The Sharp Query Around Insomniac’s Wolverine

Sony’s State of Play certainly left a bloody mark with its Wolverine showcase, but we still have some coagulating questions…

Wolverine definitely offers players berserker or slaughter ‘porn’ for those wanting to live out the very true Logan experience, and in its recent PlayStation State of Play presentation, Insomniac gave us a picture-perfect look at the visceral nature of his fury and just what players can expect to see and experience when the game launches for PS5 this September. But while the studio has not held back in telling us this is a very directed single-player experience that is story-heavy and nothing like its more recent Spider-Man jaunts, we still have some queries about the dynamism on offer and just what sort of agency players will have when they get to Snikt! into the Adamantium-coated rage that was shown -- in full force -- within the presentation.

Have a looksee at the extended one for yourself:

“We hope you enjoyed that new look at Wolverine,” enthuses Marcus Smith, Wolverine’s creative director. “We also showed you a glimpse of the brutal combat you’ll experience in Wolverine; it’s fast, fluid and visceral in the way that only Logan can deliver."

This is true, but keen-eyed observers will note that the game’s HUD for interaction isn’t always present, prompting the question around just *how much* of this “directed, single-player” game will be played by them. Don’t get us wrong, we’ve been on board with this studio for some time and know its chops it’s just that, well, with anything licensed and directed, there’s a genuine fear that ‘on-rails-lite’ might be at the fore over agency. Still, within the showcase we saw environmental takedowns and destruction, the decimation of Logan’s body and a genuinely tantalising highlight of team-based combat based on any given mutant (or hero) by his side. Still, the query beggars: “just how scripted is this?”.

Problematically for games of this nature, and this studio in particular, is the penchant to highlight, near vertical slice-like, the most octane version of it, but octane and gameplay don’t always meld upon release and when a studio is telling you it’s ‘heavily’ directed, we begin to worry.

Wolverine

Genre: Action-Adventure Slash 'em Up
Developer: Insomniac
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: September 15, 2026
Classification: R18+
Author: Stephen Farrelly
Date: June 04, 2026

The same thing happened with that infamous E3 demo some years ago for Insomniac’s first Spidey entry. But that actually worked out okay.

Key amongst the initial concerns though, is simply managing Wolvie’s superhuman self. To what degree can he be killed given, he kind of can’t be (*cough* Old Man Logan *cough*), and therefore how does that play into the experience from a hardfail perspective? Obviously this can be overthought and from the perspective of a videogame we need to suspend a different sort of belief, but still, if the “fluid and visceral” combat Smith is spruiking above is the game’s North Star, then so too does his ability to absorb impact and relative danger need to be applied to it. We saw some of this in the trailer, as well as enemies that can deflect him and his adamantium attacks (probs energy-based), but the question remains: “how Wolverine can we be without the studio Wolverining us for ourselves, based on his IP and the Marvel higher-ups’ mandates for his… use?”.

"We’re not overly worried, but also hope that this isn’t a hand-holdy experience..."

There might be an answer to the above beyond that E3 example, which happens within the same State of Play around God of War Laufey where we saw, maybe, five-minutes of gameplay in a 20-odd minute reel; the rest just being classic Santa Monica Studios and its love of cut-scenes and “heavily directed” action sequences and setups. But again, when any of the modern God of War games released, they offered plenty of gameplay amidst the stylish narrative bits and so, we’re not quite yet overly worried, but also hope that this isn’t a hand-holdy experience.

More broadly, this might be a bit of feedback on the presentations front where gamers tend to want to see gameplay over everything else, be it CG, cut-scenes, story beats or focus-points on pre-order bundles and the like. Just, you know, show us the game we’ll be playing.

We mean, that’s essentially what we’re finally ponying up for.

"Yes, we know this isn’t an open-world game or an RPG or anything where ‘choices matter’, but that doesn’t mean we still don’t want the fantasy of being Wolverine to be meaningful..."

Wolverine looks the chops (pun absolutely intended), but how ‘Logan’ we as the player get to be and just how much agency we have over the level of berserker or slaughter we can deliver remains to be seen. And yes, we know this isn’t an open-world game or an RPG or anything where ‘choices matter’, but that doesn’t mean we still don’t want the fantasy of being Wolverine to be meaningful. Rocksteady gave us equal parts action-adventure and sandbox action-adventure in its lauded Batman: Arkham series and its combat was entirely player-driven and still remains the modern benchmark. Here’s hoping some of that DNA is seen in this mutant-fueled slasher of a game.

'Nuff said.

Wolverine releases exclusively for PlayStation 5 this September 15. Stay tuned for more as we have it.

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...
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