Highlights
- Marvel’s Wolverine gives Logan a surprisingly emotional side alongside its brutal combat.
- Jean Grey emerges as one of the game’s standout characters.
- The game could be the beginning of something much bigger for the X-Men in gaming.
Wolverine has spent decades being one of Marvel’s most recognisable characters, but his latest adventure gives fans something they may not expect from a game built around his claws.
Marvel’s Wolverine, from Marvel’s Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games, is packed with brutal fights and blood-soaked action, but its biggest strength may be how it expands Logan beyond the angry, violent mutant fans already know.
The game introduces an original story while bringing in familiar faces from the X-Men world. More importantly, it leaves the door open for a much bigger mutant universe.
Logan gets a side fans rarely see
The violence is impossible to miss. Wolverine can tear through enemies with his claws, use special attacks and unleash his rage in some seriously bloody encounters.
But beneath all that, the game spends time showing a more vulnerable Logan.
Liam McIntyre gives the character a human quality, allowing Wolverine to move between a ferocious fighter and someone struggling with his past and identity. He even has moments of humour, including reacting to fan art created by mutants he has helped.
That balance makes the character feel more complete. Wolverine is still the unstoppable fighter fans expect, but the story gives players a reason to care about the person underneath.
The game also uses Wolverine’s healing ability in clever ways. As he takes damage, his suit can be destroyed, revealing his adamantium skeleton before his healing factor brings him back into the fight.
Jean Grey could be the real surprise
Wolverine may be the star, but Marvel’s Wolverine is clearly interested in building something beyond one character.
The game features several familiar mutants, including Mystique, Sabretooth, Toad, Leech and Calisto. There are also smaller references to other X-Men that could leave fans wondering what Insomniac might have planned next.
Jean Grey is particularly impressive.
Played by Krizia Bajos, Jean gets some of the game's biggest moments and feels just as fully developed as Logan. Her powers also add another dimension to the action, with battles involving everything from throwing huge objects to holding enemies in the air.
Her role could prove especially important if Insomniac wants to expand its X-Men world in future games.
This could be bigger than a Wolverine game
The game does have some limitations. The enemy variety can become repetitive, with players repeatedly facing groups of Reavers and the Hand. It also doesn't offer the open-world freedom found in Insomniac's Spider-Man games.
But the focus here is different.
Marvel’s Wolverine is built around a more controlled story, intense combat and a deeper look at Logan's past. Along the way, it quietly introduces enough characters and references to make the wider X-Men universe feel like it is waiting just beyond the edge of the screen.
That may ultimately be the game's biggest achievement.
Insomniac has not simply given Wolverine a bloody solo adventure. It has created a version of the character that feels fresh while showing how much potential there is for Marvel's mutants in gaming.
And if Jean Grey and the other mutant appearances are anything to go by, Wolverine may only be the beginning.
