Insomniac’sMarvel’s Wolverinehas a lot going for it. Not only is it coming off the back of two absolutely incredibleSpider-Man games by Insomniac, but it also features one of Marvel’s most popular characters, who is a truly great choice for a video game action hero. Being able to claw to death goons as Wolverine or embark on a thrilling, obscenity and cigar-filled adventure through Madripoor is a very exciting prospect that I, and many others, are keen to experience.
Of course, that is whyMarvel’s Wolverinehas quickly shot to the top of themost-anticipated PS5 gamesof all time. However, as much as there is a lot to love about the mere concept of a Wolverine video game,there are some potential pitfalls it may run into thanks to the comic book canon. One such pitfall will take a substantial amount of work for Insomniac to not only work into the core gameplay, but also respectfully honor.
Wolverine’s Healing Factor Means He’s Almost Invincible
He Can Survive Practically Any Beating
One of Wolverine’s main abilities is his healing factor. He can basically come back from the dead and has done so on numerous occasions. No matter what is thrown at him, no matter how badly his body is mutilated, torn to shreds, burned to a crisp, or even reduced to a mere droplet of blood,Wolverine always finds a way to come back. Naturally, in the comics, this is a pretty handy mechanism through which the writers can inflict severe trauma on the poor character and have him always stick around.
Unfortunately, Wolverine’s well-established and, frankly, completely overpowered healing factor poses ahuge problem forMarvel’s Wolverine. If the main character of your video game can heal after any attack, then are there really any stakes? Considering the majority of video game enemies are goons with guns or melee weapons, Wolverine, at least in his prime, should have no difficulty dispatching them. That couldmakeMarvel’s Wolverinefeel like playing in god mode.
Of course, Insomniac Games would have considered this - it would be baffling had it not - and would have figured out a way to incorporate it into the games. However, consideringInsomniac Games' worrying radio silencearoundMarvel’s Wolverine, it is hard to know the direction it is going to take with regard to this. One option is to simplyfigure out how Wolverine’s healing factor could be overwhelmed and rendered inaccessible.
Wolverine’s Healing Factor Can Get Overwhelmed
There Are Ways Of Hurting Logan
It is possible thatMarvel’s Wolverinecouldskip certain comic detailsand go in a completely original direction, not unlike theMarvel’s Spider-Mangames. Of course, there is usually a precedent for everything in the comics - after all, Wolverine has been around since 1974 - so Insomniac wouldn’t really be doing anything outrageous that may upset the fans. For example,Wolverine in the game could be modeled after Old Man Logan, who has a severely weakened healing factor.
Alternatively,there are methods used or tools seen in the comics that can reduce the effectiveness of Wolverine’s healing or simply kill him outright. For example, there’s the Muramasa Blade, which has the ability to severely delay Wolverine’s healing factor if used against him. At one point, Nick Fury decapitated Wolverine and separated his head from his body. Both parts were still technically alive, but Wolverine was rendered a useless, wise-talking head as a result.
Of course,a lot of these ideas wouldn’t really work with regular enemies that Insomniac will likely have us fight. We have to get through all the cannon fodder so that the boss fights feel significantly harder. And not every boss fight can be centered around the main villain attempting to melt Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton. So, Insomniac will have to either gamify his healing factor or remove it altogether to make things significantly more interesting.
Insomniac Could Have Healing Factor Skills For Upgrades
They Could Make It An Unlockable Skill
One potential solution is to justmake Wolverine’s healing factor an upgrade players can unlock. For example, Wolverine could be constantly regenerating his health whenever attacked, but at a substantially slower rate, depending on how much players have upgraded his healing factor perk. The more points players invest in it, the quicker he heals and the more invulnerable he becomes. Or, the healing factor as a whole could be one extremely expensive unlockable skill that turns the game into easy mode.
Another option is to just make it so that whenever the player dies in-game, it is actually just Wolverine retreating to heal upbefore coming back. Characters could even reference how they’ve already fought Wolverine before, much like in theShadow of Mordorgames. There doesn’t have to be a dedicated nemesis system, just an in-game excuse for why Wolverine was technically pulled from a fight before returning later on.
Of course, that doesn’t work if the fight is against a boss or during a strict cinematic sequence. Imagine Wolverine starting a fight against a group of enemies after a cutscene, only to lose, apparently hobble out of there, and then return later to find them still waiting for him. Either option has its benefits and limitations, but frankly,it feels like maybe the healing factor should be cut out completely.
There are definitelydetailsMarvel’s Wolverineshould borrowfrom the comics, but then there are some that should be left out. It will be interesting to see how Insomniac Games approaches the healing factor, and I have every faith that it’ll do a good job of it. However, until we see some actual gameplay ofMarvel’s Wolverine, we’ll be left wondering how Insomniac is going to deal with this particular roadblock.
