Review #071 – Marvel's Wolverine

Insomniac has had quite a stellar run this console generation with games like Spider-Man 2 and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, but they’ve missed the mark with Wolverine. It has the bombastic superhero action you’d come to expect from a Marvel game, but the lack of player agency, mediocre level design, and repetitive combat keep it from being an easy recommendation.

Going with a linear, action-heavy formula for this type of comic character makes sense, but the game is painfully limited. Exploration is basically non-existent with side paths being so obvious that they’re almost impossible to miss. You don’t even need to pay attention during the game’s set-pieces either since you can’t really fail them.

Combat is generally fine but repetitive, and takes considerable time to get interesting. It annoys me how bulky basic enemies are—Wolverine should be shredding these goobers to pieces in seconds, no? The handful of bosses are fun at least, and the game is beautiful with lots of neat references. Just don’t come to this game expecting another Spider-Man 2-level experience because it’s a very clear step down from Insomniac’s previous work.