Marvel's Wolverine Brings Bloody, Linear Action Back to PS5

The Verge said the game differs sharply from Insomniac's Spider-Man, which placed the web-slinger in an open-world New York City. Wolverine is a more linear experience that feels like a combination of God of War and Uncharted. The story follows Logan as an often reluctant member of Team X, a mercenary group with pro-mutant aims and a more violent approach. Instead of Cyclops and Professor X, he is joined by Sabretooth, Mystique and Nathaniel Essex before eventually connecting with Jean Grey. The group travels the globe while investigating mutant disappearances connected to a billionaire arms dealer. TechRadar said the pre-X-Men tale introduces familiar characters without boring established fans or relying on exposition dumps, including a first meeting between Logan and Jean Grey at Team X headquarters.

Combat is the center of both the character and the game, according to The Verge. Wolverine can take heavy damage and deal it out through healing and sharp claws. Fights are fast and violent and force aggressive play. Logan can leap long distances, use claws to repel attacks and slice enemies, often ending battles covered in blood. His rage level rises during combat and enables two key actions: going berserk to kill multiple enemies with one blow, and using healing as a kind of extra life if his health runs out. The Verge said this system prevents players from hanging back. It also praised set pieces that echo action movies, including climbing a plane fuselage as it heads toward land, racing a motorcycle through rain-slicked streets, chases across Tokyo rooftops, boss battles against comic book villains and scenes where Wolverine is torn apart while fighting to survive. The Verge said it beat the game in about 13 hours.

TechRadar reviewed the game on PS5 Pro. It said the visuals, rain, smoke, flames, lightning and facial detail match the production values of recent first-party PlayStation games. It highlighted Liam McIntyre as Logan and Troy Baker as Nathaniel Essex. TechRadar's verdict called the combat varied, visceral and gore-soaked, and said carving through the campaign was satisfying. But it said the fighting mechanics, character progression and combat lack meaningful depth. It also described the campaign as lengthy and criticized the game as linear and scripted to a fault, with few engaging optional activities.

Outside combat and set pieces, The Verge said Wolverine becomes a generic AAA game. It said the story ends in a largely forgettable place with few surprises for anyone familiar with the X-Men, and that voice acting, cutscenes and some missions feel standard. TechRadar offered a different view, calling the narrative engaging and emotional, with nuanced characters, and said it works for Marvel enthusiasts and complete newcomers. The Verge also criticized collectibles and exploration, saying collectibles reveal story bits or unlock suits but are not worth tracking down unless players want completion, and that Wolverine's outfits are less fun than Spider-Man's and often clash with the game's grittier tone. TechRadar said non-combat activities include investigating, foot and motorcycle chases and platforming, but none are optional; the motorcycle chases are practically on rails, though slashing a pursuing vehicle's tires never gets old.

The Verge wrote that Wolverine's return to a simpler, smaller style of action is a refreshing change in a market saturated with live-service and open-world games, and that it stands out for Sony after several ill-fated bets in the live-service space. TechRadar said the game is an exceedingly pretty, single-player, story-driven epic with high production values, but it suffers from a lack of depth and limited exploration.