It’s almost time to dive into an adventure that puts you in control of the X-Men’s favorite wildcard and a dangerously feral opponent in close quarters. Marvel’s Wolverine was an absolute blast to play, and we’ve had nothing but a great time with Insomniac’s take on a superhero who’s as timeless in the real world as his powers make him in the stories he leads.
However, we made mistakes, learned from them, and are here to tell you about a few things you should keep in mind before you start out as Logan in this one. Let’s get right to it!
1. Explore Off The Main Path As Much As You Can
This is probably second nature to a lot of you, but it does deserve mentioning that Wolverine’s linear structure and its signposting of where the story wants you to go might make you forget all about looking around for useful stuff. Crafting materials for your suit are usually hidden around in places that you can see as soon as you decide to explore the area you’re in, with helpful indicators pointing you to them quite easily.
But there are also ones that are hidden quite well, and will need you to go the extra mile to sniff them out even with senses as finely tuned as Logan’s.
2. Get The Nightmare Doors Out Of The Way
It’s a good idea to finish every Nightmare Door you find as soon as you can. The challenges they present you with are sure to get you better attuned to the game’s unique rhythm, while the nuggets of lore each one gives you are well worth chasing down. They come with ranks, and there’s a little surprise waiting for those of you who manage to get them all.
They’re also great places to get familiar with any new moves you’ve unlocked so far, letting you cut loose in fairly challenging fights so you can take on the story at your best.
3. Challenge Exclusive Suits
If you’re particular about Logan looking his best as he’s tearing enemies apart, or perhaps are a collector who simply can’t leave something unlocked, you’ve got another reason to go after those nightmare Doors, and some of the suits you can get are tied to specific challenges within the sort of mind palace they transport you to.
Yes, they’re just cosmetic, but given how this is a game that looks so darn good, each of those suits becomes a reward in and of itself.
4. Adaptations And Using Them Well
Adaptations are earned through combat, while Nightmare Doors are also a great source, and you want those to ensure that you’re tailoring things to suit your playstyle and make the most of Logan’s devastating abilities.
They unlock perks like extended parry windows, better health regen, and so many others and it can be tempting to just think about unlocking them all without a method to the madness. However, you’re going to find that picking the ones that actually shape how you’re approaching the game’s combat can soon make you a force that feels almost primal in a way that even the most formidable foes feel like you’re just deleting them off the page of a comic book.
5. Great Opening Technique Unlocks
You’re obviously free to spend your hard-earned Technique Points as you will, but we’d recommend either Tornado Spin or Leap as great early investments. While the former is a great crowd control option and a way to earn yourself some breathing room, the latter is a great rush move that can let you cover a large distance while looking very vicious and extremely cool in the process.
Yes, Logan can leap through the air to a foe, but this charge move can throw multiple foes off balance and let you create opportunities to really cause some mayhem in a crowded battle.
6. Enable Locking On
All you Souls players out there are probably going to skip this one since you’re doing it out of habit anyway, but it’s a good idea to dive into your settings and enable locking on to enemies in a fight. It might seem counterintuitive to have Logan focus his attacks on only one enemy at a time, but the real magic comes when you can toggle it on and off mid-combo to take advantage of whatever move of Logan’s you’re unleashing.
We recommend toying around with the various camera options the setting offers to find what works best for you. Our personal pick was to have it focus on enemies that were on-screen, but we can definitely see the utility in the other options on offer too.
7. Modify Individual Difficulty
Insomniac has made no secret of the ambitious, cinematic presentation that Logan’s adventure comes with. But Marvel’s Wolverine is a video game, after all, and that means different players are going to want very different levels of challenge from it.
Fortunately, the game gives you a surprising amount of control over that experience through its individual difficulty settings. Enemy health, enemy damage, and enemy stealth awareness can all be customized separately, letting you fine-tune the challenge instead of being locked into a single preset. So if you want enemies to hit harder without turning them into damage sponges, or make stealth more demanding while keeping combat relatively forgiving, you can do exactly that. It’s a small touch, but one that gives players considerably more control over how they experience Logan’s adventure.
8. Increase The Parry Window Timing
If you are finding the parry window timing a little too challenging for your taste during the early sections, you could head on over to the game’s settings and increase it.
However, we recommend sticking to the default setting as parrying isn’t as challenging as other titles, and accurate parries soon become second nature.
9. Tone Down The Violence
If you’re squeamish at the sight of blood, know that it flows like a waterfall in this one. However, if you still want to enjoy the game, or perhaps play with younger members of your household around, you can tone down the violence in the game’s settings, with Insomniac including a lot of options to tweak things to your liking.
Of course, this isn’t something we recommend. This is a Wolverine story after all, and the violence is part of the spectacle.
10. Added Benefit To Unlocking Suits
We were thrilled to find that every suit you unlock in the game nets you an increase to Logan’s overall health, which makes chasing them all down come with rewards that are more than just cosmetic.
You’re going to appreciate having that added health against some of the game’s bosses, so chasing down new suits even if you don’t plan on wearing them should be on your to-do list when you’re not slicing and dicing anyone stupid enough to stand in your way.
11. Be Logan!
You already know how Wolverine operates. You’ve seen him leap headfirst into danger countless times before. So don’t hold back when the game throws you into a fight, and just get to slashing away at your foes from the get-go!
This is a combat system designed for an aggressive approach, although you’re going to want to weave in some intelligent use of Logan’s entire repertoire of offensive and defensive moves to truly shine at living up to his legend. Hesitating is definitely not the way to go, as your offense fuels your rage meter.
12. Always Stay Ready To Parry
As with any aggression-focused combat system, weaving in parries to keep your enemies’ attacks away from interrupting your momentum becomes an important part of your success or failure. If you’re coming to this one from Spider-Man 2, remember that Logan doesn’t have an option like the web-sling to get him out of danger.
Instead, you’re going to have to turn your enemy’s own strength against them long enough to let Logan unleash his own considerable fury and parries on your then hapless opponents.
13. Use Your Feet As Well As Your Claws
He may not have claws at the end of his feet like X23 does, but Logan does pack a mean kick that’s a very useful tool in a fight. It’s powerful enough to shatter enemy guards, knock them off ledges like you’re in ancient Sparta, or send them crashing directly into walls for a deadly follow-up (more on that shortly).
Being smart about who you’re kicking is going to ensure that your claws meet the least possible resistance as they tear through enemy defences and nab you the kill you’re looking for.
14. Use Barrage Executions Wisely
Saving your kicks for a particularly troublesome opponent if there’s a wall nearby is a great idea, as you can then pin them there to unleash a barrage Execution, which does exactly what it says on the label. It’s an almost guaranteed insta-kill on most normal and mid-tier enemies, and is a great way to thin out the numbers if your enemies try to take that particular advantage.
It can be tempting to unleash this deadly combination at random, but choosing your targets should be a part of your approach, just as Logan would do in a fight.
15. Use The Environment
Speaking of Logan latching on to every advantage he can get, it can be easy to forget that your environment is as potent a weapon as the man himself. Nearby forklifts, electrical panels, or sharp objects are all ways to turn the tide in a tough fight, or press the advantage if you’ve got places to be.
Our favorite is sinking our claws into fire containers and using them against enemies who probably weren’t expecting to see one hurtling towards them at an inhuman speed. That’s what we’re telling ourselves, at least.
And that’s about it with this one. You should find yourself sailing through most of the game’s combat and exploration with these tips, while the bosses are going to make you appreciate every move you’ve been given in an adventure that really brings out the best and worst in our old friend Logan. We can’t wait for you to experience the adventure for yourselves before we start talking more about it!
