As of now, fans know little about what Marvel’s Wolverine is going to be like in terms of its gameplay. The trailer shows Logan being ambushed in a bar as his claws extend from some already-bloody hands, and Insomniac has confirmed a mature tone for Marvel’s Wolverine. Fans know nothing beyond that, though, as the teaser trailer provides no insight into project’s gameplay.
While fans have already started to point out subtle details in the teaser to theorize about potential villains and locations for Marvel’s Wolverine, this is purely speculation, as anything can happen. The same can be said for the combat, making it fun to come up with potential mechanics for Wolverine’s big PS5 debut. One mechanic that seems like a no-brainer is Berserker Rage, as similar systems have already been used inside of video games.
How Berserker Rage Could Work In Marvel’s Wolverine
In the Wolverine comics, Berserker Rage is described as a moment where Logan loses control. His human side fades away, and he essentially becomes a crazed animal, attacking everything in sight and having no ability to hold back. Logan is at his most dangerous here, with every strike being deadly and anything in the area being unlikely to survive. From a gameplay perspective, powering up Wolverine in this way could be a ton of fun.
The system could essentially work just like Spartan Rage in 2018’s God of War reboot. A bar could be filled up over time, with players eventually being able to trigger a special Berserker Rage mode for Wolverine. While dealing damage would be one way to enrage Wolverine, a more fitting way to fill the bar would be taking damage, as this could anger the borderline immortal character. Once frustrated enough, Wolverine could snap, with players either activating the mode themselves or the feature triggering automatically. The latter option would work particularly well, as it would take control away from players just like Berserker Rage takes control away from Logan.
What Benefits Berserker Rage Could Provide In Marvel’s Wolverine
There are a few different boost Berserker Rage could provide, and one option would pull from Ghost of Tsushima’s ghost stance. In that game, ghost stance allowed protagonist Jin Sakai to trigger a brief insta-kill mode if he took down enough foes without being hit. His sword strikes would then be a one-hit kill for a brief amount of time, with some enemies running away because they were so afraid of the Ghost. The insta-kills with Logan’s claws make sense, as do regular enemies running in fear due to an out-of-control Wolverine.
Another option would see Wolverine’s claws heating up like they do in the more recent comics. A new ability acquired by Logan after he came back from the dead, the fiery claws are tied to his rage, and they could make for an interesting upgrade inside of a video game adaptation. If Logan ends up fighting robotic enemies of some kind, or even humans with riot shield, being able to burn through the material could be extremely beneficial. Setting regular enemies on fire could be a lot of fun, too.
While the heated claws do have a negative impact on Wolverine’s healing factor in the comics, they could be another way to make Berserker Rage stand out. Whether Insomniac goes the route of instantly killing enemies with some brutal strikes, or adding a stronger claw type to Logan’s arsenal, a Rage-based system seems too good to pass up on. With the Venom powers in Spider-Man: Miles Morales rewarding gamers for playing well, Berserker Rage could function in a similar way, giving Logan special moves when active.
Marvel’s Wolverine is in development for PS5.