Marvel’s Wolverine was 3 changes away from getting its formula bang on
I recently completed Marvel’s Wolverine and, surprisingly, it’s a game that I cannot stop thinking about. That’s not because Insomniac Games’ latest effort was particularly profound; I suppose I find myself annoyed that the beloved studio was so close to getting this game right, despite what the internet would have you believe. By the time the post-credits scene took place, I was left itching for a sequel - and it’s one that’s likely never to arrive.
Marvel’s Wolverine is a flawed game, it’s true. Its prologue is enjoyable enough before you’re launched into what becomes a slog of a first act, before things pick up again in act two and really kick into gear in the third and final act. With all of that in mind, it’s not hard to see why so many are put off by Marvel’s Wolverine’s opening six hours or so.
As I said, the first act - the prologue aside - is tiresome. I perhaps only played in one hour increments, growing bored as I repeatedly tore through corridors of repetitive enemies, the cycle only interrupted by slightly dull cutscenes and ‘walk and talk’ scenes. There’s little fun to be had in the Canada and Madripoor sections of the game.
But by Japan, that formula grew a little more palatable and by the third act, I was playing for four to five hours at a time, barely able to put Marvel’s Wolverine down. That’s not to say that this title ever offers a glimpse of anything close to a perfect game. At its strongest moments, Marvel’s Wolverine felt like a very respectable eight out of 10, but in other segments, it felt closer to a six or seven.
Advert
It’s frustrating then, as a player, to finish up an experience that really only begins to find its identity when it's too late. There’s plenty to love about this project, including the performances, graphics, boss fights, and storytelling - eventually, anyway. However, Marvel’s Wolverine will probably be seen by PlayStation and Insomniac as an expensive disaster.
I’m still holding out hope for a sequel, though - and the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that three simple changes really could have saved Marvel’s Wolverine from a lot of trouble.
Marvel’s Wolverine needed to trust its players with way less handholding
It won’t come as a surprise to anyone when I say that Marvel’s Wolverine featured far too much handholding. You’ll have seen the clips online of the so-called fart trails, infallible quick-time events, and car chases that automatically steer you to completion. Why Insomniac didn’t trust its players to, well, play the game, I’m not quite sure I’ll ever understand.
If there’s a chase, I should be faced with the risk of crashing and failing. If there’s a quick-time event, failing it should similarly result in a “mission failed” screen. And while I understand that Logan boasts heightened senses, it’s not hard to reduce those so players aren’t immediately led directly to an item. These issues permeate the entire game, but they most definitely felt the most offensively obvious to me in that first act. When people feel like the game is playing itself, how can they be expected to invest and engage?
It’s surprising, really, because it’s not exactly typical Insomniac Games behaviour. I’ll also throw in that I found Marvel’s Wolverine’s boss fights to be pretty tricky and demanding - which is a positive, to be clear. That just added to the confusion, though, of why other areas of the game were so egregiously toned down in terms of what they demanded from the player.
I wonder whether it all links back to the canon of who Logan is. Throughout the game, we see him end up in some pretty gnarly situations, getting torn to pieces, burnt alive, and more. He’s hardly going to “die” from the player crashing their motorcycle one too many times, and perhaps that’s what Insomniac Games was trying to avoid. It’s the only logical reason I can come up with. But even with that in mind, I’d still rather be hit with a “mission failed” screen. Don’t overthink the lore if it’s going to lead to dire gameplay.
Combat isn’t as limited as many bemoan, but takes most of the game to reach its peak
I don’t mind that Logan only boasts one “weapon”, if you will, with that being his claws. The Blood of Dawnwalker is one of my favourite games of the year and that too, really, only featured one weapon. Whether you made use of Coen’s sword or vampiric talons, the directional combat system functioned the same. It did come under fire by some critics for being too simple, but Marvel’s Wolverine’s combat seemed to face harsher criticisms despite not particularly being any more limited.
Logan boasts a decent enough number of special attacks, and I like that there are the options to approach many encounters via stealth, if you prefer. The parrying, dodging, and staggering systems are all well utilised as the enemy pool diversifies and demands these actions of the player, and the various rage uses worked nicely too. Add in the adaptations which you can use to create a build - which you can edit at any moment - and Marvel’s Wolverine’s combat system is actually, in my opinion, pretty fun.
I suppose my gripe is that it takes a while to get to that point. As I said, the deeper you get into the game, the more you’re forced to diversify your attacks. And, of course, you do need to unlock special attacks and adaptations, and that takes time. I’m not saying the full extent of Logan’s abilities should be offered from the get-go, but I do think Marvel’s Wolverine would have benefitted from adding more sooner. If the number of special attacks, for example, had been expanded from six to nine, more could’ve been unlocked in the game’s early stages.
Personally, I’d have liked to have seen an expansion of the ‘companion’ combat elements too. If you’re fighting alongside Jean, she might hoist an enemy into the air, allowing you to take them down with a finisher. She can also stun enemies for a while, allowing you to stealthily take them down. Marvel’s Wolverine was a tad too sparing on these aspects though. I don’t believe the player ever really needed to take control of Jean; that might over complicate things.
I wish you could call for her assistance on a specific enemy, though, perhaps, rather than simply waiting for her to offer you a finisher. There are levels where she can suddenly zap everyone out of your way at the press of R1, but a few more techniques from her that you could reliably call upon and I reckon it would’ve gone a long way to making the combat feel more full bodied.
READ MORE: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 drops unexpected update following Wolverine disappointment
Marvel’s Wolverine’s collectibles needed to hold more significance
Marvel’s Wolverine perhaps feels too linear because it doesn’t really offer you anything else to do in a space except proceed. The Last of Us titles are my favourites, and Naughty Dog is world class at providing the player with a sense of autonomy within what is essentially a linear space. Spaces are designed so that you feel you have a choice in how to move through them; Marvel’s Wolverine attempts that occasionally, but the inevitable barriers still feel visible and immersion-breaking.
Naughty Dog also ensures that The Last of Us players cannot cruise through a space. You have to scavenge. If you ignore a level’s lootable supplies, you’re cooked - left without any ammo, explosives, healing items … you name it. Marvel’s Wolverine doesn’t have that.
Whisky bottles are predominantly collectibles, although Insomniac tacked on that they also earn adaptation points. Material crates provide you with materials to craft suits, and the more suits you craft, the more your health increases. I’m going to say something potentially controversial, but I don’t particularly care for suits or collectibles in games. I’ll pick up those I come across, but I don’t hunt for them.
Clearly, Insominac had somewhat accounted for people like me, adding on those adaptation or health boosts to try and encourage the pursuit of collectibles. I still feel, though, that Marvel’s Wolverine suffers from basically having only two lootable items that players could happily ignore. You could not find a single whiskey bottle or material crate and probably still reach the credits just fine, and that makes linear spaces feel linear and barren.
I’ll admit, I’m not an X-Men or Wolverine comic book expert. I don’t know what kind of items Logan could canonically find that would prove to be more crucial. He doesn’t strike me as someone who makes use of gizmos and gadgets, but I still feel like something of that ilk probably would have made for a slightly better game.
Marvel’s Wolverine was far closer to getting it right than it may first seem when you take a look at the reception to the game, from players and critics alike. Perhaps when the dust has settled, it’ll have a small renaissance and Insomniac might feel brave enough to have another stab at the formula in a sequel. As much as I’d like that, I’m not holding my breath.
Topics: Marvel, Insomniac Games, PlayStation, PlayStation 5, Opinion, Features
