and kill a rash of enemies with a single blow.
- Use your healing power as a sort of extra life if your health depletes.
It’s a clever system, and it means you can’t sit back and play it safe. Wolverine isn’t chill, and you can’t be either.
That’s the God of War side of the game. The Uncharted side comes from the over-the-top set-pieces. There are chases across the rooftops of Tokyo, massive boss battles against iconic comic book villains, and scenes where Wolverine is literally being ripped apart as he fights for survival.
A Different Kind of X-Men Story
Wolverine is very different from Spider-Man, which put the web-slinger in an open-world New York City. This is a much more linear experience. Rather than follow Wolverine as a member of the X-Men, the story has him as an often reluctant member of Team X, a mercenary group with similar pro-mutant aims but a much more violent approach.
Instead of heroes like Cyclops and Professor X, Wolvy is joined by more villain-adjacent characters like Sabretooth, Mystique, and Nathaniel Essex, before eventually connecting with Jean Grey. The story pulls Logan and his companions across the globe, but it starts out simple: they investigate a rash of mutant disappearances connected to a billionaire arms dealer.
The Generic Side of Wolverine
The flip side is that Wolverine is much more restrictive than most of its contemporaries. In some ways that’s a good thing; it’s refreshing to play a game that isn’t trying to do everything. But there are still awkward elements.
- Much like in Spider-Man, there are lots of collectibles that reveal new bits of story or unlock new suits. But exploration outside the main path is extremely dull.
- Wolverine’s closet of outfits is much less fun than Spider-Man’s, and they often feel out of place with the game’s attempt at a more gritty tone.
- Despite a promising start, the story ends up in a largely forgettable place, with few surprises, particularly if you have even slight knowledge of the X-Men universe from comics or the animated series.
Outside of combat and set-pieces, Wolverine skews generic AAA game. The voice acting, the cutscenes, and even some of the missions feel like standard video game fare, many of which seem out of place. Wolverine is amazing when you’re surrounded by ninjas trying to kill you. But when Logan is in a tux trying to spy on a fancy party? Not so much.
A Bloody Bet for PlayStation
Wolverine’s return to a simpler and smaller style of action — it takes around 13 hours to beat — is still notable, particularly from Sony. The platform has had a rough few years after placing many ill-fated bets in the live-service space. But much like last year’s Ghost of Yōtei, Wolverine shows that PlayStation is still capable of the single-player blockbusters the platform is best known for.
It’s also launching at perhaps the busiest video game release period in recent memory. It goes up against major titles including Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Control Resonant, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, Gears of War: E-Day, Silent Hill: Townfall, Star Wars: Zero Company, and, soon enough, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Grand Theft Auto VI.
In that company, despite occasionally skewing generic, Wolverine’s bloodthirsty focus on action makes it stand out. It’s a reminder that a game doesn’t need to do everything to be worth your time. Sometimes, it just needs to make you angry.
Source: theverge.com