Marvel not only has an expanding stable of films and TV shows, but it also has a number of games that have helped to solidify the brand across numerous platforms and media types. In the past, Marvel games have been a bit of a mixed bag, with some movie tie-in titles failing to live up to their comic book inspirations while others have been amazingly adapted and lovingly updated. Insomniac Games' 2018 Marvel's Spider-Man and the more recent spin-off Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales were hailed as some of the best superhero games ever made, which bodes well for the studio's upcoming Marvel's Wolverine.
Announced during PlayStation’s State of Play, Marvel's Wolverine is already a highly-anticipated title thanks to Insomniac's track record and the popularity of the comic character. The game may only be in very early development, but the level of hype surrounding it will mean Insomniac has its work cut out for it if it wants to deliver. Players are excited to see Wolverine in action, but the game should pay close attention to the way it handles his abilities if it wants to present gamers with a balanced but still challenging gameplay experience.
Wolverine's Powers
Wolverine is an iconic comic book character and was also a prominent figure in the X-Men film franchise. His typical portrayal as a gruff loner with strong antihero tendencies proved popular with readers, and he's been one of the more memorable of Marvel's collection of characters for decades. His status as a mutant grants him several abilities, including enhanced senses and superhuman physical capabilities. But the two aspects that Wolverine is probably most known for, however, are his three retractable claws on each hand and his regenerative ability known as his healing factor.
Wolverine's clawed hands are synonymous with his portrayal, but it's his healing factor that makes him truly formidable. Yes, he's strong, deadly, and prone to violent outbursts, but it's his durability that makes him a fearsome foe. He's resistant to diseases and drugs, and his healing factor allowed Wolverine to survive the surgical fusing of adamantium to his bones and claws. It's a massive problem for Wolverine's enemies but is also fairly problematic for his video game appearances.
Adapting Them Into A Game
Superhero games will always come up against a specific roadblock: how do developers properly feature the powers and abilities of the characters without making them feel ridiculously overpowered. This isn't so much of an issue in games like Marvel vs. Capcom, where all the characters have fairly over-the-top moves and are designed to be evenly matched and not necessarily true to their canon depictions.
In the slightly more realistic games, like Marvel's Spider-Man, the web-slinger comes up against equally challenging foes to push his limits, but he also has a wide range of impressive powers. Building Focus can partially heal Peter, and there are some suits available that can make him invulnerable, but it never really feels like Spider-Man is outrageously OP. Canonically, Spider-Man also heals faster than a normal human, but it's not quite Wolverine levels of regeneration.
There have already been a number of Wolverine games, or games where Logan has been featured, and they've handled his combat and healing factor in a few different ways. Games like 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine embraced the goriness usually associated with Wolverine and showed his healing factor in full effect. Some older titles were a little more simplistic with their approach, but pretty much all of them featured Logan's regeneration in some form.
Due to Wolverine's impressively overactive healing factor, he could potentially heal almost instantaneously, which takes a lot of the fun and the challenge out of in-game combat. If players feel practically invulnerable, they can just storm through levels and mow down antagonists in a matter of moments. Throwing equally invulnerable enemies at players to balance this out feels lazy, so striking the right balance is key. Gamers will want this to feel like an authentic Wolverine experience, but still with some difficulty thrown in.
What We Know About Marvel's Wolverine So Far
Alongside the more successful Marvel games in recent years like Insomniac's titles, there have been some less-than-successful games. Crystal Dynamics' Marvel's Avengers failed to impress fans or do well commercially, and it may well have cast an unjustified pall over Eidos Montreal's Guardians of the Galaxy. With a history of hit-or-misses when it comes to Marvel game releases, players will be paying close attention to what Insomniac has to offer with its upcoming Marvel's Wolverine.
As it was only recently announced, not much is known about Marvel's Wolverine just yet, including its release window. With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 due to launch on PlayStation 5 sometime in 2023, it's probable that fans won't hear any major news about Insomniac's other Marvel property until after that comes out. Fans have speculated that the teaser trailer pointed to some Hulk-related content with a few hidden Easter eggs, and with Spec Ops: The Line's Walt D. Williams confirmed as the Lead Writer, it's likely that Marvel's Wolverine will have a fittingly dark and nuanced tone, although the game's narrative currently remains a mystery.
Whatever direction the story takes, players are hoping that the game does justice to Wolverine's vibe. He's not some plucky, idealistic hero who bemoans the use of violence and relies on a team of equally saccharine supers to have his back. He's a harsh, complicated man with a checkered past, and he usually prefers to work alone despite his frequent X-Men affiliations. The gameplay should reflect that, with complex and gritty violence and well-thought-out combat more akin to games like The Last of Us than other superhero titles.
Wolverine's healing factor is such a big part of his character – not just as one of his abilities, but also his personality as it lets him have an extraordinarily long life, with all the baggage that entails. It needs to be handled correctly in the upcoming game, with the ways it can inevitably benefit players weighed against how it could be counteracted by antagonists. Marvel's Wolverine needs to present a challenge to players, while still staying true to who Logan is as a character.
Marvel's Wolverine is in development for PS5.
