New Marvel’s Wolverine Game Features show that Insomniac has learned a lot since Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Wolverine will launch with New Game Plus, Mission Replay, deep combat upgrades, different claw styles and more than 100 accessibility options, while some features Spider-Man players had to wait for will already be ready on day one.
That does not mean Wolverine will automatically become a better game than Spider-Man. The two heroes play very differently, but Insomniac clearly looks ready to give Logan a more complete package from the start.
Wolverine Gets New Game Plus and Mission Replay From the Start
One of the biggest differences appears after players finish the story. Marvel’s Wolverine will include New Game Plus at launch. Players can start another playthrough with extra Techniques and higher level caps, giving them a reason to return with a stronger version of Logan.
Mission Replay also comes with the game. Players can return to specific story missions without starting everything again, which should make replaying favorite fights much easier.
Spider-Man 2 players did not get those features when the game originally launched. Insomniac added New Game Plus and Mission Replay in a later update. That makes Wolverine’s launch setup much stronger.
Instead of telling players to finish the campaign and wait for replay features, Insomniac already has them prepared. Anyone who wants to try another build, use a different Wolverine suit or replay a brutal boss fight can do it without waiting months for an update.
Wolverine also has Nightmare Challenges, which give players combat and traversal challenges where they can chase better scores. Together, these features make the game look built for more than one playthrough from day one.
Rage Gives Wolverine Something Spider-Man Never Had
The biggest gameplay difference comes from Logan himself. Wolverine uses a three-stage Rage system that becomes more powerful as players fight. Attacking, parrying and killing enemies can build the meter and turn Logan into an even bigger threat.
The first parts of Rage help with survival, while later stages make Wolverine much more dangerous. At the highest level, Logan becomes extremely aggressive and can tear through enemies with much stronger attacks.
His Healing Factor also connects to the system. When Wolverine takes heavy damage, Rage can help him survive and get back into the fight. Spider-Man usually rewards players for staying mobile, dodging attacks and avoiding damage. Wolverine takes almost the opposite approach.
Logan can get hurt badly and keep coming. That should make his fights feel heavier and more desperate. Getting surrounded may not always mean the player made a mistake. Sometimes it could become the moment when Wolverine is at his most dangerous. Insomniac has clearly avoided making Spider-Man combat with claws added on top.
Players Can Build Their Own Version of Wolverine
Wolverine also has a much deeper set of combat options than the early trailers suggested. Players can unlock Special Techniques such as Tornado Spin, Knee Breaker and Spiral Strike. Four Special Techniques can stay equipped at the same time, letting players choose the moves that fit their style.
Then there are Adaptations. Insomniac says there are dozens of them, and they can change how Logan performs during fights. Some help him survive gunfire, while others improve Rage, make parries easier or even change how frightened enemies become when Wolverine attacks.
That gives players room to create different builds. Someone who likes aggressive combat can focus heavily on Rage, while another player may choose upgrades that make Logan harder to kill or easier to control during difficult fights.
Spider-Man 2 also gave Peter and Miles different abilities and upgrades, so character builds are not new for Insomniac. Wolverine simply takes the idea in a direction that fits Logan much better. He is not switching between web attacks and gadgets. He is becoming harder to kill and scarier to fight.
Spider-Man Had Suits, but Wolverine Gets Different Claws Too
Insomniac already knows fans love unlocking superhero suits.
Marvel’s Wolverine continues that idea with outfits inspired by different parts of Logan’s history. Players can find looks based on Weapon X, Old Man Logan, Ultimate Wolverine and Patch, along with more normal clothes such as leather jackets and tank tops.
Some suits also let players change smaller parts of the outfit, including hats and cowls. But Wolverine goes one step further by letting players change the claws. Logan can unlock different designs including bone claws, curved claws, notched claws, angled claws and reflective claws.
These do not suddenly turn Wolverine into a different character, but they give fans another way to create the version of Logan they want to see. Insomniac even lets players pop the claws whenever they want outside combat by pressing L2 and R2.
Spider-Man players had the classic random web swinging while travelling around New York. Wolverine players will probably spend half their journey pulling the claws out for absolutely no reason. And that feels exactly right.
Wolverine’s Collectibles Actually Dig Into Logan’s Past
Exploration also has a different purpose.
Wolverine can use his enhanced senses to search areas and discover hidden activities. Players can find Nightmare Doors, material crates and whisky bottles while moving through different locations. The whisky bottles are especially interesting because they connect to Logan’s lost memories.
Finding them can reveal pieces of his past rather than simply adding another collectible number to a menu. That gives Insomniac an easy way to reward exploration while also telling more of Wolverine’s story.
Nightmare Doors lead to special challenges, while material crates help players unlock more gear and suits. The game takes Logan across different parts of the world instead of keeping him inside one huge city. That means exploration will work very differently from Spider-Man’s version of New York.
Spider-Man was built around moving quickly across a massive open city. Wolverine seems more interested in making players search individual areas and discover things connected to Logan himself. Neither approach needs to be better. But it gives Wolverine its own identity.
Wolverine Lets Players Control How Brutal It Gets
This may be one of the biggest features Spider-Man never needed. Marvel’s Wolverine is extremely violent. Enemies can lose limbs, blood covers fights and Logan’s claws do exactly what claws should do.
Insomniac knows not everyone wants the same amount of gore. Players can change settings for blood and dismemberment, letting them reduce parts of the violence without changing the whole game. Adult language also has its own options.
That gives players more control over a game that naturally goes much further than Spider-Man ever could. Insomniac does not need to tone Wolverine down for everyone. Players who want the full brutal experience can keep it, while others can reduce parts they do not enjoy.
It is a smart way to handle a hero who simply cannot fight like Spider-Man. Peter Parker normally punches criminals and leaves them tied to a wall. Logan has six knives coming out of his hands. There was never going to be much room for the same approach.
More Than 100 Accessibility Features Are Ready Too
Insomniac is also bringing more than 100 new, improved and returning accessibility features to Marvel’s Wolverine.
Players can change parts of the game such as speed, visuals, audio and controls. High Contrast visuals, Audio Description and stronger haptic signals are among the options Insomniac has confirmed.
The studio has built strong accessibility systems across its previous games, including Spider-Man, and Wolverine continues that work rather than starting again. The difference is that many of these options will already exist when Wolverine arrives.
That matters because accessibility should not feel like something players need to wait for after release. The same idea applies to New Game Plus and Mission Replay. Insomniac seems to be taking features it added or improved across its Spider-Man games and making sure Wolverine starts with a more complete package.
Spider-Man Fans May Be Looking at Wolverine With a Little Jealousy
Spider-Man 2 remains one of Insomniac’s biggest games, and Wolverine would not exist in its current form without the studio learning from Peter and Miles. But the latest reveal shows how those lessons are helping Logan.
New Game Plus and Mission Replay are ready from the beginning. Special Techniques and dozens of Adaptations give combat more choice. Three Rage levels completely change how Wolverine handles difficult fights.
Players also get different claws, suits, Nightmare Challenges, collectibles linked to Logan’s memories and more than 100 accessibility features. Some of those ideas simply would not make sense for Spider-Man.
Others are exactly the kind of features Spider-Man players probably wish they had received on launch day. That may be the most interesting thing about Wolverine so close to release.
Insomniac is not throwing away what worked in Spider-Man. The studio is taking years of lessons from those games and building something that better fits Logan. Spider-Man taught Insomniac how to make a great Marvel game. Wolverine now gets the chance to show what the studio learned from it.
Marvel’s Wolverine launches September 15, 2026 exclusively for PS5.
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