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Despite reportedly having a budget of $300 million USD, Insomniac’s latest superhero video game ‘Wolverine’ has faced intense criticism for being too forgiving, linear, and patronisingly handholdy to the point of frustration. Is this a warning to other AAA developers?
Insomniac, the developer behind the recent, critically acclaimed ‘Spider-Man’ games, is facing criticism following the release of its latest title, ‘Wolverine.’
The game follows a new, original story from the X-Men superhero of the same name. Wielding giant, mental claws, players can traverse linear levels with basic combat elements, climbing sections, and chase scenes that include simple quick-time events.
‘Wolverine’ was highly anticipated given Insomniac’s previous work, with fans hoping this would be a definitive video game adaptation.
Yet, according to most reviewers, this isn’t the case.
The game is receiving mostly mid-to-low review scores across the board. It is reportedly quite short, clocking in at roughly twenty hours for completionists. Given the game costs £70.00 for the ‘Standard Edition’ (plus an extra £10.00 for the ‘Digital Deluxe Edition’ because, obviously), that doesn’t bode well.
Combat is also extremely basic, with players saying they’re encouraged to mash the action button repeatedly rather than playing strategically.
There are some novel finishing moves and combos in there, of course, but they’re randomly chosen and outside the player’s control, and aren’t enough to save a shallow system that offers weak skill trees and unnecessary, surface-level ‘customisation.’
By far and away the biggest issue, however, is the ridiculously strict UI, which tells players where to go and what to do at all times. A ‘scent’ feature generates a bright blue directional line that offers no opportunity to organically discover each new area, with collectibles signposted by obnoxious, huge, pulsing icons and branching path lines.
It makes the experience feel overly curated and claustrophobic, reviewers say.
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Major critics like SkillUp, Gameranx, and IGN have all called out ‘Wolverine’ for what they argue is excessive handholding and patronising game design, where player intuition is not encouraged or rewarded. ‘Let this be a cautionary tale for other developers,’ said SkillUp in his scathing review.
It feels like the last straw for players who have become disillusioned with titles that are too easy, where corporate direction ensures games are as broadly appealing as possible while sacrificing artistic vision and cohesion.
When games like ‘Wolverine’ essentially play themselves, is there any point in even buying them?
The project reportedly cost upward of $300 million USD and is rumoured to have been a development nightmare, with multiple versions scrapped and reworked since its initial announcement.
