Wolverine Review

(Not) ‘nuff said

Like Wolverine’s murky past and piecing together his fragmented mind that might be as old as 200 years, if not more, piecing together a definitive review for Insomniac’s Marvel’s Wolverine has been tough. Largely because, while the intention to be true to the character, his nature and to service the fans, it had the right heart, the studio wound up going off track, forgetting the basic cadence of fundamental design in games.

Unapologetically, it was correct to tell people the game would not be of the modern sandbox or open-world ilk, but would rather be a story-driven action epic with bombastic moments, lots of explosions, blood and cameos galore. And it delivers on all of those fronts. We’ve likened it closer to a Call of Duty single-player campaign starring Wolverine and soon-to-be X-Men and X-Villains than an ode to what it should be, though. And that’s because it’s more often than not the game that plays you, than you play it. Which is problematic.

But let’s wind back, because there’s fun to be had here, especially at the claws of Wolverine, and Liam McIntyre (an Aussie, mind) who plays him, while perhaps less gruff than we’d have hoped, does a bang-up job while the studio’s MVGU reimagining of Wolverine and, indeed, the origins of many an X-Man and X-Villain is something we’re keen to bite more into, and explore more deeply later, but if you’re still on the fence know this -- Wolverine is no thinking-person’s outing of a game. It has some heartstring tugs, it has a three-act arc and it has character development, but all of that is handled entirely by the studio. What you’ll be doing as the player is simply ‘sniktin’ bubs’ this way and that, while investing in an arbitrary skilltree, seeking out claws and costumes from other iterative universes and hoping upon hope the next cameo you get builds more towards what Insomniac’s attempt at a cohesive MVGU might mean.

Oh, and kicking batteries. Lots and lots of batteries.

Marvel's Wolverine

Genre: Action-Adventure Slash 'em Up
Developer: Insomniac
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: September 15, 2026
Classification: R18+
Author: Stephen Farrelly
Date: September 18, 2026

Connective Tissue

Part of the immediate issue with Wolverine is that the game wants you to play ferociously and to the beat of its hyper-violent drum. But it also tells you to collect this and that, and to kick this and that in order to nab collectible elements or XP, respectively. This immediately causes an issue -- do we play like the devs want us to; fast, furious and the best there is at what we do, yet passively, or do we play it as gamers who want to explore all areas and make sure we find the suits box or the recorded piece of audio on the antiquated device, you know, also being the best there is at what we do, but to our own pace?

"We kept coming back to the Batman: Arkham series and wondering why the studio didn’t lean into an ostensible 2.5D (in principle) version of an action game with a linear story like the first Batman did..."

There are areas of the game you can spend time exploring, and later you can learn to unlock certain doors with your scent (even though trusty claws tend to be the best keys otherwise), but what you find and the space they’re in is usually too small for explorable areas so big. Moreover, inviswalls, small platforms you can’t climb and doors you can’t kick through are at absolute odds with what you can do when on the game’s golden path. And while we can defer to the studio’s initial emphasis on this being a heavily directed and linear experience, it doesn’t atone for the option to break the cadence of the game to little or no reward. 

We kept coming back to the Batman: Arkham series (those made specifically by Rocksteady) and wondering why the studio didn’t lean into an ostensible 2.5D (in principle) version of an action game with a linear story like the first Batman did, and did brilliantly. The violence of Wolverine is here, no doubt, but 12+ hours of slaughter porn isn’t the answer to enough of the actually important and engaging questions around Logan and while Insomniac does broach that side of him, it’s about as meaningful as the explorable spaces with nothing in them found throughout the game.

Would you like to know more?
We mentioned Weapon X as a potential DLC, but what we're really hoping for is a genuine Wolverine Vs Hulk content drop. Not only are both characters flagship Marvel properties, but they've also had some of the most storied battles throughout their collective existence. We foresee the opportunity here to use Hulk as a multi-phase boss, as a 'level' in and of himself with no goons or any other elements, just the Canuck against the Jade Giant. And if we were to look for inspiration, we can't ever go past Ultimate Hulk Vs Wolverine by Damon Lindelof and Leinil Francis-Yu. If you've never read it, do yourself a favour and pick it up - then you'll know why we chose it as this concept's inspiration.

