Marvel’s Wolverine isn’t the X-Men game you expect

Marvel’s Wolverine isn’t the X-Men story you expect. There are familiar elements here, from tales told in other mediums, some better than others. But Insomniac Games isn’t aiming to tread familiar ground, making a concerted effort with this game to tell a new story in the canon of Wolverine and the X-Men that is consistently surprising, with well-manipulated twists.

And even with its points of difference, Marvel’s Wolverine remains true to the canon of the iconic character, delivering a bloody and action-first narrative where the prowess and pain of James Howlett is fully on show, complete with the scale and grandeur his story deserves.

An ever-twisting story

Marvel’s Wolverine picks up with the recruitment of Wolverine to Team X, an organisation of powerful mutants (people with magical-scientific abilities) who are trying to make the world better for their kind.

Led by Nathaniel Essex – a name that will ring bells for those familiar with any X-Men lore – the team’s noble goal is eventually disrupted by team dissolution and the rise of Trask Industries, responsible for the creation of the mutant-hunting Sentinel robots.

In events that are hinted at and eventually explored more deeply, Wolverine leaves Team X to pursue his own solitary life, before once again joining the team in a ‘final’ mission to find his purpose.

What results is a breakneck story as Wolverine takes up his mantle once more, linking up with new companions – including the telekinetic telepath Jean Grey, who recently got a major feature in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day – and the Morlocks, in a quest to save mutantkind.

Initially, Marvel’s Wolverine appears to be quite a siloed story, with the early focus on Team X suggesting a by-the-numbers plot where Wolverine is deployed to various missions to do what he does best – slash and kill his way through enemy hordes. But the game’s opening stanzas are a welcome manipulation. Soon, the game’s plot blows out in a manner that takes its key heroes through wild battles in Canada, Japan, and beyond.

Marvel’s Wolverine plays to the character’s strengths

Hints in the plot also suggest further depth to this game’s world, with elements from Wolverine’s comics origin story adapted in new ways, with new interpretations that make his story feel exciting and mysterious, even for those familiar.

Many of the main cast get the same treatment here, with the game faithful to their character but layering in new and different interpretations of their lore and abilities. Those beholden to the comics lore might need to close off the part of their brain that protests the accuracy, but with clever decisions and nuance in what’s changed, Insomniac’s interpretation is very compelling.

It all speaks to a vast future for this game universe that we’ll likely see in the years to come.

Another strength of the game is in how Marvel’s Wolverine defines the action. Liam McIntyre (Spartacus, The Flash) is a strong choice to portray the hero, with a gravelly delivery that matches the character well, even in comparison to other more famous portrayals.

With the visuals, there is some oddness to the character’s facial design, largely in comparison to the familiar visage of previous Wolverine Hugh Jackman, as well as notable appearances in other media. It takes some getting used to. But this version of Wolverine is still charming, and you’re mostly spending time looking at his broad shoulders and hairy back anyway.

In ambitious and large-scale action sequences, you also really get to see his inner monster unleashed, in combat that’s properly vicious and hard-hitting. That’s something many of the other Wolverine games have gotten right, and it’s perfected here in rough-housing combat that sees enemies disappear behind clouds of gore as Wolverine spins, slashes and leaps through battlefields.

It’s bloody and accurate to the comics in a way the film adaptations of Wolverine’s story rarely are, thanks to a need to appeal to all ages. Here, you see the impact of claws on flesh, and when Wolverine is severely injured, you see the adamantium metal beneath his skin shining through wounds. It’s not overly gratuitous, but aims to reflect the nature of Wolverine’s powers and the intensity of his battles.

Beyond that moreish combat, with its wild whirls and grizzly cinematic attacks, this game also doesn’t forget the other side of Wolverine’s character – the softer side beneath the beast.

In various dream sequences, his shattered and memory-less psyche is explored (as well as in discoverable mini-quests to find new memories, which do feel like tacked-on filler at times) in ways that tie directly back to the plot. Wolverine is a conflicted character here, charting a world of unknown loyalties as he attempts to find his place.

He doesn’t know who’s really on his side, or if anyone is on his side. As new complications arise, he must piece together his past to work through his future, and discover what sort of mutant he wants to be.

A bold new chapter for Insomniac’s Marvel game universe

Across its 15-hour runtime, Marvel’s Wolverine is a layered experience, adapting the story of Wolverine and the birth of the X-Men with fresh ideas about their origin and their most iconic characters.

While some of its twists are telegraphed, particularly for those who know the characters well, there are also plenty of new and surprising ideas here, backed by a clear vision. Unexpected connections drawn together make plenty of sense, and even pave over some of the oddness and incongruity of the comics in the process.

Should the game’s post-credits sequences be any indication, Insomniac Games has big plans for what comes next. After this slam-dunk, we await new developments with bated breath.

A PlayStation 5 code for Marvel’s Wolverine was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.

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