Incomniac Games executives confirmed that the upcoming Wolverine video gameplay will have a notably different vibe than the Spider-Man games while also revealing exactly why. Insomniac's Spider-Man games have been extremely successful in the gaming world and have helped revive the superhero genre, which was once dominated by titles like Batman: Arkham City. During the PlayStation Showcase in September 2021, Insomniac officially announced that a Wolverine game set in the same universe as Spider-Man was in development. Since then, the title has had some hiccups, but it is still being worked on.
In a recent behind-the-scenes look at Wolverine that was shared by PlayStation, creative director Marcus Smith, project director Jess Reiner-Reed, and executive producer Eric Monacelli talked about the upcoming game and let fans know a bit of what they can expect once it is released. Notably, the pair mentioned how different Wolverine will be from the Spider-Man games, particularly when it comes to tone and how the titular characters act during gameplay.
For instance, where Spider-Man and Miles Morales knew their goals and what decisions they had made in the past, because of "gaps in his memory," Wolverine will be "an unreliable narrator:"
"Working with Wolverine is interesting because part of the route to who he is is that he's an unreliable narrator. He has gaps in his memory, so Wolverine doesn't really remember a lot of his life. And that's got to be an extremely frustrating aspect."
Monacelli described Wolverine as someone who will have a lot of mood swings. For example, according to the executive producer, he could go from "rage and fury" to "kind and tender" at the drop of a hat:
"He's this ball of rage and fury, but then he could turn on a dime and he could be very, very kind and tender in the next moment."
One of the main differences between Spider-Man and Wolverine, though, is what Smith noted about how much Logan (aka Wolverine) will talk throughout the game. Instead of speaking all of the time while running around or during fights, or even during moments to himself, Wolverine will "convey a lot with very little being spoken:"
"When we're casting for someone like Logan. What we're looking for in character traits are someone who can convey a lot with very little being spoken."
Anyone who has played the Spider-Man games knows that Peter is talking almost nonstop. Whether he is swinging around New York City, hanging out with MJ, or even working on something alone, he always has something to say. Wolverine will apparently not be even remotely like that in his own game.
Instead, it seems as though a lot of Wolverine's emotions will come through body language. Seemingly, Wolverine won't even be saying much while fighting bad guys. It appears as though he will just be getting the job done. That is much different than how Spider-Man handles situations, as he constantly has quips or quick-witted remarks to make to the villains.
According to Reiner-Reed, a lot of different emotions will be conveyed at the same time with Wolverine, which is also a bit different from Spider-Man in his games. Yes, Spider-Man went through a lot of different emotions, but he rarely bottled all of them up inside at the same time. Wolverine, on the other hand, will be "relentless, greedy, angry," but also "a little sad:"
"When you have that first moment that we show in gameplay, there's so much emotion that you can feel behind his eyes. He looks relentless, he looks greedy, he looks angry, but also he looks maybe a little sad. That level of acting and being able to just deliver that performance with believability across both spectrums was something insomniac ourselves. We all agreed. [Liam McIntyre's] the one. We don't need to see anybody else."
Monacelli also touched on the official artwork that will be used for Wolverine's cover, explaining how it will also be different from the artwork Insomniac has used for its other games, such as Spider-Man:
"We're pretty excited about the artwork that we're using on the cover. It's dynamic. It's rough edged. You notice it doesn't look like our past games. It has a sense of urgency and forward movement and rage and fury, and that's Wolverine."
As Monacelli mentioned, the Wolverine artwork looks "rough-edged," which is far different from the Spider-Man covers. Those have crisp edges, and it is clear where one part stops and another starts. It is also worth noting that Spider-Man is pretty much emotionless on the cover of his game. He is simply swinging in front of a red background and is not really in the midst of a fight or expressing anything.
Wolverine, on the other hand, has a menacing grimace, and his claws are extended. It appears as though he is getting ready to rush at someone and tear them in half. While that is vastly different from the Spider-Man cover, it fits the two characters and highlights their differences in the most perfect way.
How Will Wolverine's Gameplay and Story Be Different From Spider-Man's?
As mentioned, 2026's Wolverine is already shaping up to be much different than the Spider-Man games in every way. Insomniac made sure to show fans in the upcoming game's trailer that Wolverine will not hold back when it comes to brutalizing his enemies. Unlike Spider-Man and Miles Morales, Wolverine will step over the boundary and bring death to some of his enemies.
As seen by the litres of blood, the dismemberment, and Wolverine tearing someone in half, the game will go a lot further than the Spider-Man games, where, if you knock an enemy off a building, they automatically get webbed to the wall so that they don't die.
As far as gameplay goes, Wolverine will be much more violent and may even give players more freedom to "experiment" on enemies (probably not as much freedom as a Rockstar game, but still).
On the story side of things, fans can expect to see a much grittier plot. Spider-Man and its sequels had plots with stakes and emotion, but they didn't get down in the trenches like Wolverine probably will. For instance, Wolverine could touch on human experimentation, mental health issues, and other dark subjects that Spider-Man has largely stayed away from.
Overall, Wolverine's fanbase will be more refined than Spider-Man's. Insomniac needed to make Spider-Man accessible to nearly everyone because he is an extremely popular hero. And, in truth, darkness doesn't fit Peter Parker anyway, so those games were exactly what they needed to be. On the other hand, Wolverine is a more troubled and dark character, so making Wolverine a bit more mature will be exactly what it needs.
