Marvel's Wolverine Review: A Healing Factor Can't Fix Everything

Eric Poole | Posted: 10/26/2026

(Credit: Sony Interactive)

Platform: PlayStation 5
Mode Played: First playthrough, second-from-highest difficulty

Few games entered 2026 carrying as much hype as Insomniac Games' Marvel's Wolverine. Unfortunately, few have managed to attract quite as much controversy following their release. Between the criticism of its simplified gameplay, its relentlessly cinematic approach, and the inevitable comparisons to Insomniac's spectacular Spider-Man games, Wolverine has found itself in the middle of one of gaming's louder debates this fall.

Some of that criticism is deserved. Some of it is wildly exaggerated.

After spending my own time with Logan, I can confidently say that Wolverine is neither the masterpiece many of us expected nor the disaster certain corners of the internet would have you believe. It's a good game with some glaring limitations, and perhaps that's what makes it so frustrating.

There's an amazing Wolverine game buried somewhere in here. Unfortunately, even an adamantium skeleton and a healing factor aren't enough to bring it to the surface.

Where the Claws Are Sharpest

Before anyone assumes I'm jumping aboard the "Wolverine is everything wrong with modern gaming" bandwagon that's been making its rounds on the internet this fall, let me get something out of the way.

I played Wolverine. I beat Wolverine. And I enjoyed Wolverine.

I played it on my aging, often dusty PS5, and it was easily one of my most anticipated games of an already packed fall gaming season. Even after paying the full $69.99 MSRP, I can't really say I regret the purchase.

So, let's start with what Wolverine gets right.

At its core, Wolverine delivers much of the rage-fueled, slash-happy, brain-off-just-kill action I expected from a game starring everyone's favorite angry Canadian. I got to suit up in costumes representing numerous eras of Wolverine's Marvel history, dismember more humans and cyborgs than I could possibly count, and shink my claws out across the globe, from Canada to Japan.

And when Wolverine is doing what Wolverine does best, it's genuinely entertaining.

There's something undeniably satisfying about tearing through waves of enemies as an almost indestructible killing machine. The violence is appropriately brutal, the finishers are gloriously excessive, and watching Logan shrug off injuries that would instantly kill just about anyone else never really gets old.

Insomniac also deserves credit for making Wolverine feel like Wolverine. Logan is angry, stubborn, violent, and not particularly interested in anyone else's opinion. He's a character who has always operated somewhere between hero and antihero, and this game generally captures that personality well.

The cinematic presentation deserves some praise, too. The game delivers plenty of visually impressive moments and blockbuster action sequences that help sell the fantasy of being one of Marvel's most dangerous mutants.

Unfortunately, once the initial excitement of slicing your way through enemies begins to wear off, Wolverine starts revealing some fairly significant cracks beneath that adamantium exterior.

Where Things Fall Apart So Badly That Even a Healing Factor Can't Save Them

My biggest frustration with Wolverine isn't necessarily what the game does wrong. It's how much more the game could have done.

For starters, the experience is surprisingly restrictive. Wolverine spends most of his adventure moving through carefully controlled environments, transitioning between combat encounters, cutscenes, and scripted sequences with relatively little freedom to explore.

Now, I don't believe every game needs to be open world. Some of the greatest games ever made are tightly constructed, linear experiences. But Wolverine's almost entirely on-rails approach feels particularly disappointing when you remember this is the same developer responsible for the vast, wonderfully realized Spider-Man games.

Those games made simply existing as Spider-Man fun. Swinging around New York City, responding to random crimes, and discovering activities off the beaten path helped make the world feel alive. Wolverine rarely offers that same sense of freedom or spontaneity.

And that's a shame because Logan is arguably an even more interesting character to build a living world around.

The combat suffers from a similar lack of ambition. While the initial brutality is satisfying, the mechanics never develop into something particularly deep or varied. Most encounters can be handled with familiar combinations of basic attacks, dodges, and special abilities. The spectacle changes, but the underlying experience rarely does.

I was especially disappointed by the lack of weapon variety. When Wolverine's adventure took me to Japan, I fully expected an opportunity to unsheathe a katana or two. After all, Logan has a long history with Japanese culture and martial arts, and he's far more than just a guy with six sharp objects sticking out of his hands.

Instead, combat remains almost exclusively focused on his claws, with the occasional opportunity to throw an enemy's weapon back at them.

Sure, claws are Wolverine's signature weapons, but that doesn't mean they should be his only meaningful option.

The costume system is another missed opportunity. Wolverine features a respectable selection of suits inspired by different eras of the character, something longtime Marvel fans will certainly appreciate. Unfortunately, too many of the more interesting costumes become available so late in the adventure that there's little opportunity to enjoy them before the credits roll.

For a game I'm not particularly motivated to revisit, that's a disappointing design decision.

And that really summarizes my biggest problem with Wolverine. The game offers plenty of spectacle but relatively little substance beyond the main adventure. There's not enough freedom, experimentation, or variety to make me want to return once the story is finished.

