What is Marvel’s Wolverine?
Marvel’s Wolverine is Insomniac Games’ attempt to answer a simple question: what happens when you take the studio’s knack for superhero movement and strip the movement out entirely? It’s a PlayStation 5 single-player action game that shares a universe with the Marvel’s Spider-Man titles but stands completely on its own — you can start here knowing nothing about Peter Parker. What you get instead of web-swinging is Logan, a centuries-old mutant with an adamantium-laced skeleton and claws that slide out of his knuckles, fighting at arm’s length in the middle of a crowd.
Getting started
This is a hack-and-slash / beat ‘em up at heart, so the first thing to internalise is that you are almost always outnumbered. A fight isn’t one enemy — it’s four, six, ten, with more walking in. Your job is crowd control: keep moving, keep enemies in front of you, and never let yourself get surrounded.
Play the opening chapters attentively rather than racing through them. That’s where the game teaches its own vocabulary — which attacks you can block, which you have to dodge, and how much punishment Logan can actually absorb. Because the healing factor is baked into the fiction, combat generally rewards forward pressure over cautious retreat, but that’s a tendency, not a licence to mash buttons.
Start on a difficulty that lets you learn. You can always raise it later, and the story isn’t gated behind it.
Tips for beginners
- Read the enemy, not the health bar. Most beat ‘em ups telegraph attacks with a wind-up. Watch shoulders and feet.
- Learn the difference between a block and a dodge. Unblockable attacks usually carry a distinct tell — eating one because you held the wrong button is the most common beginner death.
- Treat the healing factor as a resource. Backing off for a few seconds to let Logan recover is a legitimate tactic, not cowardice. Use it to reset a fight that’s going badly.
- Use enhanced senses constantly. They’re not just a story device — tracking objectives and scouting a room before you commit saves a lot of restarts.
- Kill the annoying enemies first. Anyone attacking from range or interrupting your combos should die before the big bruiser in the middle.
- Expect armour. Trask’s Reavers are cybernetically enhanced, so some enemies will shrug off fast light hits. Look for heavy options or use the environment against them.
- Spend upgrades on the basics. Survivability and core combat moves pay off across the whole game; niche unlocks can wait.
Is it worth playing?
If you want a tight, brutal, story-driven character action game — closer to a brawler than an open-world playground — Marvel’s Wolverine is a straightforward yes, especially if you already like the X-Men side of Marvel. Insomniac has a strong record with licensed superheroes, and Logan’s close-quarters, claw-first fantasy suits a focused single-player campaign far better than it would a sprawling one.
Where it’s less of a sure thing: if what you loved about Marvel’s Spider-Man was the traversal, the collectibles and the sheer size of the map, this is a deliberately narrower and more linear experience. It’s also a violent game — this is not a family-friendly superhero romp.