Marvel’s Wolverine has, unsurprisingly, led to a lot of excitement amongst the PlayStation community. While little is known about the exclusive game thus far, as it only received a brief teaser trailer, Insomniac Games serving as developer has understandably added to the hype. Not only is the developer’s experience with Marvel's Spider-Man a good sign for another Marvel adaptation, but the concept of a Marvel Games Universe has never seemed more possible.
Those interested in Marvel’s Wolverine do have several questions about the game and concerns about whether the character will be done justice. While the recent confirmation that the game will have a mature tone has helped ease some worries, it does not cover everything. Logan’s claws may be able to tear through enemies via some violent combat, but another key ability tied to Wolverine is his regeneration. When it comes to game balance, it is a power that will be extremely tough to get right.
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The Inherent Difficulties With A Power Like Wolverine’s Regeneration
Outside of Wolverine’s claws and his berserker rage, his coolest ability is undoubtedly a healing factor. Seeing the character survive gunshots is one thing, but seeing all of his skin burnt off from an explosion is something else entirely. Wolverine can be injured so badly that his Adamantium skeleton is visible, with comic readers watching the healing process take place over the following panels. These gruesome moments are a harsh reminder that Wolverine is nearly impossible to kill, and that could be a problem for Insomniac.
While Marvel’s Wolverine’s mature tone means that Insomniac will likely show the character taking some serious damage, it is going to be difficult to present real threats for Wolverine in the game. Though regeneration does perfectly explain a rechargeable health bar, with players able to see Wolverine’s body heal over the course of a few minutes, it will be very hard for Insomniac to present its players with a “game over” scenario. Wolverine can survive just about anything, so it is tough to imagine him dying to any random thugs or even a proper boss of some kind.
If there is no real threat or difficulty because Wolverine cannot die, it may be hard to get invested in the gameplay and story. While tearing through enemies without a care in the world will be fun for a time, having no challenge inside of a game could eventually prove boring for players. Likewise, potential villains could be a lot less intimidating due to Logan essentially being invulnerable. While he could be knocked out of a fight, and some powerful mutants like Magneto have been a threat in the comics, basic enemies doing significant damage is unlikely. Though Wolverine dying would break immersion and go against one of his main powers, making him shrug off every attack could be an even bigger detriment to the gameplay loop.
Ultimately, Marvel’s Wolverine could struggle from a Superman problem. A key reason a new Superman game has not happened is because it is essentially impossible to keep the character balanced. In past games, he was either blatantly overpowered or nerfed to the point where he did not feel like Superman, and a new game would likely struggle with that very same issue. In the case of Marvel’s Wolverine, Insomniac may have an equally tough time keeping the character’s regeneration effective but fair. Hopefully, the developer finds a way to make it work, as it is one of the hero’s most iconic abilities.
Marvel’s Wolverine is in development for PS5.
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