I finished Marvel’s Wolverine on the hardest difficulty over about a week, fitting sessions around work and time with my family. At roughly 15 hours, the campaign felt like the right length for this kind of game. There is a steady supply of combat, boss encounters, and story developments without the expectation that I need to spend another month clearing a map. I appreciate a focused action game that gives me a satisfying experience within that time.
Some of the discourse surrounding Wolverine has felt forced to me. I get the impression that people are arriving with an argument against Sony already prepared, then fitting the game into it. PlayStation has legitimate issues worth discussing, including concerns around digital ownership and its business decisions. I have my own frustrations with the company. Those concerns deserve scrutiny, but individual studios should have their work judged on what they actually made. Developers deserve that consideration regardless of whether their projects turn out well. Criticism loses its usefulness when a game becomes another opportunity to settle an unrelated argument with its publisher.
Wolverine has specific shortcomings that are worth discussing. Repeated animations, drawn-out boss fights, and limited interaction during certain sequences left me wanting more from the mechanics. I also found compelling character writing, satisfying combat, and an impressive visual presentation. None of those qualities disappear because I disagree with something Sony is doing. I enjoyed this game considerably, and there is room to say that while still expecting better from PlayStation.
Logan’s Altered Past
Logan is exceptionally well written—and even better acted by Liam McIntyre. Wolverine has always carried a tragic history, and the game understands how that history affects his relationships and decisions. The voice acting does a great deal of work here. There is enough conviction in the performances to keep the emotional moments grounded alongside some outrageous action. Wolverine has an immaculate assortment of mutants to see here, considering this is the start of the X-Men universe—expect to see Mystique, Sabertooth, Mr. Sinister and of course Jean Grey, who is as awesome as you’d expect as a comic lover. I enjoyed her characterization and the story involving her and Logan, which left me curious about where their relationship could go next—because while I won’t spoil anything here, the ending left me wondering how far the MGU is willing to go. I also appreciated details such as Logan speaking Japanese during the sections set in Japan for example, hinting at a possible Feudal’verine vs Silver Samurai. I would have liked more opportunities to interact with the supporting cast, particularly the mutants you encounter and rescue towards the beginning of the game. They deserved additional conversations and time outside the main story beats.
The campaign’s length worked in its favor. I never needed Wolverine to become an enormous RPG with branching outcomes or dozens of hours of optional objectives—if a studio could produce incredible quality in these parameters, then yeah—but with Its mostly linear structure, it kept the attention on the characters and the situations they are moving through. More open sections provide opportunities for side activities before continuing, and those breaks add some welcome space between the larger encounters. My interest in spending more time with these characters came from enjoying their writing, rather than feeling that the campaign ended before it had delivered.
Viscerality (if that’s even a word) at its Finest
The claws are Wolverine’s primary weapons naturally, but there is considerable flexibility in how you use them. Lunging, blocking, parrying, dodging, and countering all contribute to combat. Techniques expand your combinations and give you ways to stun enemies or support recovery while fighting. Throwing an opponent into another enemy or through destructible scenery is especially satisfying. Perfect dodges and well-timed parries also reward attention, allowing you to turn a defensive response into an aggressive counterattack. The Adaptations system gives you limited slots to work with, so choosing benefits that suit your playstyle becomes part of developing your build. I found enough options here to keep encounters engaging when I used the systems together.
I still wanted more utility during fights. Being able to grab an enemy’s gun, fire it briefly, and throw it at someone else would have added another useful interaction. More grappling options could have helped as well. Certain grapple animations repeat across very different opponents, and seeing a similar sequence against Sabretooth and larger robotic enemies becomes noticeable. Boss health also felt excessive at times on the hardest difficulty. Several fights change their cadence without substantially changing their moves, leaving you to repeat a response you have already learned. The final boss was fantastic, and I wanted more encounters to offer that level of variety.
The sections outside regular combat could have asked more of me. I would have enjoyed environmental puzzles closer to what Uncharted offers, particularly when dealing with the Hand. The motorcycle sequences also needed more freedom. An early sequence already lets you move between trucks, so I wanted the game to expand on that with opportunities to leap from the motorcycle onto another vehicle and fight its occupants. Taking control of that vehicle afterward could have made the chase more involving. The action looks exciting, but I wanted a greater role in how those moments played out.
Insonmiac’s Best Presentation Yet
I played on PS5 Pro using Fidelity Pro, with VRR and 120Hz enabled. The visual presentation was one of the strongest parts of the experience for me. Character models are highly detailed, and the cinematics give the performances room to register. Logan’s appearance and expressions support the writing, especially when the game slows down enough to let a scene breathe.
The combat is wonderfully visceral. Dismemberment, blood effects appear to have some form of physics involved, and the way scenery breaks apart give Wolverine’s attacks the physical impact I wanted. Throwing enemies through the environment is enjoyable partly because the destruction sells the force behind it. I also appreciated the selection of roughly 25 skins. There is plenty of room to change Wolverine’s appearance while working through the campaign.
REVIEW SCORE: 8.5/10
I came away pleased with how much Wolverine delivers within its focused structure. The writing, combat depth, and visual detail made this a game I wanted to keep playing. Repeated grapple animations and bosses that overstay their welcome on the hardest difficulty are the most noticeable shortcomings. More substantial puzzles and interactive chase sequences would have improved the variety, too. Even with those limitations, this is a strong Wolverine adventure that captures both the violence and the sadness of the character.
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