Marvel’s Wolverine now sits just over a month from its September 15 release. Insomniac Games offers a clearer view of its upcoming PS5 adventure. The two-hour hands-on session offered an extended look at the game’s story, combat, and exploration. It also examined Wolverine’s relationships with Marvel’s most recognizable mutants.

Wolverine’s Story Begins with Team X

The opening mission takes players back to a Wolverine who is feral, disheveled and suffering from memory loss. Logan reunites with Team X, a mutant task force created by Nathaniel Essex. His earlier departure has created notable tension with former teammates.

Among those teammates are Mystique and Sabretooth, two characters who bring very different relationships with Wolverine to the story. Mystique approaches missions with a more sarcastic and calculated personality. Sabretooth constantly antagonizes Logan and reminds him of their history.

Their mission takes the group to a hidden facility owned by billionaire industrialist Bolivar Trask. Bolivar Trask presents himself as a ruthless anti-mutant figure. He abducts mutants and conducts experiments seeking human supremacy.

As Wolverine discovers what is happening inside the facility, his anger begins to take over. The mission eventually leads to encounters with Reaver enemies and Omega Red. Wolverine and his allies attempt to rescue Essex, the man who originally found Logan in his feral state.

The conflict between Essex and Trask also appears to give the story a larger philosophical question. Both men claim to be working toward the future of mutants, but their methods and beliefs couldn’t be more different. Wolverine now must decide what kind of person he wants to become.

Developers build combat around Wolverine’s Rage

The biggest takeaway from the hands-on experience appears to be the combat. Wolverine closes distances with his attacks, launches at opponents, and moves rapidly between targets.

Players can approach combat fairly simply at first, using basic attacks, parries, and barrages to defeat standard enemies. However, Wolverine can unlock Special Techniques that add considerably more options to his arsenal.

These abilities can be upgraded and assigned to the directional buttons. Techniques such as Tornado Spin allow Logan to attack multiple enemies at once, while Knee Breaker can interrupt opponents and create openings.

There are also Adaptations, which provide longer-term improvements to Wolverine’s abilities. These can affect things such as Logan’s health and rage meter, giving players additional ways to develop their version of the character.

Rage Changes the Way Wolverine Fights

The rage system is arguably one of the most interesting parts of the combat design. Successful attacks and combos gradually fill Wolverine’s rage meter, which is divided into three tiers.

At Rage Tier 2, Wolverine becomes considerably more powerful and gains access to Last Stand. This ability lets Wolverine convert his rage into healing after opponents knock him down, giving players a chance to survive fights.

Rage Tier 3 takes things even further. Wolverine’s attacks become significantly stronger and critical strikes become available, dramatically changing the feeling of combat.

The presentation also changes alongside Wolverine’s increasing anger. His vision becomes more focused, his breathing becomes heavier and his movements become increasingly ferocious.

In one example, Wolverine can grab weapons from enemies, including a katana or bow belonging to members of The Hand, before turning their own weapons against them.

It sounds like Insomniac is using Wolverine’s rage not simply as another combat meter, but as a way of making players feel the character’s increasingly dangerous nature.

Sometimes Logan Needs to Slow Down

Despite Wolverine’s aggressive fighting style, the game won’t simply ask players to charge into every encounter.

Logan’s Enhanced Senses allow him to track enemies and approach certain situations more stealthily. This gives players an alternative when brute force isn’t necessarily the best option.

There are also situations where Trask’s technology can interfere with Wolverine’s abilities. Ability Inhibitors can prevent Logan and his teammates from using their powers, forcing him to rely on more traditional combat while attempting to destroy the devices.

One of the biggest challenges in the preview was a Sentinel Prototype created by Trask to detect and eliminate mutants. Rather than simply overpowering the machine, the fight requires Wolverine to dodge and parry its attacks while looking for opportunities to strike.

This encounter also demonstrates how Wolverine can work alongside Mystique and Sabretooth.

Madripoor Offers More Than Just Combat

After the intensity of the Sentinel battle, the preview moves to Madripoor and gives players an opportunity to explore a quieter side of Wolverine’s adventure.

A major location is the Princess Bar, which is run by Tyger. Here, Wolverine can interact with Jean Grey and a group of mutant teenagers she has been protecting.

Jean and Logan appear to develop an immediate connection, particularly because Wolverine is willing to admit that his anger sometimes frightens him. His desire to become a better person gives the character a more vulnerable side beneath the violence.

The Princess Bar also provides opportunities to learn more about Mystique and Sabretooth outside of combat. Mystique is usually focused entirely on the mission, but away from the battlefield she can let her guard down.

Sabretooth’s constant teasing of Wolverine also hides a more complicated relationship. His anger towards Logan appears to stem partly from Wolverine leaving Team X, suggesting their rivalry may have more emotional weight than their frequent insults suggest.

Exploration Is Packed With Details

Madripoor also gives players the opportunity to explore and uncover details that aren’t necessarily required to progress the story.

Wolverine can use his Enhanced Senses to pick up conversations, music and scents that can lead him towards different rooms or characters. Following these clues can result in additional conversations or small discoveries.

The preview also highlights a number of Marvel Easter eggs scattered throughout the environments. These include Mystique’s wedding photographs and an IOU written on an ace of spades card belonging to Remy LeBeau.

Players can also find hidden crates containing upgrade materials, while collectible whiskey bottles provide another reason to investigate the environment rather than simply following the main objective.

Wolverine Has Plenty of Looks

Exploration isn’t limited to finding resources and collectibles. Players can also discover different appearances for Logan.

The preview showed several outfits, ranging from his familiar undershirt-and-jeans appearance to a Weapon X-inspired look featuring the iconic helmet.

These cosmetic options should give players plenty of opportunity to customize Wolverine’s appearance while exploring the game’s different environments.

Nightmare Doors Reveal Logan’s Past

One particularly intriguing exploration feature is the inclusion of Nightmare Doors.

These mysterious entrances transport Wolverine into dreamlike environments where players take part in Nightmare Trials. These sections transform familiar locations into surreal, vertical challenges.

The objective is to reach the end of each trial within a time limit, adding a speed running-style challenge to the experience.

Completing these trials also unlocks forgotten memories from Wolverine’s past, potentially giving players another way to uncover pieces of Logan’s history.

That could make the optional content more meaningful than simple collectibles, especially for players interested in understanding how Wolverine became the character he is.

A Promising PS5 Showcase

Based on this hands-on session, Marvel’s Wolverine appears to be shaping up as considerably more than a straightforward superhero action game.

With its September 15 release date approaching, there is still plenty that Insomniac hasn’t shown. But this extensive hands-on look suggests Marvel’s Wolverine could deliver the combination of brutal superhero combat and character-driven storytelling that PS5 players have been waiting for.