Look, Sony's roster of exclusives has quite a few heavy hitters, and Insomniac Games' Marvel's Spider-Man series is certainly one of them. As someone who loves superhero fiction enough to watch every Marvel film and dig through the comics, this particular universe holds a special place in the heart. So, naturally, eyes have been firmly locked on Marvel's Wolverine ahead of its upcoming launch on August 15, and recent hands-on sessions only amplified that anticipation.

While waiting for the big day, a chance to dive into the main game early arrived, and the DualSense controller was picked up with a rather giddy sort of excitement. Diving in, Marvel's Wolverine boasts brilliantly crafted combat design and a compelling narrative, showcasing Insomniac's exceptional grasp of superhero storytelling.

Marvel's Wolverine shares the same universe as Marvel's Spider-Man, Earth-1048, placing the spotlight on Wolverine before the X-Men were ever formed. Wolverine teams up with Mystique and Sabretooth as part of Team X, led by Essex and Mister Sinister, to push back against the mutant-hating scientist Trask. Naturally, a colourful cast of characters shows up and various events unfold. To avoid any nasty spoilers, specific plot points are under wraps, but the overarching narrative boils down to taking on forces trying to wipe out mutants, saving them, and ultimately saving the world.

To take a brief detour, superhero plots are, if we are being completely honest, rather simple at their core. Sure, there are exceptions, but most follow the trusty formula of a hero defeating a villain to save the day. Given that the superhero genre has been around for decades, this kind of progression can occasionally feel a bit tired and predictable.

Even so, the reason superhero stories still pull a crowd lies in how they spin that straightforward yarn. What kind of baggage does the protagonist carry? What relationships do they forge? What emotional rollercoaster do they ride through given situations, and how do they pull it all together to overcome the villain? These are the details that seal a game's quality. Even when the broad strokes are similar, the devil is very much in the execution.

From that perspective, the more Marvel's Wolverine is played, the clearer it becomes that Insomniac thoroughly understands these genre traits and knows precisely how to tackle them. At its core, Marvel's Wolverine is still a story about a hero beating up baddies and saving the world. Anyone well-versed in superhero media will likely see where the plot is heading past the halfway mark.

Yet, within that predictable main framework, the game digs deep into the relationships between Wolverine and the supporting cast. The emotional shifts as Wolverine slowly digs up long-buried memories are rendered with proper care, and these changes naturally ripple through relationships with Team X, Jean Grey, and others. The emotional beats and dialogue for each character are handled with surprising nuance, providing just enough logical scaffolding to make the shifts believable. Toss in performances from lead actors like Liam McIntyre and Krizia Bajos, and you have got a story that sucks you right in.

Layer on top of that Insomniac's secret weapon: sheer immersion. The studio's signature strengths are out in full force—cinematic pacing that rivals the movies, a minimalist UI that refuses to break your flow, story cutscenes that bleed seamlessly into actual gameplay, and tactile controls brought to life through DualSense haptic feedback. Usually, playing a game for an hour or two demands a little stretch break, but this one swallowed five straight hours without a blink.

Moving past the narrative, we need to talk about combat. As previous previews hinted, Marvel's Wolverine relies on a free-flow action framework anchored tightly around parrying. Environmental objects can be used to stun enemies, paving the way for gloriously brutal executions. Successful parries and takedowns build up a rage gauge, which in turn buffs stats.

Since most fights outside of boss battles drop you into one-to-many melees, the key is smoothly blending environment interactions and skills to pick off foes one by one amidst the chaos. Rather than spamming attacks against a mob, the trick is using parries to interrupt enemy momentum and thinning out the herd using whatever the surroundings offer.

During the initial preview, the combat felt satisfying enough, but a lingering worry remained regarding potential repetition. With a relatively limited pool of active skills, the joy of building out a bespoke character build felt a bit thin, raising concerns that the gameplay loop might wear out its welcome over a long session.

Fortunately, the full game introduces several clever safety nets by Insomniac to dodge this exact trap. Chief among them is the meticulous level design. As the story progresses, a varied rogue's gallery rolls in—from the high-tech human mercenaries known as the Reavers and the ninja clan The Hand, to Sentinels built specifically to hunt mutants—each bringing distinct pressure.

For instance, the Reavers love stringing together aggressive combos, deploying a mix of sniper and submachine gun ranged attacks alongside mines that temporarily disable the healing factor. The Hand can hand out instant-death strikes if too many special attacks slip through, while Sentinels practically shrug off normal attacks, shoving parries and dodges right to the top of the priority list.

If enemy variety merely meant changing up attack patterns, it would quickly grow grating, but figuring out the proper counterplay for each type is genuinely satisfying. Reavers stagger easily, making it a breeze to shove them into walls for a stun, while incoming special attacks from The Hand can be reversed into stylish counter-executions. Sentinels boast massive poise, but active skills can break through to trigger stuns, and parrying specific moves grants temporary attack buffs.

Even the arenas and interactive gimmicks shift constantly. Fights break out atop speeding trucks, inside sprawling industrial facilities, and right on the edge of dangerous cliffs. Depending on the venue, the environment lets you slam foes into forklifts or boot them off precipices to their doom. By keeping the core parry-centric combat intact while constantly trickling in fresh foes, new locations, and unique gimmicks, the monotony is kept firmly at bay.

The side content, dubbed 'Nightmare Trials', helps pad out the narrative while warding off combat fatigue. These act as bite-sized challenge modules naturally discovered while pushing through the main campaign. They ask for more than just a simple brawl, tasking players with clearing waves under specific conditions or sprinting through designated courses within a time limit. Nailing these rewards players with text snippets detailing Wolverine's past, effectively killing two birds with one stone by spicing up gameplay and expanding the lore.

Reaching the end credits, however, leaves a bittersweet aftertaste regarding length. Unlike previous titles, Marvel's Wolverine adopts a linear structure, wrapping up the main journey in roughly 10 hours. Sure, New Game Plus is included for replay value alongside a handful of collectibles, but considering this carries a full-price tag, the short runtime might sting for some.

That said, a punchy, linear design oddly suits a character like Wolverine. If the game had tried to mimic Spider-Man by tossing players into an open sandbox to endlessly chase side errands, it would have fundamentally clashed with the character's core vibe. From a pure value-per-penny perspective, the brevity is a fair point of criticism, but viewed alongside the game's pacing and the protagonist's personality, it feels like the right creative call.

All in all, Marvel's Wolverine proudly wears Insomniac's signature strengths on its sleeve. The stellar production values and narrative polish seen in past projects remain completely intact, and while the shift to a linear framework trims the fat, it delivers a much more focused deep-dive into Wolverine's journey toward becoming a true hero. Potential combat fatigue is neatly dodged through sharp level design. The runtime is brief, sure, but if a sequel drops tomorrow, the purchase button will be hit without a single hesitation.