Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Reviewed On: PS5 (Pro)
Available On: PS5
Release Date: September 15, 2026
Review Copy Provided By: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Who would have thought we’d ever get a new Wolverine game? What’s even more exciting is that it’s developed by Insomniac Games, the team behind Marvel’s Spider-Man, its sequel, and the Miles Morales spin-off. The studio has had a lot of success with the franchise, and its unique take on our friendly neighborhood web-crawler has shown that it can bring fresh ideas to these characters and their stories.
Insomniac’s take on one of the most beloved X-Men characters is something I genuinely enjoyed. The story’s twists and revelations kept me hooked throughout the game and left me wanting more even after the credits rolled.
Marvel’s Wolverine could very well be the start of a much grander universe that Insomniac is building with its Marvel characters — its own MGU, per se: the Marvel Gaming Universe.
Let’s get one thing out of the way — the X-Men do not exist in this world, not yet at least. If you’re expecting Professor X to save the day, he doesn’t exist either, or most probably hasn’t been introduced yet. Logan is at the center of the entire story, with his painful past slowly unraveling alongside his relationship with Team X and its leader, Nathaniel Essex. These were what kept me hooked throughout my entire playthrough.
At first, the prologue felt like the same old Logan-with-no-memories story that we’ve already seen in Hollywood’s take on the character. When Logan meets Essex in the first few minutes of the game, it certainly seems like we’re getting a similar beginning — a mutant with no memory of who he is. It initially felt like an idea that had already been reused and abused, but that changed for me in the second act as Logan’s past began to surface.
Marvel fans will obviously recognize Nathaniel Essex as Mister Sinister, so I already had my own expectations and suspicions about him going into the story. What surprised me was how well the game managed to push those expectations aside. I found myself believing in his cause, his care for mutants, and the composed way he carries himself, almost like Professor X. Despite everything I already knew about the character from Marvel, I genuinely found myself rooting for him. That alone says a lot about how convincing Insomniac’s characterization of Essex is without me having to reveal where his story ultimately goes.
More importantly, it made me care about Logan and his journey even more. Liam McIntyre and Troy Baker’s performances throughout the adventure made those moments even more convincing, proving that great writing also needs great actors to bring it to life.
I didn’t even notice how much time had passed whenever I was playing because I was so engrossed in the story. And I wouldn’t simply call it “well-written,” because that doesn’t really express what worked for me. Insomniac took a version of Logan’s past that initially felt all too familiar and gradually turned it into something I became genuinely invested in. It made me care about characters I already had reasons to distrust and kept me wanting to uncover what really happened to Logan. By the time those answers finally came, I wasn’t just following Wolverine’s story anymore — I was emotionally invested in where it was going.
Combat is expectedly basic, but also brutal and quite fun. Even if you’re simply alternating between Square and Triangle, the finishers are gruesomely satisfying. Wolverine lunges at an enemy, slashing them with his claws before impaling them right in the head. It’s a bit graphic, I know, but that’s one way to say Insomniac didn’t hold back.
There are two ways to make Wolverine deadlier than ever: Techniques and Adaptations. Unlocking Techniques expands Wolverine’s combos and adds special attacks. While Wolverine may not have the same abundance of tech that Spider-Man has, these Techniques can prove very useful in certain situations. One of them is the Healing Strike, which lets Wolverine regain health by tapping the Triangle button when an enemy is staggered. One of my favorites is Sprinting Block, which lets Wolverine block incoming bullets with his claws while sprinting and closing the gap. I also get to cleave surrounding enemies with Tornado Spin, which is quite useful in situations where you’re outnumbered by adversaries.
Adaptations are basically what I’d describe as game modifiers that positively affect Logan’s abilities. The game balances the distribution of Strand points very well by limiting the number of modifiers you can equip without making Logan unnecessarily powerful. These modifiers include increasing the parry window or providing a sudden boost to health regeneration when Logan’s HP drops below 35% until it reaches 50%. You can update your Strands at any time and choose whatever you believe would be advantageous for the situation you’re in.
