Insomniac Games did such a great job with Marvel’s Spider-Man over the course of three titles that I would personally trust them with any superhero game they wanted to tackle. With that being said, Wolverine is one of my absolute favourites, and I really can’t believe it’s here.
In many ways, Marvel’s Wolverine absolutely nails the violence and brutality that is inextricably linked with the titular character, fleshing out an engaging story with satisfying gameplay, slick visuals and excellent pacing.
While it’s a much more linear experience when compared to Marvel’s Spider-Man, its flaws rarely hold it back from being not only the best Wolverine game, but one of the best games of 2026.
What’s Up, Bub?
Marvel’s Wolverine tells an original story that is generally comprised of characters you already know and love. We find Logan as a part of Team X, a much smaller group, led by Nathaniel Essex, that predates the traditional X-Men as we know them. With a general goal of finding and harbouring other fugitives on the run, the team is up against Bolivar Trask, an evil scientist hell-bent on eliminating mutants across the world.
Like most good X-Men comics and stories alike, the themes of identity, belonging and teamwork are as strong as ever, and while I would rather not spoil the multiple twists and turns the story takes beyond its general premise, I will admit that the main characters involved do follow their comic-accurate trajectory, taking away some of the suspense if you know these characters outside of this particular story.
Aussie actor Liam McIntyre is awesome as Wolverine, embodying the more rugged persona without ever losing the heart that makes him such a well-rounded and likeable character. We do meet Jean Grey a few chapters into the story, and while she’s a great character in her own right, I personally love the relationship and chemistry that is built between her and Logan throughout the narrative.
Either way, it’s still briskly paced, and serves as a globetrotting adventure that feels like it draws more from something like Uncharted, given the frequency of well-acted cutscenes and cinematic gameplay sequences. While it’s linear, and that does detract from some of the replay value, it’s still a blast to experience.
Get Stuck In
As you can imagine, combat is at the very heart of Marvel’s Wolverine. It absolutely excels in its violence and brutality, and does a great job of encouraging that relentless sense of viciousness that embodies the character with each iteration.
Logan has access to both a light and heavy attack, the latter of which can also be used to finish off combinations and leap to enemies from a distance. Flurries feel fast and chaotic, with plenty of finishing moves, including some with nearby teammates that always prove to be a real spectacle.
In addition to this, Logan can also dodge and parry attacks to stun enemies, leaving them open to a window of attacks, and I must say, mashing the square button never felt better, as you launch numerous claw-shaped holes into your enemies.
The best thing about Marvel’s Wolverine is just how well it encourages you to stay feral. Under Logan’s health bar sits a Rage meter, which builds up as you chain together attacks and slaughter enemies. The bar is split up into three sections, and as you fill each one, you’ll automatically enter a state of Rage, which gives you strong attacks and exclusive finishing moves by holding the L2 and R2 triggers together. As Logan gets shredded in real time, he’ll also need at least the first of these three sections to be full to revive himself for a second chance once downed.
Logan gets absolutely mangled throughout the course of the game, and it’s actually disgusting, in the best way possible. You’ll see his spine through his back, his ribs will stick out, and half his Adamantium skull will even show at certain points. His costumes will get damaged accordingly, and stay like that for an extended period of time before reverting to their original condition after each cutscene.
It’s a double-edged sword, as it takes away from the continuity of the situation, but it would look hilarious if it didn’t reset, as Logan would be practically naked within the first few minutes of each level.
Logan will also have access to a range of special attacks known as Techniques, accessible by holding the L2 trigger and pressing any of the face buttons. These are subject to a cooldown timer, and there are even extra abilities you’ll unlock down the track that you can swap and assign to each of these four slots.
The only real issue I had is that as you unlock each of these Techniques by earning Technique Points as you play, I actually unlocked all of them well before my time with the game was up. It’s not a huge issue, but it does take away from the replay value of the overall package, which doesn’t really highlight any sort of play style or player choice.
There are also Adaptations to unlock, acting as more passive perks that you can choose to assign as you unlock various Strands, or extra spots to assign them. These perks involve things like increasing the chance of a critical attack, or building extra Rage from stealth takedowns. As a bonus, you can also clear and swap these out at any time, and this makes for more of a customisable experience that takes a little longer to flesh out and unlock too.
The only gripe I have with combat in general is its implementation in boss battles. There’s entity variety to keep things fresh, but bosses unfortunately go through the same rinse-and-repeat cycle that sees you dodging and countering until there’s an open window. It’s not terrible, but it feels a little dated by today’s standards.
Shake It Up
You can choose to take the stealthy approach where possible, but the game never punishes you for picking the louder router and diving in claws-first. There really isn’t much in the way of effective stealth, but it’s a nice touch for the sake of variety. In the same vein, traversal is also an option at certain points, with Logan being able to scale walls, swing across large gaps via beams, and leap large distances. It’s fine for the most part, but only really serves as a means to an end.
Marvel’s Wolverine is quite linear, and while we’re not comparing this to Marvel’s Spider-Man, it rarely deviates from its main path. The game will, at certain points, open up a little more than usual, but there isn’t really much to explore, apart from a few hidden areas which house things like collectable items or Materials to unlock bonus costumes and claws, of which there are a fair few on offer.
At certain points, Logan will gain access to what is referred to as the Nightmare Cabin via Nightmare Doors that pop up in each level. This is a place where he’ll find out more about his mysterious past, made possible by completing certain trials. These trials may involve completing an obstacle course in an allotted time frame, or clearing multiple waves of enemies. In doing so, you’ll also gain Adaptation Points and learn about Logan’s past via collectable statues, which prompt Logan to narrate a small story about one of his newfound memories.
Look the Part
As gory and bloody as the action gets, Marvel’s Wolverine looks downright gorgeous at every turn. It’s detailed in parts and stylised in others, and much like Marvel’s Spider-Man, it does a great job of blending it all.
On the PS5 Pro, Marvel’s Wolverine also runs like a dream, along with some bonuses like PSSR upscaling, which helps provide more realistic lighting and detailed textures.
While the base PS5 also runs this at 60 FPS, there are no real frame rate drops to speak of, no matter how chaotic the action gets. If it does drop, it’s dropping into a handful of frames, but I personally didn’t notice anything.
Final Thoughts
Marvel’s Wolverine fights through its flaws with the determination and grit of Logan himself, resting on an engaging story, a charming Wolverine and some incredibly satisfying and brutal combat to make it worth your while.
The boss battles might feel dated and the game itself rather linear, but I feel as though it’s doing a great job of fleshing out Logan and supporting characters alike, while bolstered by a story that feels as fast-paced as it is interesting.
It might be the best Wolverine game ever made, but it’s also one of the best games of 2026.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Engaging story; Liam McIntyre is awesome as Wolverine; Satisfying combat; Slick visuals and performance
Lowlights: Very linear; Boss battles can feel quite repetitive and dated
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Available: September 15
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 Pro with a code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