Cabin in the Canadian Woods

For all of his bravado and excessively violent verve, Wolverine is a conflicted character. His memory is murky, his mutant ability to heal made him the perfect subject for one of the most gruesome Xperiments of all time, which in turn made him more dangerous. He’s been alive for *at least* 100~ years -- but that number keeps being pushed and pulled depending on your source for all things Logan. And he’s had more than one love in multiple other peoples’ lifetimes. Maybe Sabretooth is his dad (a dropped idea from the brilliant Chris Claremont), or is actually his brother, and he’s about the only one, other than The Thing, to go toe-to-toe with The Incredible Hulk in a proper non-space or Galactic Invasion-related street fight (read our “would you like to know more?” box out for… MORE!).

"The character’s past is one of the single most interesting in Marvel’s expansive universe. He’s not nearly as one-note as the aforementioned “violent verve” paints him..."

What makes all of the above interesting (and oddly ties him a little to Batman) is he’s always been a grounded person just living his life through all of this. “The Littlest Hobo”, “Kung Fu” and even “The Incredible Hulk” are old trope-driven TV shows about the lone hero wondering from town to town saving folks while facing their own past or demons, and many a comic book writer has cited these as influences to their interpretations of Wolverine. But here, all of everything above is barely touched on, and the one element Insomniac crafts for it to be an expositional component to the character is a cabin in his mind, designed for him to unravel his own past. Except it’s just a plot-point to contextualise a Challenge Mode, that is less-than-rewarding overall.

The character’s past is one of the single most interesting in Marvel’s expansive universe. He’s not nearly as one-note as the aforementioned “violent verve” paints him and he goes even beyond Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of him, yet this was barely any part of the overall writing for the game and its Bruckheimer-level go to woe did the character no genuine favours in the videogame space.

Missing: Barry Windsor-Smith

“Weapon X” is likely something you’ve heard of somewhere in relation to Wolverine. But the original source is a number of short stories from a “Marvel Comics Presents” series that ran for 13 issues by the indomitable Barry Windsor-Smith. Smith not only penned Wolverine’s adamantium origin story, but also challenged how comics at the time were written, presented and even read. Famously, he did everything barring some lettering in terms of the outlay and it remains one of the most complete and accepted origin stories of a comic book character. Ever. 

"If the studio wanted this to be the first of many Wolverines at its design hands, and when speaking to a heavily directed, linear design tilt, Weapon X would have been the better place to start..."

Insomniac chose to largely ignore this in the face of the Call of Duty-esque bombast mentioned earlier, and in doing so it missed a chance to introduce the character’s violent tendencies, his animalistic nature and the trauma from just one part of his life leading to his capabilities during said bombast. It’s touched upon to a degree, but if the studio wanted this to be the first of many Wolverines at its design hands, and when speaking to a heavily directed, linear design tilt, Weapon X would have been the better place to start, in our opinion.

That’s not to say what’s here isn’t palatable. Old Marvel hats will immediately know Nathanial Essex, for example, and appreciate the tone of his skin, and so from a world-building perspective with that MVGU idea in mind, we’re not off what’s going on here, and there’s room for a Weapon X DLC to occupy the post-release scape. But for what it’s worth we just feel we could have been more intimately introduced to the character, especially after that bestial intro…

Days of Future… Future?

Marvel’s Wolverine is a weird one. The game’s combat is one-note and rarely expands, plus gaining XP as “the best there is” to learn new moves doesn’t really gel in the overall context of the character, but that’s part of the videogame component here. At times it felt like Insomniac was proving it could do what Santa Monica Studios does with Kratos or what Naughty Dog does with Nathan, and on some levels it does. But it also forgot the fantasy of being Wolverine and has made us play its story through its hands. My loadout and combat style didn’t even matter at the end of the day, because like most CoD campaigns, I could largely just run to the next Checkpoint to ignore the previous sequence altogether.

"The fantasy of Wolverine is more than the blood on his hands -- he’s a hunter, for the past, the present and the future..."

Moreover, the slashing just became tedious after a while and its slower moments meant for a breather or for exposition weren’t truly playable. In the end, the game lost momentum and felt like an overly long vertical slice (pun intended), when so many templates for how better to combat the character exist, such as the earlier-mentioned Batman: Arkham games or even Insomniac’s own Spidey tilts.

