Marvel's Wolverine arrived on PS5 on September 15 to a far less unanimous reception than Insomniac Games' previous titles. Critics liked the story, the characters and the visuals, but many outlets complained about combat that barely evolves and a game that guides the player too much. The average landed between 75 and 79 on the main aggregators.
The averages
| Aggregator | At launch | On October 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Metacritic (critics) | 78, from 112 reviews | 75, from more than 140 reviews |
| OpenCritic (critic average) | 79 | 78, with 66% recommending it |
| Metacritic (players) | – | 6.6 |
For comparison, according to 80.lv, Marvel's Spider-Man, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart sit at 88 on OpenCritic, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales at 85. Wolverine is below all of them.
Selected scores
| Outlet | Score |
|---|---|
| Hardcore Gamer | 5/5 |
| Game Informer | 8.5/10 |
| DualShockers | 8.5/10 |
| TheSixthAxis | 8/10 |
| IGN | 6/10 |
| GameSpot | 6/10 |
| Eurogamer | 3/5 |
| VGC | 3/5 |
| Giant Bomb | 2.5/5 |
What critics praised
- Story and characters: for VGC, this is the game's strongest asset, especially the relationship between Logan and Jean Grey and Liam McIntyre's performance as Wolverine.
- Visuals: the visuals were praised in almost every review. VGC calls them best in class, with striking settings in Madripoor and Tokyo.
- Brutality: the claw combat was described as brutal and satisfying by part of the press, even by some who found it repetitive.
- Length and format: the campaign runs about 15 hours, according to 80.lv's roundup, in a more linear format than Spider-Man, with no open world.
What critics disliked
- Repetitive combat: the most common complaint. VGC says the fighting barely changes from hour one to hour twelve, and IGN says it wears thin well before the end.
- Limited enemy variety: few enemy types, large enemies that take too long to go down and bosses that become predictable parry sequences.
- Too much hand-holding: heavy on-screen guidance, walk-and-talk stretches and investigations with a special vision mode between fights.
- The Spider-Man comparison: Spider-Man has ranged attacks and gadgets, while Wolverine relies on melee. For GameSpot, getting one hero right doesn't guarantee getting another right.
Insomniac's response
Some of the criticism about excessive guidance also came from players. Insomniac has released updates that let you turn off the trails that show the way, as we covered in our article on the launch and estimated sales. Review scores, however, don't change with updates.
Is it worth it?
Taken together, the reviews suggest Wolverine works better for players looking for a cinematic story and a well-built lead than for those who want a deep combat system. Fans of the character are likely to come away satisfied; anyone expecting something on the level of Spider-Man 2 may be disappointed.
