Marvel's Wolverine: PS5 Preview

To say there's a weight of expectation on Insomniac Games' latest outing, Marvel's Wolverine, is an understatement.

With a character as beloved as Spider-Man, the Ratchet and Clank creators felt the pressure and delivered a trio of games that captured the vibe of being Spidey in New York and also Miles Morales. But these were family friendly titles that were accessible to all, so venturing into Wolverine's darker territory brings with it an added level of scrutiny.

However, those worried about whether the game would eschew closer to their beloved Logan need not worry. In terms of where it sits on the X-Men side of things, this Wolverine is more Logan than Last Stand - and that's a good thing.

Based on the two-hour preview access, Marvel's Wolverine delivers the bloody fighting violence you'd want from it (though accessibility features let you dial down the gore and profanity to allow for a wider user-base) and also some of the emotional heft that will hopefully prove to be engaging, thanks to Liam McIntyre's subtle and nuanced performance.

Dropping you in at the start of the game in Act I, it follows Logan as he rejoins Mystique and Sabretooth to be a part of Team X. Tasked with rescuing Nathanial Essex, who's been captured by Bolivar Trask, the game quickly pits you against an array of NPC soldiers and more qualified combatants, the Reavers.

In many ways, the early part of Marvel's Wolverine plays out as an extreme hack'n'slash. Insomniac Games has made no secret of the fact that claw combat was important to them, so Logan has the adamantium claws to bear right away, and the moves to match too. Continuous attacks build up Wolverine's Rage metre (much like Spider-Man's focus gauge), allowing you to either recharge your health once you're near death or unleash a special move that's hardwired to the D-pad controls.

But this Wolverine is lithe too. From leaping into his victims or stalking the prey via senses, Insomniac has poured effort into making sure there's range from just the claw combat. It's also poured effort into its NPCs as well. Early on in the demo when Wolverine's dispatching the enemies, a couple of them can be heard saying things like, "You can do this" to tee themselves up for combat - only to be brutally killed moments later. It's a nice little touch that shows every character has an edge, even if they're not the main player on the show.

The action is solid in the game, and combat is certainly fluid - though there are also some quieter moments in the game where McIntyre's take on Logan comes to the fore. Certainly in some of the cutscenes, the emotional edge is more obvious as the eyes betray the conflict Logan faces deep within over what's happening - it's a sign of good foundations that this story that Insomniac Games has given him will be one that is slightly different from others and also one that proves to be engaging with players familiar to his world - as well as those who are not.

While perhaps the final boss showdown with the Sentinel attacking Team X may feel a little muted (and much has already been said online over thoughts about how unoriginal it feels) it certainly delivers in terms of spectacle and scale. With secondary fights happening off to the side, there's more of an atmosphere of a world around Wolverine, rather than just the central character himself.

There's much more to say about the game too, though that will have to wait until its September 15 release - but for now, suffice to say this Wolverine has claws when it needs to and heart when it counts as well.

Marvel's Wolverine releases exclusively on PlayStation on September 15.