Which is a weird way to end this review, because at so many junctures the game felt broken, or disjointed or plain lost… like Wolverine's memory.

There’s a future here, and we’re not the only ones suggesting a shift in approach for any future endeavours and we hope this goes heard, and not un. The fantasy of Wolverine is more than the blood on his hands -- he’s a hunter, for the past, the present and the future. He’s not always so vulnerable and he does have a pack, but he’s a loner and we need to honour some of what that’s meant to him all these years. His skills go far beyond the bombast of this outing and if we’re to play as him again, we need a greater level of control.

We need to feel like we’re steering the “best at what he does” on our own.

What’s Boss?

  • A stunning game with amazing effects, especially reflections
  • Liam McIntyre is a great bit of casting we hope goes even beyond the game
  • An excellent foray into writing or even building a cohesive MVGU
  • Awesome cameos that have you craving more
  • Easter Eggs galore for the die-hards

Not Boss Enough?

  • A game of two minds that wants you to play at break-neck speed but suggests you look around
  • Stealth isn't nearly as expansive or utilised as it should have been given Wolverine's heightened senses
  • Repetitive slashing wear thin after awhile
  • Parts of the game are effectively unplayable, despite the controller rumbling for you
  • Just so many missed opportunities from a world-building perspective in terms of his origins, despite the great writing

A solo joint starring everyone's favourite adamantium-infused mutant, Wolverine. Blood, gore and big swears await in this mature story that is essentially setting up a standalone MVGU.

Learn about our reviews

About the Author

Written By Stephen Farrelly
Stephen Farrelly is a veteran journalist and editor with more than two decades experience in the worlds of gaming, entertainment, lifestyle and sport. He is a proud pug dad, loves art in all forms (particularly street and tattoo culture), and is the director of Swear Jar Editorial and Media Pty Ltd, this site's owner and publisher. When not dispensing words, he's also dispensing boutique beers as a taproom fixture at Bracket Brewing in Marrickville, NSW...
More from this Author
  • + Is Nintendo Preparing to Wow with Further Zelda Remake News in the Form of Majora's Mask?
  • + Sagas of Lumin is a Forthcoming Open-World Action-RPG with Fluid Dragon Flight
  • + Free Next-Gen Update Coming to Metro Redux Owners
  • + Dune: Awakening Console Review

    • Explore More in Gaming

    Is it possible Nintendo is dropping hits and clues that it won't be done with Zelda after the Ocarina of Time Remake drops in November? Is the celebrated fan-fave Majora's Mask next  on the list? New details inside!

    Want to live out your biggest dragon riding fantasy in an open-world? Sagas of Lumin might have you covered. A playtest is currently running you can apply for, while its Wishlist number grow significantly by the day! Click through to learn more...

    Fancy another go around in the Moscow Metro system in 4A's celebrated Metro 2033 series? Especially ahead of next year's Metro 2039? The studio has you covered with a new update bringing the first two games up to speed with new hardware and technologies. Details inside!

    Dune's Arrakis presents as an excellent playground for the survival genre, and Awakening taps deeply into the series' excellent writing, but still falls short in a number of area. Our full review!

    Insomniac's Wolverine has proven polarising. We approach the review as fans of the character, games in general and as design aficionados of comic book videogames overall, so if you want something with depth, go ahead and click through, Bub!

    Did Nintendo just lay a near-untouchable foundation for at least the nest year between 2026 and 2027? We take a deeper look, with just four games under the microscope of more than a handful more... 

    In a surprise BlizzCon 2026 announcement the legendary studio not only announced Diablo 5, but offered some insight into how the game stands out from other entries, while also confirming a 2029 release window.

    We go deep on Rebel Wolves' The Blood of Dawnwalker - a confident action-RPG that shifts how you think about the genre, as well as how you play it through great writing, performances and a unique spin on the passage of time... 

    CD Projekt RED essentially took over Gamescom with an info dump no one wants to miss out on, and this is also important for your gaming calendar for the next few years. Details inside!

    Take down one of the most well-known, beloved and chillax peeps of all time in Snoop Dogg with HITMAN World of Assassination's newest DLC. Free for newcomers -- details inside!

    Comment

    Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.