Marvel's Wolverine Deep Dive Shows Brutal Combat and a Fully Linear Story, But No Collector's Edition

Marvel's Wolverine just got a full gameplay and story deep dive during the State of Play, and it delivered exactly what I had been waiting to see from this game. Insomniac finally pulled back the curtain on the combat, the story, the characters, the various editions, and the level of brutality in the combat was something I did not expect Insomniac to be able to pull off. I am glad they did it anyway.

Let me walk through everything that was shown, starting with the news around it before getting into combat, story, mechanics, structure, and the editions of the game.

Wolverine pre-orders reportedly jumped ahead of Modern Warfare 4 on the PlayStation Store

According to Push Square, Marvel's Wolverine pre-orders are crushing it. Right after the State of Play and the pre-orders launched, the game almost immediately shot to number one on the PlayStation Store, beating out Modern Warfare 4, which is not something I expected to happen. Call of Duty is one of the biggest annual franchise releases with an enormous community behind it, so pre-orders jumping ahead of it is genuinely wild.

I had some hesitations about how Wolverine was going to do sales wise, but from these early numbers it certainly seems like the game is tracking well. Factor in that this is a single player, story driven game, and jumping ahead on pre-orders this early is a strong sign.

What makes it even better is that the version selling the best right now is the more expensive digital deluxe edition. Usually standard edition pre-orders sit at the top, so people being willing to pay the extra ten dollars shows a level of confidence in Insomniac. As I put it, "they've cooked so many times before and I think they're going to cook again."

The combat reveal showed a level of brutality I did not expect from Insomniac

Insomniac had already described this game as brutal and violent in earlier trailers, but this deep dive went further than I expected. The forklift scene in particular was completely unhinged, and I loved it. The visuals when Logan is carving up enemies, with the blood and gore covering him, were a ten out of ten with no notes.

In the gameplay segment, Logan is tailing a group of mutants who have been hunted and captured by the Reavers, a militia of cybernetic guns for hire armed with advanced technology and lethal implants. What surprised me is that the deep dive opened with Logan in stealth mode, a bold choice that functioned almost like a roller coaster, easing viewers forward before dropping them straight into the madness. It was an effective showcase.

Beyond stealth, Wolverine can ambush enemies from above, which reminded me a bit of the Arkham games. The overall feel is almost a mix between Arkham, God of War, and some Spider-Man elements. Logan also has access to special combat moves called techniques, including the tornado spin and the bull rush, which let him carve through groups of enemies, plus critical strikes that serve as finishing moves.

The mission itself is framed as a tracking mission, but it plays out like an action movie you can actually interact with. When Logan jumped on a motorcycle, it looked like cinema, and you can actually drive it, though it does look a bit limited in this section of the game. Even so, it was a ten out of ten showcase.

Logan rejoins Team X three years later as Dr. Trask hunts mutants for the Reavers

The story setup is that Logan thought he was done being Wolverine, but the past was not done with him. Three years after walking out on his team, he rejoins the mutant task force known as Team X in their darkest hour. Mutants are living in the shadows, hunted while the rest of society does not even know they exist, fighting for survival on their own with Team X as their last stand.

The main antagonist is Dr. Trask, a billionaire industrialist driven by a belief in human superiority. For comic fans, he is the character connected to the Sentinels, and the Reavers are kidnapping mutants to deliver them straight to him.

Jean Grey is also introduced in the deep dive, and Logan and Jean are brought together to team up against the Reavers, suggesting there will be a fair amount of team combat in the game. The PlayStation Store listing confirms this will be a globe trotting story told through a linear narrative spanning Canada, Japan, and Madripoor.

The rage system lets Logan spend built-up fury on healing or a monochrome berserk state

The rage system might be one of my favorite things revealed. Every successful attack, parry, and kill builds up Logan's rage, which functions a bit like Spartan rage but for Wolverine. That rage can be spent on stronger attacks or on activating his healing factor to survive serious damage.

The standout mechanic is what happens if you push Logan's rage too far. He unleashes rage tier three, which according to the PlayStation blog is "a stylized monochromatic explosion of savagery inspired by" Marvel Comics' black and white and blood series. The screen drains to black, white, and red as Logan goes fully feral. I think this is a really effective way to capture the berserk side of the character, and visually it looks stunning.

There is also a last stand mechanic. Once bloodied and battered, Logan can channel his rage and kick into last stand to trigger his healing factor and live to fight another day. This once again sells the idea that this is a character who is simply not going to stay down.

The game director confirmed this is a linear single player adventure, not open world

The game director confirmed in interviews that this is not an open world game like Spider-Man, which many already suspected. The exact quote was: "We did not set out to make an open-world game or a sandbox game. What we really wanted was a high-octane, high-intrigue, linear single-player adventure, and the missions reflect that in the structure."

In my opinion, that is the right call. Wolverine is a focused, brutal character who is kind of like Kratos, where a tight linear structure lets him get up close and personal with his enemies. There is still exploration and hidden corners for collectibles, but this is confirmed to be a deeply linear game.

New Game Plus ships on disc at launch with a faster, higher damage second run

New Game Plus is included from day one and ships right on the disc, with no waiting weeks for a patch, no waiting for downloadable content, and no extra download needed. The moment you beat the campaign, you can jump right back in. Big credit to the director for confirming this outright.

The director also confirmed that the second run is higher paced, with higher damage and more intensity, along with extra unlocks that change the dynamic of a replay.

The standard and digital deluxe editions keep suits and claws purely cosmetic

The standard edition is priced at $69.99 and comes with pre-order bonuses including the classic brown suit early unlock, reflective claws, one extra technique point, and four PlayStation avatars featuring Mystique, Logan, Jean, and Sabretooth.

The digital deluxe edition is $79.99 and adds five exclusive suits, including the incredible, savage, age of apocalypse, night hunts, and new leather versions, plus five exclusive claws and three additional technique points. Insomniac confirmed that the suits and claws are purely cosmetic, so gameplay is not locked behind the digital deluxe tier, which I appreciate.

There is no collector's edition at all, which I called a genuine miss

My biggest concern and honestly my biggest disappointment with this whole reveal is that there is no collector's edition at all. None. In an earlier video I had laid out what I wanted from a Wolverine collector's edition, and it seems I may have jinxed it.

If I am being real, this was a genuine miss. Wolverine is one of the most iconic characters in comic books, and the potential for a collector's edition was massive. Even a statue, replica claws, a steelbook, or an art book would have worked. This game was built for a premium physical collector's edition, and it is unfortunate that we are not getting one.

Setting that disappointment aside, Insomniac understood the assignment with everything else it showed. The brutality of the gameplay, the blood, the rage system, and New Game Plus shipping on disc all added up to a great showing, and I am genuinely excited for this game.

What are you most looking forward to in Marvel's Wolverine, and does the missing collector's edition bother you as much as it bothers me?