Enemies vary depending on the location you’re in. Madripoor is filled with Trask’s goons, the Reavers, and eventually Sentinel bots, while Japan has the Hand ninjas. Each group offers a wide variety of enemy types that keep you on your toes while making every encounter engaging. The Hand, for example, pits you against ninjas who can stab Logan with a sword, limiting his ability to heal. Sentinels are tougher to take down, while Reavers can outnumber you with their goons and brutes. They’re a force to be reckoned with.
Building up Logan’s Rage Meter relies on killing enemies. As the meter fills, his attacks deal more damage and help prevent Logan from passing out. What I’ve noticed, though, is that even as the Rage Meter fills, it doesn’t really feel like Logan is dealing more damage to enemies. The increase seems to be minuscule and doesn’t give you much of an edge over them. That completely changes once you reach the maximum tier of the Rage Meter, though, as Logan becomes more aggressive and can easily land Critical Strikes to brutally finish off adversaries.
Boss fights can make or break a game. After what was shown during the early hands-on impressions from other media outlets and influencers, I couldn’t blame anyone for thinking that the Sentinel boss fight was poorly designed. Because it was. I played that section, and I’d say the same thing. But it’s also too early to criticize the entire game’s boss fights based on that encounter alone. There are notable boss encounters in Marvel’s Wolverine that I’d love to get into in more detail, but all I’ll say is that I enjoyed fighting Deathstrike, Omega Red, and especially Sabretooth.
Logan explores the world in a limited, linear fashion. It’s a huge contrast between the Spider-Man games and Wolverine. The former focuses on an open-world version of New York City, while the latter gives you glimpses of the different places Logan visits. I’m honestly relieved and glad Insomniac decided to make Wolverine a linear game, with a core focus on the story beats and its protagonist without giving you too much of the world to think about. Plus, it doesn’t feel right for a character like Logan to go full berserk in an open-world city where he basically kills every single enemy with his claws.
Logan gets dropped into Telambang, explores the Team X HQ and his cabin in the Canadian mountains, and walks the streets of small areas in Tokyo and Madripoor. Exploration can still feel rewarding, as you’ll find whiskey bottles that give you additional AP for your DNA strands, hidden caches with materials to unlock costumes, Nightmare Trials, and field recording devices that provide extra lore and Easter eggs here and there.
Nightmare Trials are fun challenges that reward you with AP to further expand your Logan build. Considering what else awaits you for completing them, I highly recommend taking the time to finish them all.
Marvel’s Wolverine is a showcase of what Insomniac has achieved through years of hard work. The game looks absolutely remarkable — from the character models and the beautiful, snowy outskirts of the Canadian mountains to the streets of Tokyo.
What’s even more impressive is how well the game performs on the PS5 Pro. I didn’t experience a single performance issue throughout my playthrough. However, I did notice some glitches, such as Raven being entirely invisible in one of the chapters and enemies clipping into walls during finisher animations. These glitches didn’t affect my overall experience, but they were noticeable enough to be mentioned.
Marvel’s Wolverine is a breath of fresh air from the slew of open-world games Sony has released over the past few years. While it’s not as ambitious in scale as the Spider-Man games, its linear direction puts the spotlight on Logan and his story. Its brutal combat kept me entertained throughout my 17-hour playthrough, including one stretch where I played for 12 hours straight. Insomniac delivered the Wolverine game I’ve been waiting for — brutal, bloody, emotional, and unapologetically Logan. By the time the credits rolled, I was already left wanting more.
Marvel's Wolverine (PS5)
Marvel’s Wolverine is a breath of fresh air from the slew of open-world games Sony has released over the past few years. While it’s not as ambitious in scale as the Spider-Man games, its linear direction puts the spotlight on Logan and his story. Its brutal combat kept me entertained throughout my 17-hour playthrough, including one stretch where I played for 12 hours straight. Insomniac delivered the Wolverine game I’ve been waiting for -- brutal, bloody, emotional, and unapologetically Logan. By the time the credits rolled, I was already left wanting more.
The Good
- Awesome Narrative Twists
- Combat Is Simple But Amazingly Fun
- The Linear Direction Is A Breath of Fresh Air
- Visually Stunning
- Wolverine Meme Is In The Game!
The Bad
- Minor Glitches
