Reviews are now in for Insomniac Games’ “Marvel’s Wolverine” and, unfortunately, have delivered the worst Metascore for an Insomniac title in years.
With a substantial 108 reviews counted, the game currently sits at a decent 78 on Metacritic, with praise for its combat and performances but criticisms of its storytelling and smaller scope, with an overall campaign said to clock in at around 10-15 hours.
It’s the lowest score for an Insomniac title since its indie small game experiment “Song of the Deep” scored a 66 a decade ago. Still, it’s a far cry from the likes of “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (90), “Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart” (88), “Marvel’s Spider-Man” (87), “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales” (85), “Ratchet & Clank” 2016 (85) and “Sunset Overdrive” (83).
Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“Marvel’s Wolverine is Insomniac at the top of its storytelling game, wrapped around combat that sometimes slows things down. The Xavier-less, remixed take on Logan’s world is confident and surprising, the presentation is gorgeous and rock-solid even on a base PS5, and Liam McIntyre gives Logan depth of soul.” – Gaming Nexus
“Marvel’s Wolverine is an action-heavy superhero game that does an excellent job adapting the iconic mutant. Combat is deeply satisfying despite its repetitiveness, and there are some excellent character moments in what is otherwise a fairly standard comic book story. More than anything, I walked away still convinced that Insomniac Games is best equipped to handle the Marvel IP” – Shack News
“Marvel’s Wolverine ends the open world streak at Insomniac for an intentional and linear superhuman title that revels in its gory, intense combat system. The campaign structured around it can be overly restrictive and the story quite dull, but as a mission guides you from one fight to the next, it lets the bloodshed do the talking” – Push Square
“It’s only when it does something more interesting, like making you fight a boss after Logan’s eyes have been gouged out and slowly recovering, that you get a hazy glimpse into something that could have at least broken up the monotony. If nothing else, it feels like a structural throwback to a simpler time when games didn’t have to consume your entire life” – Kotaku
“Marvel’s Wolverine is fine, but it fails to capture the spirit of the legendary character in the same way Insomniac did with Spider-Man. It’s a game out of time, full of dated quest design and combat that excels in spectacle but not much else. Best-in-class visuals pull up the overall package, but this isn’t the definitive Wolverine game I’d hoped for.” – VGC
“Marvel’s Wolverine is a surprisingly average game let down by basic combat, a messy story, and the overwhelming feeling it could have all been a lot better. It’s an enjoyable enough experience but one that lacks the depth, nuance and variety you’d expect.” – GamesRadar
“At best, it’s a fun but forgettable experience that’ll entertain you for a few hours. At worst, it shows that just because you can make really good superhero games with one character, that doesn’t mean you can make really super hero games with any character.” – GameSpot
“Marvel’s Wolverine delivers a brutal, technically impressive, and unexpectedly intimate portrayal of Logan. Its fragmented memories and relationship with Jean Grey explore identity, loneliness, and the scars that even his healing factor cannot erase. Unfortunately, the shallow combat, repetitive enemies, inconsequential stealth, and overreliance on linear cinematic sequences exhaust their surprises far too quickly.” – LevelUp
“Marvel’s Wolverine” releases in stores, both on physical disc and digital, on Tuesday.
