6 Games From Which Insomniac Should Take Inspiration for PS5’s Wolverine

Published 11/20/2023, 7:01 AM EST

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Insomniac Games is cooking! From the Spider-Man series to Ratchet and Clank, they have been at the top of their game every year in the recent years. Their most recent title, Spider-Man 2, hit the 90’s mark on metacritic and is also nominated for GOTY at this year’s The Game Awards. With every game, they only kept getting better. So with their focus shifting to their next game, Wolverine, we can’t help but wonder what Insomniac Games has planned.

One wonders in what direction insomniac games would decide to take their upcoming superhero title. One thing that we can be sure of, especially following multiple rumors, is that it will have an M rating. And given the nature of the character, we can expect a lot of violence. The game is also reportedly looking at a late 2024 release. However, a recent tweet from a credible insider suggests it could come in 2025. As for the game structure, and the world, it is reportedly going to be like God of War. With so much to speculate about what the game will be like and what games will influence the making of Wolverine, let’s look at some games which can be considered good sources of inspiration for the development of Wolverine.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

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When Hideo Kojima revealed this unique game and announced that Platinum Games would be developing it, fans were a bit confused. Platinum is not a developer who works on stealth games, and fans were right too. Revengeance ended up being a unique hack-and-slash title.

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Its unique aspect was giving players the ability to use a sword to cut things bit by bit. Players could slash a watermelon into numerous pieces if they wanted to. Insomniac needs to bring that to Wolverine. Imagine being able to slice things using those adamantium claws repeatedly, rather than just having a go at enemies.

God of War

While previous God of War games could also be an inspiration to Wolverine, the 2018 version seems like a more probable inspiration. Long ago, there was a leak that suggested Wolverine would be a semi-open-world game. Which means it would have several interconnected open-world areas.

This is no different from the Norse mythology God of War games. The world in the game was one of its biggest strong points. Fans who played it to get the platinum know how it opens up after the main story ends. It will be interesting to see Wolverine have such a fleshed-out world. A game like this would be a dream come true for fans who find fully open-world titles overwhelming.

Another factor is the hack and slash. While the combat in the recent games was different, there were some brutal kills. And speaking of brutality, how many games can match God of War III?

The Wolverine teaser trailer confirms as much: The action will be brutal!

Batman: Arkham City

While Insomniac Games made near-perfect Spider-Man titles, Wolverine is somewhat different from the Wall Crawler. He does not crack quirky jokes. He is more similar to DC’s Batman in the sense that they’re both very serious and brooding even. Batman doesn’t kill, but Wolverine doesn’t need an introduction where killing is concerned. In that sense, he stands apart. However, Batman’s combat mechanics and the way he beats his enemies to a pulp is worth looking at.

If there’s one thing everyone knows, it’s that the Arkham Games paved the way for superhero games. It’s about time they literally refined that combat even more and used it in Wolverine. Over that, they could treat Wolverine the way Rocksteady did with Batman, making him a no-nonsense guy who just wants to get his thing done, no matter the cost.

Wolverine 2009

The movie Wolverine Origins was released in 2009, the same year Activision launched a game with the same name. Of course, it was developed to accompany the movie; it was a licensed game. But developer Raven Software gave it much more time than people had expected. As a result, fans had a God of War-esque hack-and-slash game.

It was full of action set pieces and it was full of gore, but most noticeable and fun was its combat; fast-paced moves that could be chained to create a combo. Wolverine also had a unique feature. When enemies attacked him, his clothes would get torn. His body, too, showed some low poly cuts that healed once combat ended. It was a very realistic feel. The same feature is seen in the Arkham games too. In Arkham City if you look closely, you can find cuts all over Batman’s suit.

Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2

Insomniac Games being the developer, it’s a no-brainer that they will look to their Spider-Man games.

They changed the outlook of many gamers about a Spider-Man game. The combat is one aspect for starters. Spider-Man 2. But the one we need to think of is traversal.

The most significant upgrade in Spider-Man 2 was the swinging mechanic. Both Spider-Men could not only swing, but also glide, which also made things faster. And let’s not forget the super-quick fast travel. While Wolverine can’t swing or glide, the developers could give us his motorcycle. Imagine riding around on his Ducati.

Devil May Cry

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Finally, the Devil May Cry series makes the list. Yes, as mentioned a number of times above, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 have excellent combat. But cutting enemies in half is much different from just attacking them and knocking them out. No other hack-and-slash game does it better than the Devil May Cry series.

Combos, unlockable movies, and even different kinds of blades. After all, the M rating is all but confirmed; why not take inspiration from one of the coolest hack-and-slash titles in gaming?

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While it has yet to get a trailer, it goes without saying that Insomniac Games would need just the right games to look at for inspiration. Let’s hope they do take a look at some of the above-mentioned titles and give their fans something unforgettable.

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Written by:

Rohit Sejwal

1,315Articles

One take at a time

“Stories hit way better when you are part of them!” Which is why I am a gamer first, writer second and a filmmaker as well. Being associated with movies has given me a very different perspective on gaming. Writing about video games has been on my mind for years and being an eSports writer at EssentiallySports gave me that chance.
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Edited by:

Rohan Karnad