First Previews for Marvel’s Wolverine Call it a Cinematic Character-Driven Game That Lives Up to the Hype

We’re a little over a month away from the release of Marvel’s Wolverine and as such the first previews are finally here. Here is the gist of what they’re saying.

8 years ago, Marvel’s Spider-Man shook up the gaming scene with many calling it one of the best games in the genre. Since then Insomniac has made a spinoff for the game Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and a sequel Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Now we have them trying their hand at a completely different type of Marvel game with Wolverine. The game is Insomniac’s first M rated game and is desribed to have a lot of blood, gore and swearing.

Here is the logline for the game:

Logan thought he was finished being Wolverine, but the past wasn’t finished with him yet. Three years after walking out on his team, Wolverine rejoins the mutant task force, Team X, in their darkest hour.  

Driven by his fanatical belief in human superiority, Bolivar Trask is kidnapping mutants. Only Wolverine has what it takes to save them.   

In his fight for the future, Wolverine must team up with fellow mutants across the globe through locations like Canada, Japan, and the Marvel island nation of Madripoor. With the fate of humans and mutants hanging in the balance, Logan knows the world needs a hero; however, they’ll have to settle for Wolverine.

First Reactions and Previews for Marvel’s Wolverine

Eurogamer’s Emma Kent calls the opening bombastic says it’s cinematic, highly polished and gets you into playing as Wolverine quickly. Emma compares the transitions between the gameplay and cinematic custscenes to a fast-paced roaller coaster. The highlights in the early gameplay they got to play are seemingly the parry system, rage meter, traversal, and combat style. One potential critique Emma has is that the writing of the early portions of the game are a bit on the nose, standard superhero fare consisting of generic and unsubtle moments but there are apparently still moments the game hints at that it could expand on in an interesting manner writing-wise. Opinion wise, Emma Kent calls the game “decently solid action game” and while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel thus far, the game is an entertaining, cinematic spectacle that remains faithful to Wolverine.

Variety’s Jordan Moreau says the game can “reach the same heights that Spider-Man swung to. The gameplay, performances, graphics and story are next level”. They highlight the linear aspect of the game being a step above the open-world in the Spider-Man games.

Kallie Plagge of The Verge says while she had no previous attachment to the character of Logan / Wolverine, she was taken by the game and was deeply endeared to the character which even shows in the combat which they describe as “scrappy, deadly, but still vulnerable combat” that made her care so much for Logan.

Wesley Yin-Poole of IGN says the game, while not as much as a revelation as Insomniac’s Spider-Man, is still a fun time thus far. The most impressive part is reportedly the direction of the story and the movie sets it up well. He says he was impressed but not blown away. The combat nails Wolverine but wonders if the game can keep the momentum of its gameplay the whole way.

New details about the gameplay are out too with the PlayStation blog revealing a lot of new info.

While a simple parry and barrage can get the job done, Wolverine can unlock a number of Special Techniques, skills that can be upgraded and mapped to the directional buttons for an extra flair in a fight. In my playthrough, I could cleave through a group surrounding me with Tornado Spin, or interrupt enemy attacks with Knee Breaker. Players can also unlock Adaptations, which upgrade long-term effects and skills like Logan’s health and rage meter. 

That rage will come in handy. Successful combos build up Wolverine’s rage meter, which rises through three Rage Tiers to dramatically alter his fighting style. As Wolverine enters Rage Tier 2, his combos become more powerful and he unlocks Last Stand, which allows him to use his rage to heal his body if fully downed. But things really go over the edge when Wolverine’s meter fills to Rage Tier 3. His attacks become significantly more powerful, while brutal critical strikes become available. His vision seems to close in, his breathing getting louder and more primal as he darts between enemies, slicing and dicing with ease. Those critical strikes can lead to some dangerously fun takedowns, like snatching a member of The Hand’s katana or bow to slam back into them.

Thanks for reading this Marvel’s Wolverine first reactions article. For more, stay tuned here at Feature First.