Marvel's Wolverine Launches to Mixed Reception, and Insomniac Says It's Already Listening
Critics praised the combat, but the scent trail mechanic and hand-holding drew complaints, and the studio says changes are coming.
Marvel’s Wolverine arrived on PS5 on September 15, 2026, and the conversation around Insomniac’s latest is already split between praise for the fighting and frustration with the moment-to-moment guidance.
What critics liked. Game Informer’s review, which scored the game 8.5 out of 10, said the “brutal efficiency of the lead character’s destructive ferocity” is captured and wrote that “the fights along the way will not disappoint.” It called the M-rated battles “deeply satisfying,” while noting the story stumbles in the second half and that the linear structure differs significantly from Insomniac’s Spider-Man games, prioritizing relentless action over exploration.
Not every outlet was as warm. Push Square’s report describes the reception as mixed, and reviewers highlighted excessive hand-holding UI elements alongside combat and level design concerns.
The scent trail complaint. The most-discussed criticism, according to Push Square, is the scent trail mechanic, which appears frequently and leads players along a bright blue visual path throughout the game.
Insomniac’s response. Community and Marketing Director James Stevenson posted on X that the team is working on improvements. In his words: “We have been 100% listening over the last few days and the team has been cooking hard today in response to some of the feedback.” Push Square reads the wording of the post as a hint that the scent mechanic is a primary focus, but that is the outlet’s interpretation. Insomniac has not, in the material we reviewed, specified what exactly will change or when patches will arrive.
What to watch. Post-launch patches are planned. Push Square notes that some of the concerns, such as combat and level design, may be harder to fix through patches than a UI toggle would be.
Bottom line. If you were waiting on reviews, the picture is nuanced: the combat is the draw, the structure is linear, and a fix for the most intrusive guidance element appears to be in progress. We’ll report specifics as soon as Insomniac publishes patch notes.