Since the turn of the 21st Century and the rise in popularity of the superhero movie genre, renewed attention and demand has been given to video games that could deliver an experience similar to the action and powers seen in those films. Besides the Avengers and Spider-Man there’s no other popular set of characters known to comic book fans than the X-Men. Marvel has slowly started putting their most popular mutant characters back in the spotlight in the video game scene, and none may be more popular than the claw wielding feral hero known to the world as Wolverine.
While the man known as Logan has gotten his fair share of solo games in the past, his latest Triple A adventure comes from the hands of Insomniac Games – the same company behind the critically acclaimed Spider-Man games. After hitting consecutive home runs with both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, the American based video game developer turned their attention to making a Wolverine game. It was a no brainer decision as the character is known for being “The Best There Is At What He Does”… But does Marvel’s Wolverine actually stick the landing as a PlayStation game? In a way it does, but it’s absolutely a straightforward slice and dice superhero game that deserves more rage.
Establishing its own unique continuity and not tied to any existing X-Men storyline, Marvel’s Wolverine is set primarily in modern times and features Logan reuniting with his former mutant unit Team X to rescue his mentor and benefactor Nathaniel Essex from a group of extremists aiming to wipe out mutantkind for good. While the mission is successful, it opens up new questions and conspiracies that have far reaching consequences not just for mutants but for humanity as whole. Not sure who to trust and encountering danger at every corner, the man called Wolverine must get to the bottom of the mystery by doing what he does best – cutting down those who threaten him and anyone he cares for.
Right from the get go and as soon as you start the adventure, Marvel’s Wolverine plays exactly like your typical modern adventure game, with players guiding Logan as he navigates through different chapters and levels to reach his goals. Unlike the Spider-Man games, there is no open-world exploration or webslinging the city streets. Instead, players will guide the feral mutant as he slices and dices through enemies and earns experience points that can be used to learn new abilities via a skill tree.
In many ways the gameplay is similar to the God of War, with Wolverine becoming more powerful and dangerous as he progresses through the story. He can slice and dice using his claws of course, but there’s also learning new fighting moves and parrying enemy attacks that help deal more damage to multiple enemies as well. Learning and mastering these new abilities are crucial to help Logan battle with more difficult enemies and bosses that you encounter along the way. However when the going gets tought there’s also the character’s signature Healing Factor to help him recover and out of those very tough spots. Being aggressive and fighting hard also builds up Logan’s meter to help him unlock Rage, which fuels his critical attacks and gives access to special finishes as well.
While unleashing his berserker fury is very much in brand and character, Wolverine can also go through some areas and locations by utilizing stealthy tactics to take down enemies before they see him coming. Animal senses come into play to help track down targets and perform stealth takedowns, and combining those skills alongside main attacks is crucial if you want to get through some difficult areas with the least damage possible. Logan can also find some material crates he can use to craft new suits and variant claws – which are customizable and add flavor to the adventure. There’s also a ton of secrets and unlockable recordings you can find that add to the narrative of the story, so be in the lookout for those as well.
Despite not having an open-world sandbox to explore with, Marvel’s Wolvernie still has some things to do even after the main story is completed. Nightmare trials are available to give players a challenge, and there’s a number of hidden collectibles to find scattered around the game that will warrant multiple playthroughs for sure. There’s something to say about the combat being repetitive at times, but it’s a linear action game and diversity can only come so much from it. The game may not be filled to the bone with the adamantium rage a big budget game of its caliber should have, but it’s perfectly acceptable and will entertain fans of the character especially with its graphics and presentation.
Rating: GOOD
