Despite what the bright yellow spandex would indicate, Marvel superhero Wolverine is a violent, murderous man. And Insomniac Games knows it.
After a painful four years of waiting, the PlayStation studio finally revealed more about Marvel's Wolverine, its upcoming action adventure game that's potentially set in the same universe as its Marvel's Spider-Man games. But from the look of the gameplay footage released yesterday at State of Play, you'd never know that.
Insomniac is going fully gloves off and claws out with its version of Wolverine, as evidenced by the severed limbs, impaled heads, and repeated gratuitous stabs with his Adamantium claws in the new footage shown. And it's fucking glorious.
"Death's always waiting, just not for me," Aussie actor Liam McIntyre as Wolverine says as the X-Men member violently stabs a cyborg enemy in the head, sending blood everywhere, before cutting to another scene where he uses both claws to lift an enemy off the ground and then skewer their brains once more. It's incredible. So, yeah, there's a lot of death coming, but that's how it should be.
Insomniac could have given us a watered down version of the character, and they could've marketed it for a wider audience and given it a T for Teen rating or something, but instead we're getting a brutal and visceral take on the character where he uses his indestructible metal blades the way they are meant to be deployed: for slaughtering things.
This is a departure for Insomniac, to be sure. This studio is known for master class games with not quite the most bloody or dark tones in them, such as Marvel's Spider-Man, Ratchet & Clank, or Spyro the Dragon. And that's part of what makes the game's shocking violence so refreshing to see.
"We aim to deliver the ultimate Wolverine fantasy built on Insomniac staples like fast, fluid, and ferocious combat; exhilarating, action-packed set pieces; robust accessibility features; and a gripping story that taps into the core tenets of one of the most compelling comic book characters of all-time," Insomniac senior community manager Aaron Jason Espinoza said on the PlayStation Blog. "We’re breaking new ground with Wolverine, yes, but our penchant for telling stories about heroes overcoming colossal odds is as strong as ever. We’re eager to explore Logan’s story with you and tap into his signature spin on heroism, which is much darker and more brutal than you might expect from Insomniac."
This is how Wolverine NEEDS to be. Many of us grew up with the X-Men animated series and saw a cartoonish and slightly buffoonish version of the character, but in other mediums like certain comic book arcs and a few live action films, we got to see the beast for what he truly is. And this will thankfully be expanded upon in his new game.
"I ain't no hero," he says. "I'm Wolverine." And that seems like exactly what and who we'll be getting in fall 2026 for PS5: a monstrous, animalistic, barbaric murderer with a dark past who is trying to atone for what he's done somehow. Throw in other Marvel characters like Mystique, Omega Red, and an impending battle against at least one massive Sentinel, and we've got a true spectacle to look forward to next year.
And with a proven, award-winning dev like Insomniac at the helm, I feel safe in being very, very excited for this title.
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The post No Saturday morning cartoon here: Insomniac’s Wolverine could’ve been PG. But fans are getting the version they deserve appeared first on Destructoid.
