I’ve been waiting for a while to write this one, and I kind of knew it was coming. Marvel’s Wolverine has finally given us a glimpse of what it’s going to be like to step into Logan’s shoes, and the showcase we got at the recent State of Play has me convinced that we’ve got a banger on our hands. Let’s put aside the reveal of Jean Grey and Sabertooth for a minute, and the way the combat system feels like a comic book in motion.
It’s the game’s story, and the way its gameplay loop has directly addressed my concerns, that have me quite enthusiastic to dive into this one. Well, a lot more enthusiastic than I was before I witnessed the showcase’s magic unfold. But what’s made that the case? How have these two factors taken precedence over a couple of reveals that had me grinning from ear to ear? I’m more than happy to answer those questions. Scratch that. I’m delighted. Let’s go.
Getting Logan Right
It’s probably a good idea to start with what had me worried before I get into how those concerns have been addressed. I remember thinking about how Insomniac was going to incorporate the brutality that comes with any story involving good old Logan into its gameplay loop. The studio certainly couldn’t make things the way it did in the Spiderman titles for certain. Peter Parker and Miles Morales might have superhuman strength, but their moral compasses were way too black and white to accommodate the grey areas that Logan’s usually prowling.
There are a couple of reasons for why that became a point of debate for me. The first one was Logan’s healing factor, and the fact that enemies throwing punches at an immortal skeleton wasn’t going to end too well for them. That would leave us playing a character who was virtually invincible.
Secondly, there’s also the fact that Logan’s claws were going to tear through fools who were made of flesh and blood but were still either brave or dumb enough to stand in his way. How could a game’s combat system click if its rank-and-file enemies were nothing more than cannon (or claw, in this case) fodder? No amount of fancy animations could have saved this one from a level of wrath that even Logan would be proud of from its players if that was the case.
Third, I was hoping against hope that this story wasn’t going to bring in Logan’s amnesia. That’s a character beat that’s been whipped out far too often at this point, and I would rather have a version of Logan that was self-assured and already in possession of the full spectrum of his memories. I wanted a take on Wolverine that factored in the pain and loss of a virtually immortal being instead of the confusion and feral rage of a man without his memories.
Well, the story and combat have addressed all three of these in ways that have me very impressed. I was expecting a sort of compromise between Wolverine’s powers, and thought only of The Sentinels when I thought of beings capable of taking on the grizzled warrior. But things have changed, and definitely for the better.
The Right Narrative Framing
It’s time to get to the meat of things, and the story is a good place to start. Things are looking bleak for mutantkind in this world, and the situation that Logan is a part of in the showcase is quite grim. Helpless mutants being rounded up by operatives in the employ of Bolivar Trask definitely raised the stakes right off the bat for Logan.
But it’s who those operatives are that has me as excited for Wolverine as I am. They’re the Reavers, an anti-mutant group that’s had a long history with the X-Men in the comics, and are probably the best equipped group to try and put a stop to Logan’s rampages in the game. I’m almost certain we’re going to meet Donal Pierce at some point, and the fact that Trask is a part of the whole thing is a great way of explaining why mutants are being rounded up without having to say a word.
That takes care of the potential pitfall of enemies falling too easy to Logan’s attacks. The Reavers are capable of putting up a good fight, and we even see Logan take quite a beating from one of the larger ones in the group, which forces him to unleash his rage and accelerate his healing factor (more on that in a bit). They’re well-trained and well-equipped, and I can’t wait to take them on when the game drops, if only to uncover more of their plans and perhaps fight a few of their high-ranking members.
There’s also the Jean Grey reveal, and the seemingly solid working relationship she shares with Logan in the game. They look like they’ve been trying to uncover the truth behind mutant kidnappings, while Insomniac has revealed that they are part of Team X, a task force of sorts that is now all that stands between the mutants and those who would seek to harm them. It’s in how Logan interacts with her that has captured my interest, though.
They seem quite comfortable with each other, which not only helps ease my concerns about a narrative where Logan doesn’t know who he is, while also setting up the scope for some very visceral combat moves. Jean isn’t holding back in this one, and I’m wondering whether the Phoenix is going to come into play at some point. That certainly would be a challenge for Logan’s healing factor, and it could make for an incredible set-piece too.
Of course, there’s apparently no shortage of set-pieces in this one, which brings me to the game’s combat system.
Visceral and Satisfying
It’s rare to see a combat system that’s satisfying just to watch, but here we are. Like Jean, Logan’s cutting loose in this one and it’s a facet of the experience that I’m absolutely delighted by. The Reavers can bear the brunt of his attacks just enough to dish out some damage of their own, and that balances out the dilemma of Logan being nigh on unstoppable in this one.
But of course, he heals, and does so at a pace that any normal foe would be hard-pressed to keep up with. But it’s looking like his healing factor is directly tied to his rage, in a system that looks like a solid balance between accelerated healing and some truly stunning takedowns, both of which look quite reliant on keeping Logan’s temper at optimal levels in order to make the most of the Berserker in him.
But he’s also more than able to take a quiet approach, which adds another layer of tactical thinking to the gameplay loop. It looks quite similar to what was on offer in Spiderman although Insomniac may have a few surprises up its sleeve on that front in the run-up to the game’s release. But the real star of the show for me was the ability to coordinate attacks with your fellow companions.
Jean and Logan brought some moves that reflect extensive time spent in the field fighting off bad guys, an indicator of their time as part of Team X, and hopefully as members of the X-Men if the story has the space for that kind of thing. It’s a perfect extension of my joy at finding out that Logan has his memories. An unfortunate offshoot of that particular problem was that he was unwilling to place his trust in others, and often operated as a lone wolf whose people skills were dismal, to put it kindly.
However, he seems gruffly okay with whatever arrangement he has with his comrades in this one, and it’s a take on the character that could showcase his value as a loose cannon capable of unleashing controlled chaos on the battlefield. Insomniac seems to have its finger on the pulse of what has made Wolverine tick as a character over the years, and is using that knowledge to give us a version of him that seems fresh yet comfortingly familiar.
It’s a kind of balance that looks like it could bring Logan straight from the pages of our favorite comics to a game that blends the best of them with an original story that seems tailor-made to make fans of the character very happy indeed. And it’s Marvel Wolverine’s biggest strength at this point.
It’s why I’m very optimistic about this one’s chances, and the reason I’m going to pre-order it as soon as I possibly can. I expect to be talking about this one a lot once September comes along, but for now, all I can do is wait as patiently as I can for a title that I’ve been looking forward to for years. I’ve now lost my reservations about it in the last couple of hours, and you can be sure I’ll be joining you for the adventure later this year.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.