Marvel's Wolverine Review: Don't Believe the Internet, This Game Is Fun

If you spent any time on social media around launch, you'd think Marvel's Wolverine was a disaster. "The game plays itself." "Follow the yellow paint, follow the scent trail." "Insomniac made it for people with no brain." There were clips everywhere of a motorcycle chase you supposedly couldn't fail and a guard who just wouldn't die no matter how many times Logan hit him.

So we did what we always do. We had somebody we trust play the whole thing. That somebody was Ryan, who broke his ankle ice skating, put his foot up on the couch, and went, "Well, this is the perfect time."

So, was the internet right?

Short answer: no.

Ryan has learned over the years to tune out the influencers, the streamers and the review sites, and he went in hoping for the gritty, hardcore take on a Marvel hero. He loved Insomniac's Spider-Man games and wanted the "Deadpool to the campy Marvel movies" version of that. That's exactly what he got.

A lot of the viral clips didn't hold up, either. The motorcycle scene where you "can't die" was on the easiest difficulty, the one where you literally tell the game you want it to be easy. And the guard who wouldn't go down? That was Mystique in disguise, and she's your ally. Manufactured rage gets clicks. It doesn't make it true.

The combat

If you liked the combat in Insomniac's Spider-Man games, you'll feel right at home. You level up, unlock new techniques, and run four abilities at a time. Ryan played on the second-highest difficulty. He found everyday fights pretty easy, but the bosses are where the game gets real: you have to learn patterns and time your parries, and the final boss was a marathon of a fight that kept changing on him.

Did it get stale? Ryan says no. The game keeps throwing new enemy types at you, from Reavers to Sentinels, in new settings, and a rage meter lets you unleash some truly brutal finishers. This is a gory game. Logan rips through enemies and gets drenched in blood, and then, in the next cut scene, his clothes are spotless again. The man has a great dry cleaner.

What Ryan loved most is how hard the game leans into Logan as an animal. The scent tracking people mocked is barely in the game, and it fits the character: Logan is a ferocious beast who's always trying to rein himself in. You can see it in the little details, like his nose twitching and his mouth moving, as if something is always fighting to get out.

Story and length

It's a more linear game than Spider-Man, with no web-swinging through a big open city, and that's okay. Not every game needs to be open world. Ryan rolled credits in about 15 to 18 hours. With the Nightmare challenges, time trials and side content, you could stretch it to 20 to 25, and there's New Game Plus if you're chasing the platinum.

The story didn't quite hit Spider-Man's highs for Ryan, but he called it "really stellar" and touching. You grow attached to the characters, you grow to hate a few others, and it sets up future Wolverine games nicely.

Is it worth $70?

This is where we always land: at $70, a game has to be premium. Ryan had a blast, and he'd still say $55 to $60 would have been an easier sell for a 15-to-25-hour linear action game. If you love Wolverine or Insomniac's style, buy it. If you're on the fence, grab it on sale around $50, because it's more than worth that.

The VGP take

Marvel's Wolverine isn't trying to be a narrative masterpiece. It's a loud, bloody, ridiculous action movie you get to play, and Ryan was grinning the whole way through. Don't let the internet decide for you. Over in our Discord, the people actually playing it keep saying the same thing: it's just fun.