This summer has been all about Spider-Man, but Wolverine is ready to claw his way back into people’s hearts — literally.
“Marvel’s Wolverine,” the action video game from “Spider-Man” developer Insomniac out Sept. 15, is one of the most anticipated superhero games in recent years, if not one of the biggest releases since it was first teased back in 2021. It puts gamers in the bloody boots of James Howlett, better known as the mutant Logan…who’s even better known as the razor-clawed X-Men hero Wolverine. After the huge success of Insomniac’s award-winning “Spider-Man” series, superhero fans and gamers can look forward to ditching their web shooters for some adamantium claws in this action-packed, story-driven game.
After playing a roughly 90-minute demo, it’s clear that “Wolverine” can reach the same heights that “Spider-Man” swung to. The gameplay, performances, graphics and story are next level; despite being a more linear game, it feels like a step above the open-world New York in “Spider-Man.” The game starts with a flashback 30 years ago to a feral, filthy Wolverine who’s living alone in the wilderness. He’s more animal than man at this point, but a mysterious benefactor offers him a home and future with other mutants like him. The man is Nathaniel Essex, whom X-Men fans know as the villain Mister Sinister (played by the legendary Troy Baker).
Before we see what happens in the first meeting between the two, the game jumps ahead to present day, where Wolverine is gearing up on a rescue mission to save Essex. He’s joined by the hulking Sabretooth and shape-shifting Mystique in a helicopter as they storm a forested compound controlled by anti-mutant scientist Bolivar Trask. The chopper gets shot down, and Wolverine must fight his way back to reunite with Sabretooth and Mystique, his Team X comrades.
Dozens of Trask’s soldiers stand in Wolverine’s way, but he shreds through them like human tissue paper with the game’s fast, visceral combat. Just like Insomniac’s “Spider-Man” had acrobatic, web-shooting combos, “Wolverine” has ferocious, animalistic moves that compliment Logan’s fighting style perfectly. The camera zooms in cinematically on his face, so close you can see his teeth gritting as he beheads, amputates and eviscerates enemies’ bodies.
Just like “Spider-Man,” when you’re not beating up bad guys, traversing the levels is just as much fun. But instead of web-swinging your way between skyscrapers, Wolverine pounces between buildings and claws his way up trees to get around. The movement feels fluid but also brutally impactful when Wolvie lands claws-first on an unsuspecting enemy with a thud. The exploration possibilities aren’t quite as endless as the open world of “Spider-Man,” but “Wolverine” does have larger areas where you can plot your own path to take down groups of enemies.
The more confined levels also allow for some quieter, more intimate moments where the performers really push the limits of motion-capture. The cutscenes feel like they’re pulled from a movie, and there’s enough complicated backstory between Wolverine, Sabretooth and Essex to fill a limited series. Wolverine and Sabretooth have a toxic, quasi-sibling relationship where Sabretooth is constantly picking on the “runt” and putting him in danger before saving his life. Meanwhile, Essex is looking out for mutants while putting human lives in danger, and Wolverine isn’t so sure that’s the right path forward. It’s hard to root for any of these morally gray characters, but “Wolverine’s” story looks perfectly gritty and twisty.
Back to the demo: After dispatching squads of Trask soldiers, including some enhanced Reavers, Wolverine and Sabretooth come face-to-face with an old frenemy: the tentacled mutant Omega Red. For some reason, the Russian villain has partnered up with Trask and is hunting down his old Team X pals. Wolverine makes his way through an abandoned nuclear testing site and into a sewer, where he discovers Trask has been experimenting on mutants. Furious at seeing piles of dead bodies, Wolverine unlocks a rage ability where his devastating attacks do even more damage. Until the rage wears off, he’s like a human tornado whipping between bad guys and slashing them apart.
To protect himself, however, Trask has created an inhibitor field that de-powers any mutant nearby, dulling Wolverine’s healing power and ferocity. This ups the difficulty to where it’s possible to lose a fight as the nearly un-killable mutant. This makes certain fights harder, and you have to rely on quick reflexes to dodge and parry, plus mastering Wolverine’s variety of combo moves is a must. Just as Wolverine is surrounded, he’s saved by Mystique, who’s shape-shifted herself into one of Trask’s minions.
Wolverine finally makes his way to Essex, who’s been chained up by Trask. The two are both imposing figures with opposing views: Trask strives to eradicate all mutants, while Essex wants their race to thrive. Before Wolverine can intervene, Trask shoots Essex, who’s left clinging to life. Wolverine frees Essex and races to the exit, but Essex musters enough psychic power to cause all of the invading soldiers to explode. As he uses his powers, you can notice his skin subtly turns paler and a dark mass forms on his forehead, much like the Mister Sinister look from the comics. In the game, Essex hasn’t gone full villain, but it’s only a matter of time.
The demo then skips ahead to the end of Act 1. After the opening mission, Wolverine saves several mutants from Trask’s forces, like Jean Grey, Leech, Callisto, Caliban, Toad and Nature Girl, but not everyone makes it out alive. The next playable portion is a boss battle against a giant Sentinel robot, where Sabretooth and Mystique help Wolverine take down Trask’s latest invention. This was the toughest fight by far, but it ends with an epic cinematic of Wolverine ripping off the robot’s arms and gouging its massive eyes out. As the android explodes, Essex uses his powers to shield the mutants and protect them from the blast. Without spoiling what happens next, the mutants confront Trask, and Mystique assumes his identity to further their mission.
The final portion of the demo jumped ahead to a quieter section in a mutant-friendly bar in Madripoor, where Wolverine can check in with his teammates. He can listen to old records from his past, play a drinking game with Mystique and get into an arm-wrestling match with Sabretooth — which quickly gets out of hand. The two argue about Essex’s goals, and Sabretooth urges Wolverine to usurp Essex and take control of the team himself. They don’t resolve their disagreement, but it seems like Wolverine may soon have a falling out with the man who originally saved him. There’s also a romantic moment between Jean and Logan as the roughneck hero tries to figure out the best way to woo her after their initial meeting.
But the action ratchets back up as the Hand, an evil group of ninjas, kidnaps one of the mutants from the bar. Wolverine chases the kidnappers across the rooftops, battling sword-wielding mercenaries and archers who leave arrows embedded in his body. Just as Wolvie is hot on their trail, he’s impaled by a harpoon and the demo sadly comes to an end.
Besides the high-octane action and deep story, there are tons of comic-book Easter eggs, costumes and claw combinations that fans will love. There are several variations on the famous yellow-and-blue X-Men suit, but you can also dress Wolverine up in his classic brown-and-tan costume, his gray X-Force suit, his cybernetic Weapon X helmet, the Fang costume, the red Ultimate variant, his “Days of Future Past” jacket, his white Patch suit and even a simple white tank-top. If you get bored of the normal adamantium claws, you can swap those out for bone claws, a diamond version, reflective mirror claws and several other colors.
After the Insomniac developers proved they’re the masters of superhero video games, it shouldn’t be a surprise that “Wolverine” is just as stellar as their “Spider-Man” games. But now, they can deliver an M-rated, bloody-good time while still telling a complex story that rivals some of the best movies, shows and comics out there. Spidey has been getting all the video-game limelight, and “Brand New Day” keep breaking box office records, but “Wolverine” could be here to steal the crown this fall.