Marvel's Wolverine is a single-player action game that catapults one of the most iconic X-Men into a long-overdue gaming spotlight.
Offering astonishingly brutal combat, an abundance of heavyweight cameos, and an emotionally charged storyline that will claw at your heartstrings, this game has everything you need from a superhero experience.
Make no mistake, bub. This is Wolverine at his bloodiest, most brutal, and best.
And the potential this game brings to realising a wider X-Men universe in video games is something I think fans should be very excited about.
An original story packs one mighty, blood-soaked punch
Marvel's Wolverine introduces a brand-new story that balances familiarity with ambition. You may know and love the characters featured, but the game is unafraid to take them in new directions you can’t help but be engrossed by.
Wolverine is a character I’ve always felt was uncomfortable with the moniker of 'superhero'. This is understandable, given the unchecked violence we know he is capable of committing. But I will be honest when I say I was taken aback by just how well the game delves between mindless combat and the deeper tragedy of the character's background.
This is perhaps down to actor Liam McIntyre’s expert performance as Logan, who can switch from the ferocious combatant we all love to a more exposed, vulnerable man still in the midst of a serious identity crisis.
The crux of the plot will feel textbook to many. The gist is that military scientist Bolivar Trask is kidnapping mutants. And after a long absence, Wolverine re-joins his old team, the mutant taskforce Team X, to finally put a stop to him. But settling back in with his old crew of frenemies - Sabretooth and Mystique - is less than ideal, as both have an axe to grind over their feelings of abandonment.
Throughout the story, you’ll witness a fully-dimensional Wolverine, initially more human than animal. This iteration has a sense of humour and is unafraid to crack a joke and laugh. He smiles at fan art of him that rescued mutants draw. He ranks the common good over his own personal motives. There’s a distinct gentle tone to his voice. You’ll like this version a lot.
But no matter how hard he tries, Wolverine cannot escape his horrifying past, and the equally bleak future that lies ahead for mutants. Throughout, players must shepherd him through hellish ordeals that you know, deep down, are unjustified.
While I won’t spoil the specifics, Californian games studio Insomniac has taken the liberty of twisting certain storylines in their favour, creating a complex but complete origin story that even seasoned fans will be hungry to see through to the end.
Ferocious gameplay is both bloody and beautiful
Combat in Wolverine is both primal and ruthless, and the level of violence cannot be overstated. This is, of course, a fitting tribute for a hero who's always had to contain his animalistic side, and traditionally did most of the talking with his claws.
Seconds into any fight, Wolverine can (and will) splatter the entirety of his surroundings with copious blood spilt, and body parts flying asunder. Missed claw marks permanently stain walls, a reminder of all the rage that needs a target. All at your behest.
He has a set of special attacks he can use to stagger foes or cause area-of-effect damage. Cooldowns are painfully long, and so these manoeuvres cannot be a crutch to rely on. As such, slashing and dashing become your bread and butter, where you’ll lay on combos, dodge a series of colour-coded attacks, all while building your rage bar, to then execute everyone in sight.
Every fight has the potential to become a cinematic spectacle, where you lose all sense of time and objectives, instead prioritising your immediate survival.
Though not known for his subtle approach, there are stealth mechanics you can utilise. With enhanced senses, Wolverine can detect faint heartbeats of enemies, allowing players to track their location and either sneak by undetected or ambush foes. They’ll have little time to react to a rabid man pouncing on and lobotomising them. Did I mention that this game is extremely violent?
Boss fights are your quintessential Marvel eye-candy
The closer Wolverine is to death, the more ferocious he is to control. In this way, Insomniac has truly nailed his powerset. As he takes fatal damage, his suit gets destroyed, and his indestructible adamantium skeleton emerges. Just when he 'should’ die, Logan's healing factor kicks in, allowing him to continue his onslaught.
When you think a fight is over, think again.
That said, the game might have benefited from a wider pool of enemy types. You get to fight an endless supply of goons from both the Reavers and the Hand, as well as defend yourself against harrowing Sentinels. These have slightly different movesets, and colour-coded attacks tell you what you can and cannot deflect. But the sheer numbers you’ll face might have you hungry for something else to destroy over time.
Thankfully, just as complacency sets in, a boss fight is on hand to spice things up. These are your quintessential Marvel events, featuring multiple stages, elaborate cutscenes intertwined into the action, and constant smack talk between hero and villain. From Omega Red to Lady Deathstrike and more, developers wasted no time in tying together heavyweights for unique fights, with plenty of surprises peppered throughout for fans to watch out for.
Besides combat, there are other ways in which players can delve into Wolverine’s enigmatic past during missions. While there aren’t open-world levels á la Marvel’s Spider-Man, there is still some enjoyable exploring to be done.
Players can hunt down collectables in the form of whisky bottles (because, of course), which contain memories of the past. There are also suit packs to discover, which can be used to unlock a myriad of iconic costumes from his past, as well as nightmare doors scattered through levels, which can transport players into a taxing series of challenges.
Jean Grey is a scene-stealer and sets up the wider X-Men universe
The name on the box may be Wolverine, but the game is generous in setting up the wider mutant ecosystem. There are cameos from a wide range of characters from the X-Men vaults, like Calisto, Toad and Leech. There are faint mentions of other X-Men too. A fact-file about Dr Hank McCoy. A card left behind by Remy LeBeau. All of this adds to your insatiable hunger for what future plans Insomniac could be cooking up.
But arguably one of the breakout stars here is Jean Grey, whose characterisation feels as fresh and equally ambitious as Logan’s. Free from the moral code of being an X-Man, she is allowed to let loose against those who mean her friends harm.
Simply put, this Jean is a complete badass.
Whether it's flinging huge debris at enemies in the background or dangling them in the air like playthings to set up Wolverine for an execution, Jean’s prowess only adds fuel to the fun of battles. And while I won’t spoil her narrative significance, trust that Krizia Bajos's performance keeps pace with Liam McIntyre on every level. The on-screen chemistry is something to be marvelled at. And if Insomniac ever think of making a spin-off featuring her, count me in.
Marvel’s Wolverine is Marvel at its best
As the credits have rolled, I feel confident in saying that Insomniac has every right to chart the future trajectory of Marvel in gaming.
What they’ve done with Wolverine should become textbook in how to translate a much-loved superhero into the gaming format, preserving what you know and love about him, but somehow adding a sizeable new dimension too.
The free exploration of Spider-Man has been replaced with unapologetic violence, and an almost feral Logan is let loose on-screen to enjoy, and at times, be afraid of.
A strong, original narrative makes this game so much more than a tale of brute strength. There’s emotion, resilience, camaraderie and love to be found among all the bloodshed.
And I will stress that with accessibility options, including removing blood and gore from gameplay, even the most squeamish among us can still enjoy the game’s core experience.
2026 has been jam-packed with gaming greats. And yes, gamers continue to be spoilt for choice on what to play. But Marvel’s Wolverine has left a lasting impression on me.
It is one of the bloodiest, brutal, and most exciting games of the year, one definitely worth sinking your claws into.
Marvel’s Wolverine is available to play on PlayStation 5. It launches on September 15th
