Fans have been wanting to see anything from Insomniac Games' upcoming Wolverine for PlayStation 5. Following the massive leak for the company that revealed most of the planned game releases and concepts for their titles, many fans were wondering if they would have to wait longer before catching an official glimpse at what was coming next. But during the State of Play showcase for PlayStation in September, everyone was surprised by the official reveal of Marvel's Wolverine. What was immediately clear from the start was just how mature and different overall this game would feel from their previous work on PlayStation 5.

To anyone that knows anything about Marvel Comics, Wolverine is a character that is much more gritty and bold than most other Marvel heroes. He's not as flashy as Iron Man, or friendly as Spider-Man, but instead a rugged and battle-worn guy that knows how to get into a big brawl. When he's not alongside other X-Men or Avengers characters, Wolverine can be one of the darker heroes to roam the Marvel universe. This is why, upon first seeing Wolverine for PlayStation 5 during the State of Play show, the vicious and bloody first impressions the gameplay conveyed were the best thing to show everyone, because that's the shift in tone that Insomniac Games needed to make for the iconic character. Here's why Marvel's Wolverine had to feel different from Insomniac's Spider-Man games.

More grit than greatness

Different heroes, different tones

When looking at a game like Marvel's Spider-Man or its sequel, one thing that Insomniac Games did so well was making the character and his world feel so authentic. Peter Parker is a good person at heart, despite being thrust into over-the-top situations with larger than life circumstances and consequences. For every bad guy Spider-Man encounters, he still manages to remain jovial and upbeat in the face of tough times and danger. At the same time, the city of New York around Peter Parker remains bright and hopeful, even when villains are causing havoc around him. This is true to the character of Spider-Man and his stories, which is why so many fans resonated with Insomniac Games' take on the character for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

Wolverine is almost the complete opposite of that, both personality-wise and tonally. Because of the many battles and harsh times that Logan has lived through, his persona as Wolverine is a reflection of that, becoming more beast than man at times. The trailer shown by PlayStation immediately has Wolverine chopping down foes with his famous adamantium claws and gritting his teeth as he searches for more enemies nearby. It's a complete change of tone for a character that is so much darker than what Spider-Man was in his own games. And it makes the most sense for a completely different kind of hero, despite living in the same overall universe.

Although both games may not exactly be from the same universe in terms of where and when they take place, the characters of Wolverine and Spider-Man coexist in the comics just the same. They are both seen as heroes in various ways, despite having very different paths and outlooks on the challenges ahead of them. While Spider-Man is quick to fight and make jokes the whole time, Wolverine is more likely to scream in rage as he slashes through those attacking him. Insomniac Games may have some ideas and gameplay concepts that might be inspired by what was done in Marvel's Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, but it's going to be an entirely different vibe for Wolverine on PlayStation 5. It may get messy throughout, but the game will keep players invested just as much as their previous work.

A vicious hero this time

That killer instinct feels different

This also relates to the combat for a game like Wolverine in comparison to what we've seen in the Spider-Man games. Fights with Spider-Man are action-packed and flashy, with Spidey doing all sorts of tricks to knock down enemies and get control of a situation. On the other hand, Wolverine is the character that will brawl and kill enemies to settle things up, without so much as caring for the feelings or well-being of those around him. Wolverine is gritty and willing to get his claws bloody if it meant taking out a target, which is why we see him fighting so much in bloody battles in the latest trailer from Insomniac Games.

True to his own title, Wolverine is the best at what he does, and what he does isn't very nice. It may be nice for us to see him as fans, but not for his enemies. It's a very different approach in tone for combat, with a character that is willing to kill easily and keep doing so. There are moments in the Spider-Man games where Peter or Miles could injure a thug, and maybe even knock them off a building, but never the sense that the heroes would kill quickly. Insomniac made Spidey feel strong and bold in moments like this, but still lighthearted enough to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man where it counted.

Every fight that we see from Wolverine during the State of Play reveal shows the complete opposite of that, and it's to the game's benefit. Fans want to see Wolverine go berserk on bad guys, ripping and tearing through them like a vicious animal, mostly because they deserve it. Seeing Logan dismember enemies in combat in Wolverine feels authentic and right for him. Although not the cleanest or traditional hero in the Marvel universe, Logan is a character that still does the right thing for the right reason, even if it can get as messy as killing someone bad. It's an aspect of Wolverine stories outside the X-Men comic books that has made him so appealing to superhero fans, especially when things get crazy dark, and he gets more brutal.

Harsher locations for Logan

It's not always bright for superheroes

As of now, there are three main locations that Logan will end up going to during the story of Marvel's Wolverine. This would include parts of Canada, the city of Tokyo in Japan, and the island of Madripoor. In the reveal trailer for the game, things look like they'll get dark for Logan as he goes about his journey, especially when crossing paths with other Marvel characters that were revealed to show up. But the locations themselves look a lot more grim in tone and harsher than what fans have experienced with New York City in Marvel's Spider-Man.

As Spidey swings past buildings and the streets below, there's almost a whimsical vibe to getting around the city. The general feeling of hopefulness that comes from the bustling down below and the sun beaming across the city has a certain tone to it that fits right for Spider-Man and his stories. Even when things get chaotic in the latter portions of games like Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5, there's still a lighter tone that compliments the danger involved with various villains. While the story can go to darker places, plots that involve Spidey in those games will always manage to get back to that same lighter tone that is par for the course of his world. You're never really going to look at Spider-Man swinging through New York City and think that it's a depressing place to be.

This isn't the same for Wolverine based on the footage shown in the trailer. Where Logan goes, trouble will seem to follow him, or he'll go looking for more trouble instead. There's clearly a different vibe for what Wolverine will seemingly involve himself with as he travels to different locations. The battles are most likely going to be tense and action-packed, but the buildup to them will definitely come from the settings looking like bad news. The sections of the trailer that show Logan up north in Canada exude a similar tone to various Wolverine stories from the comics, which often involve cold and isolated places that lead into the action. Looking at the world that Logan is part of in Insomniac's new game, it's not going to be all sunshine and good vibes for everyone that encounters Wolverine.

Getting gritty with Wolverine

Marvel fans won't have to wait a long time for Wolverine to finally arrive on PlayStation 5. The game is set to release in the fall of 2026 for PlayStation 5. And if everything shown in the reveal trailer is what players can expect in this new title from Insomniac Games, then we're all in for a real treat. It may not be the kind of thing we got from the Spider-Man games, but Wolverine needs to feel different from that. And by all accounts, the developers at Insomniac Games knew exactly what they had to do in order for that to become a reality.