Marvel’s Wolverine is the latest game from Insomniac Games, and it may be the studio’s biggest challenge yet. Not only is it Insomniac’s most mature game to date, with brutal violence and harsher language, but Wolverine is also a major departure from the kinds of protagonists the studio is best known for.
Characters like Ratchet and Spider-Man may have their own struggles, but they generally approach the world with optimism. Wolverine's long history of violence and tragedy makes him feel like a night-and-day contrast. Insomniac embraced that challenge, and the result is an incredible game that does justice to Wolverine while still feeling unmistakably like an Insomniac production.
1. Liam McIntyre Is Perfect as Wolverine
Insomniac has a lot of components to get right with Marvel’s Wolverine, but none are more important than its lead performance. Thankfully, the studio struck gold yet again with Liam McIntyre, who delivers an incredible Wolverine and captures the many sides of Logan that have made the character so beloved.
McIntyre naturally nails Wolverine’s badass side. There’s a primal energy to his performance during combat that makes Logan feel almost animalistic. Outside of battle, though, he brings out the character’s gruff charm, delivering even Wolverine’s iconic catchphrases with an effortless confidence that makes him difficult not to like.
It’s McIntyre’s softer portrayal of Logan that ultimately sold me on him as the definitive Wolverine. He conveys the character’s trauma without losing sight of his compassion, particularly in his interactions with some of the younger characters introduced early on. It feels like the same Wolverine I’ve seen throughout decades of comics and other adaptations.
McIntyre reaches that rare Kevin Conroy tier where his performance becomes the voice I’ll hear whenever I read the character. Insomniac has accomplished something similar before with Yuri Lowenthal’s Spider-Man, whose portrayal has become inseparable from the Web-Head for many fans. Going forward, whenever I read a Wolverine comic, McIntyre’s voice is the one I’ll hear, and there may be no higher compliment for a comic book performance.
2. Marvel's Wolverine's Gameplay Perfectly Captures the Iconic X-Men Character
A fair amount of criticism of Marvel's Wolverine has focused on Wolverine’s abilities feeling too much like conventional video game mechanics. Stealth and visual indicators that track where enemies have gone have drawn particular attention. Those complaints aren’t entirely wrong, but the mechanics make sense not only from a gameplay perspective, but also for Wolverine as a character.
When we first meet Logan, he’s closer to a feral animal than a man. Even after regaining control of himself, that animalistic side still emerges, especially during combat. This is where the game really earns its M rating, as Insomniac doesn’t hold back on the violence. Calling it berserker rage almost feels insufficient for just how brutal Wolverine becomes.
He tears through enemies with the kind of graphic violence fans have always wanted to see from the character. Even compared with some of Wolverine’s best berserker-rage sequences from the movies, the moments here are on another level. That same predatory nature also helps justify the stealth mechanics and visual indicators. Rather than hiding from enemies, Wolverine is stalking them like prey.
The game gives players the option to lean into that approach, but it never forces them to. Anyone who would rather charge directly into a group of enemies and tear through them can do that too, and the combat system makes either style feel appropriate for Wolverine.
That raises another challenge for Insomniac: how do you make playing someone as difficult to kill as Wolverine feel threatening? Marvel’s Wolverine answers by reminding players that Logan’s greatest strength isn’t simply his healing factor, but his refusal to stay down. The game throws everything it can at him, yet every setback only seems to make him angrier and more determined to keep fighting.
3. Marvel’s Wolverine Tells a Unique Story Comic Fans Will Love
Getting Wolverine’s character right doesn’t mean simply repeating stories fans have already seen. Marvel’s Wolverine takes Logan in a different direction, most notably by leaving the X-Men out of the equation. Team X takes their place, but this isn’t a traditional heroic Marvel team. Its members occupy a much more morally gray space that fits the kind of story Insomniac is trying to tell.
There’s still plenty to Marvel's Wolverine's story that the marketing hasn’t revealed, so I won’t go into specifics here. What’s especially fascinating is how dramatically Insomniac reshapes Marvel’s mutant corner to make it its own.
Some of those changes are radical, particularly the directions taken with characters like Nathaniel Essex and Jean Grey, but they make sense within this version of the story and are handled with care. The bigger problem is how disjointed the second act can feel.
At times, it almost seems as though two different games have been spliced together. The pieces ultimately make sense within the larger story, but the shift hurts the pacing and causes the momentum to drag. That’s especially noticeable in a strictly linear game, where every section needs to feel essential to keeping the story moving.
4. The Little Touches in Marvel’s Wolverine Add to Something Bigger
One of the best parts of any superhero game is getting to choose between alternate costumes, and Marvel’s Wolverine delivers plenty of them. Players can craft suits spanning Wolverine’s long history, including several designs that once seemed almost impossible to adapt faithfully.
Credit goes to Insomniac’s design team for making even some of Logan’s more unconventional looks work within the game.
The references don’t stop with the costumes, either. Longtime fans will find plenty of Easter eggs throughout the campaign, some delivered through dialogue and others hidden among the collectibles.
Despite the game’s linear structure, those collectibles feel naturally placed rather than scattered around simply to pad out exploration. Nightmare Doors provide another way to uncover references while digging deeper into Wolverine’s forgotten past.
These optional missions are consistently fun to complete, but they’re also home to some of Liam McIntyre’s strongest acting and several genuinely shocking moments. Even though players can technically skip them, they contain enough important character material that they’re well worth seeking out.
5. Marvel’s Wolverine Proves Insomniac Games Has Mastered Marvel Comics
Marvel’s Wolverine is another home run from Insomniac Games, reinforcing why the studio has become one of PlayStation’s most consistent developers. Its passion for Wolverine comes through in everything from Liam McIntyre’s incredible performance to combat that perfectly captures Logan’s violent, animalistic nature.
After finishing the story and returning for the collectibles, I came away even more excited not only for Wolverine’s future, but for what Insomniac could accomplish with other Marvel characters. Marvel’s Wolverine is a dream come true for fans of everyone’s favorite mutant.
The game delivers the definitive Wolverine gaming experience, combining brutal action with a genuine understanding of what makes Logan such an enduring character. For Wolverine fans, picking this one up is an easy choice, but even people who aren't into X-Men may want to give this game a go.
Marvel's Wolverine releases on September 15 only for PlayStation 5.
This review was written with a PlayStation 5 review code of Marvel's Wolverine provided by PlayStation.
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