To say Insomniac Games has been busy in recent years is an understatement, especially after the most recent PlayStation showcase. Starting with the 2016 Ratchet & Clank remake in the early days of PS4, Insomniac Games had seemingly struck gold with the release of Marvel's Spider-Man in 2018. From then on, it's clear the studio has utilized the momentum of Spider-Man's success: the Spider-Man: Miles Morales follow-up served as a taste for what's coming in Spider-Man 2, while Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart helped kick off the PS5's first year of next-gen games. Now, the newly announced Marvel's Wolverine could easily carry on that same Spider-Man success.
Superhero games had often garnered a reputation for being subpar licensed titles, but that largely changed with the release of Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009. Since then, superhero and superhero-inspired games have been able to thrive as a result, proving that the proper attention and craftsmanship can make a phenomenal game based on comic superheroes. Insomniac Games has done its own work in proving that with its Marvel's Spider-Man games thus far, and has the chance to do the same with Marvel's Wolverine. Considering Insomniac Games' track record thus far, extending the studio's expertise to another prominent Marvel character makes sense.
Insomniac's Spider-Man Is Good Experience For Wolverine
Even if a game like Arkham Asylum helped break new ground, Insomniac Games' Spider-Man series continues to prove that dedication to the source material, alongside original content, can go a long way in making some of the best superhero action/adventure games. That's exactly why it's so exciting that Insomniac Games is continuing its partnership with Marvel as it adapts a Wolverine-centered title next. Insomniac Games has proved itself, twice, that it's able to successfully adapt one of the most iconic Marvel characters into critically acclaimed games. Marvel's Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales are a testament of just how good the next Wolverine game can be.
Assuming Marvel's Wolverine will similarly be an open-world action/adventure game, Spider-Man's potential influence on the game will only make it better. Marvel's Spider-Man succeeded in several key aspects: excellent and satisfying movement/traversal, exciting free-form combat with customizable equipment, and an engrossing original story based on the comics.
One of the biggest points of praise from Marvel's Spider-Man was the web-slinging and fast-paced horizontal and vertical movement, obviously an important thing to nail for Spider-Man. Sense of speed was excellent, and rarely did any player mistakes or impacts cause severe loss of momentum. Combat was weighty and satisfying, and players could extend into high-hit combo counts and exciting finishers as they progressively get better at dealing with all the goons and villains in NYC. All of this was paired with an excellent video game adaptation of the often underrepresented adulthood of Spider-Man, a narrative generally absent from media other than comics.
The Potential in Insomniac Games' Wolverine Adaptation
Obviously the reason why fans are excited for Marvel's Wolverine is the hope that these benefits will translate into Insomniac Games' adaptation of the character. The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to a Wolverine game by Insomniac Games, combat is the primary gameplay aspect that has the most potential. Wolverine's iconic claws and measured ferocity would mesh well with an action-oriented battle system emulating Marvel's Spider-Man's combat. Granted Wolverine is not usually as agile as Spider-Man can be, but his claws could obviously factor encourage a far more unique playstyle all about slashing combos and grounded hand-to-claw combat.
Speaking of ferocity, Insomniac Games ability to craft a compelling adaptation of the iconic superhero story means the narrative and personality of Wolverine's upcoming game also has the potential to be great. In a similar vein, Insomniac Games could certainly subvert expectations with Wolverine's story in the same way Spider-Man has. The eye-patch hint in Wolverine's PlayStation showcase trailer his evident of that; a reference to a "subtle" disguise Logan wears when attempting to disguise his identity as Wolverine. Obviously this isn't indicative of much, but is at least a subtle hint that Insomniac Games is just as mindful and respectful to Wolverine's character.
As for traversal, it's tough to say. Spider-Man is obviously known for high flying acrobatics powered by his web-slinging, whereas Wolverine isn't necessarily known for unique movement ability. Wolverine's most overt superpowers are generally associated with incredible strength alongside his claws, superhuman self-healing powers, fast reflexes, and enhanced senses (specifically related to his ability to track people, mutants, etc.). Of course, that just means Insomniac Games will have plenty of opportunities and challenges to differentiate Wolverine and Spider-Man's superpowers.
Beyond that, it'll just be interesting to see Insomniac Games' interpretation of the character. The studio taking over another Marvel property in general is exciting because of how much fans enjoyed Marvel's Spider-Man. Assuming the same degree of care and unique development is devoted to Marvel's Wolverine, fans of the clawed mutant should have plenty to look forward to in the future.
Marvel's Wolverine is in development.