Too Much Hate

Now that I've vented most of my frustrations, I think it's important to acknowledge something else: the internet has been unnecessarily hard on Wolverine.

One of the most common complaints is that the game practically plays itself. While there's certainly some merit to that criticism, particularly on the default difficulty, I found that playing on the second-highest difficulty setting provided a much more enjoyable balance.

Enemies required a little more attention, and combat felt more rewarding when I couldn't simply button-mash my way through every encounter.

That said, the criticism doesn't come from nowhere.

Wolverine is an extremely cinematic experience, sometimes to its own detriment. There are plenty of moments where it feels like the game is more interested in showing you something spectacular than letting you accomplish something spectacular yourself.

And yes, you can often "square, square, square, triangle" your way through much of the adventure. Even as your suit accumulates battle damage and Logan becomes increasingly covered in blood, the gameplay underneath doesn't evolve nearly as much as the presentation suggests.

These are legitimate criticisms, and they absolutely hold Wolverine back from greatness.

But does that make it a terrible game? Absolutely not.

There's still plenty of fun to be had here, particularly if you're already a fan of the character. The combat is visceral, the story provides enough motivation to keep moving forward, and the presentation frequently reminds you that Insomniac knows how to deliver a cinematic superhero experience.

The problem is that we've come to expect more from this developer.

Had Wolverine been released by a lesser-known studio without the tremendous expectations surrounding it, I suspect the conversation would be considerably different.

Instead, we're left with a game that's merely good when so many of us expected something amazing.

How to Save Wolverine from Himself

Without spoiling too much, Wolverine's story takes Logan around the world, saving mutants, fighting those who persecute them, and leaving a considerable number of bodies in his wake.

Along the way, he makes friends, loses friends, and generally reminds everyone why he's never been particularly suited to the traditional superhero lifestyle.

And in classic Wolverine fashion, no matter how many people enter his life, Logan always seems most comfortable when he's riding off into the sunset alone.

That brings me to what I believe is the biggest opportunity for an eventual Wolverine 2.

Take Wolverine off the rails and give him a world worth exploring.

I want to play as a metal-boned, motorcycle-riding loner cruising across the countryside, stumbling into trouble and helping disenfranchised mutants who can't protect themselves.

Imagine a Wolverine game where you could travel between small towns, investigate disappearances, uncover anti-mutant organizations, and choose how aggressively to deal with the people responsible.

Logan is one of Marvel's more interesting heroes because, unlike most of the X-Men, he can blend into the human world remarkably well when he wants to. Put away the yellow spandex, throw on a flannel shirt, hop on a motorcycle, and he's just another grumpy guy at the local bar.

Until he isn't.

I'd love to see a sequel explore that duality. Give me situations where keeping the claws hidden is actually the better choice. Allow conversations, investigations, stealth, and traditional weapons to play meaningful roles in the adventure.

And when I finally decide it's time to shink those claws out, make that decision matter.

Imagine if excessive violence had actual consequences. Maybe brutally dispatching enemies attracts unwanted attention, damages relationships, or changes how certain characters react to Logan. Wolverine has always struggled with controlling the animal inside him, and that internal conflict seems like an obvious foundation for deeper gameplay.

Most importantly, let Wolverine use more than just his claws. Swords, firearms, improvised weapons, and hand-to-hand combat could all make for a much richer experience while staying true to the character's extensive history.

I'm not asking Insomniac to turn Wolverine into another Spider-Man game with claws instead of webs. Quite the opposite. I want them to embrace everything that makes Logan different.

The freedom to explore, the choice to avoid a fight, and the consequences of embracing his violent nature could make for something truly special.

There's an amazing Wolverine sequel waiting to be made, and if Insomniac ever decides to make it, I'll be there on day one.

Final Verdict: Good, But Not the Best There Is at What He Does

As a longtime Wolverine fan, it's difficult not to recommend the only modern standalone game starring one of Marvel's most recognizable mutants.

There's plenty to enjoy here. The violence is satisfying, the character is well represented, and the cinematic action delivers some genuinely memorable moments. Wolverine is far from the disaster some online discussions would have you believe.

But it's also difficult to ignore just how much potential Insomniac left on the table.

The restrictive level design, shallow combat mechanics, and limited replayability make Wolverine feel like a game content to deliver the bare minimum of its considerable potential. That's particularly disappointing coming from a studio that has already demonstrated how spectacular a superhero game can be.

Ultimately, Wolverine is a good game trapped in the shadow of what could have been a great one.

If you're a die-hard Wolverine fan, there's certainly enough here to justify playing it. But for everyone else, I'd recommend waiting for a sale. At half the original $69.99 asking price, I think Wolverine becomes a considerably easier game to recommend, and with the holiday shopping season approaching, that opportunity might not be too far away.

Wolverine may be the best there is at what he does, but unfortunately, his latest video game can't quite make the same claim.