Marvel's Wolverine is out — and the verdict is 'good, not great,' which is its own kind of story
Wolverine launched to a 78 Metacritic: brutal combat, but linear and short of Insomniac's Spider-Man highs. The honest day-one picture, now players have it.
Stated by the maker, publisher, or platform holder.
Marvel's Wolverine is out today, and now that the full wave of reviews has landed, the picture is clearer — and more interesting — than "it's good." It's good, not great, and the gap between what was expected and what arrived is the actual story.
The first reviews, out the day before launch, were positive. With the full aggregate in, it's more nuanced: a solid game that lands clearly below Insomniac's own high bar.
The confirmed numbers
For context, Insomniac's Spider-Man games scored 87, 85, and 90. So 78 is a real step down for the studio — not a bad game, but not the automatic masterpiece the pedigree suggested. That contrast is why "78" is being treated as a mild disappointment rather than a solid win, which tells you as much about expectations as about the game.
Hitting 60fps with ray tracing on the standard console, not just the Pro, is a genuine technical achievement. Ray tracing usually forces a choice between visual quality and frame rate.
What critics agree on
The split is remarkably consistent across reviews.
Praised: the combat, near-universally — brutal, visceral, "brutally satisfying," built around Logan's claws and healing factor. The visuals, the voice work (Liam McIntyre's Logan), and the character dynamics also land well. Several reviewers called it a visual spectacle, and the compact 15-20 hour length was framed as a virtue in a year of bloated open worlds.
Criticised: the linearity and pacing. This is the recurring knock — Insomniac built its reputation on open worlds, and Wolverine is a deliberately linear, more restrictive experience. Reviewers cited limited player agency, uneven pacing, and combat that some felt grew repetitive before the end. The storytelling divided people too.
The pre-launch drama, in hindsight
Worth remembering: weeks before release, preview footage, especially a Sentinel boss fight, got widely mocked, and Insomniac's marketing director pushed back, calling the negativity a "relentless onslaught" amplified by algorithms. The final reviews are far kinder than that clip-driven pile-on suggested — but they're also lower than the studio's best, so both things turned out somewhat true. The game is better than the mockery implied and less than the hype promised.
Should you buy it
The honest read, given the split:
Buy it now if you want a tight, gory, well-acted 15-20 hour character piece and you value focus over scope. The combat is the star and most reviewers say it delivers. On PS5, it's the standout exclusive of the season.
Wait if you were expecting Spider-Man-scale open-world variety, or if repetitive-combat complaints are a dealbreaker for you. There's no early-access rush — it's the same game today as next month, and a price drop is more likely on a 78-rated title than a 90-rated one.
You can't buy it at all if you're on PC or Xbox. Still PS5-only, still no port announced.
For everything else landing before GTA 6 takes over in November, our autumn rundown has the calendar. Wolverine was the first big test of the season — it passed, just not with the grade its studio usually earns.