It’s been a big week for fans of Marvel’s Wolverine, starting with the announcement of sharp-looking PS5 hardware and accessories. Now, with just over a month away until its September 15 launch, Insomniac is sharing a deep dive on the game’s story, combat, and exploration thanks to an extensive hands-on session with the game.

Our two-hour session kicked off with the game’s opening mission in the wilds of Telambang, where Wolverine has reunited with Team X to carry out a critical mission infiltrating the facility of anti-mutant industrialist Bolivar Trask. After slicing our way to a daring rescue, we jumped ahead in the game to a bombastic boss fight and a taste of Madripoor’s Lowtown. Between brutal barrages, stealthy scouting, and a range of rage-filled takedowns, we got to cut to the bone of the game’s story, flesh out Wolverine’s allies and foes, and uncover a piece of his buried past.

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Taking on Trask

From the game’s opening moments flashing back to a feral, mangy-haired, and memory-wiped Wolverine, every sequence tested the balance between his rage and humanity. The first mission reunites him with Team X, a mutant task force formed by Nathaniel Essex to help protect mutants. Wolverine had stepped away from the group, something that has rankled his teammates, a wry Mystique and ever-savage Sabretooth.

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Their mission takes them from the hidden facility of billionaire Bolivar Trask to the seedy backstreets of Madripoor, presenting Wolverine with the grim reality of what mutants in this world are facing. With mutants largely unknown by society, Trask has been spending his billions abducting, studying, and cruelly disposing of mutants with little regard for his victims in a quest to maintain human superiority. As the nefarious reality of the facility’s purpose becomes clearer, the horror Wolverine feels quickly pools into an unbridled rage. That rage drives him forward through throngs of Reaver enemies and a run in with Omega Red to eventually free Essex, who has been held captive by Trask.

Essex is the one who found Wolverine years before in that feral state, and formed Team X to protect mutants and build a world where mutants can be open. Between Essex and Trask, Wolverine is faced with the lengths some will go to protect the future of their kind, and will challenge him to face what kind of person he wants to be in this future.

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Sink your claws in

Between storylines and set pieces, my biggest takeaway from my time with Marvel’s Wolverine was that it feels dang good to sink those claws in. Wolverine doesn’t just attack enemies, he catapults himself at them, targeting and launching himself from across the room to stun or barrage. Every combat encounter becomes a furious flurry, where my adrenaline feels directly tied to Wolverine’s increasing rage.

While a simple parry and barrage can get the job done, Wolverine can unlock a number of Special Techniques, skills that can be upgraded and mapped to the directional buttons for an extra flair in a fight. In my playthrough, I could cleave through a group surrounding me with Tornado Spin, or interrupt enemy attacks with Knee Breaker. Players can also unlock Adaptations, which upgrade long-term effects and skills like Logan’s health and rage meter.

That rage will come in handy. Successful combos build up Wolverine’s rage meter, which rises through three Rage Tiers to dramatically alter his fighting style. As Wolverine enters Rage Tier 2, his combos become more powerful and he unlocks Last Stand, which allows him to use his rage to heal his body if fully downed. But things really go over the edge when Wolverine’s meter fills to Rage Tier 3. His attacks become significantly more powerful, while brutal critical strikes become available. His vision seems to close in, his breathing getting louder and more primal as he darts between enemies, slicing and dicing with ease. Those critical strikes can lead to some dangerously fun takedowns, like snatching a member of The Hand’s katana or bow to slam back into them.

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Sometimes, Wolverine needs a more methodical approach. He can use his Enhanced Senses to track and takedown enemies more stealthily. Trask also has Ability Inhibitors at his disposal that block Wolverine and his teammates from using their abilities. In these moments, he must work past the pain and fight without healing, focusing on taking enemies down with classic combat moves and destroying the Inhibitors before it’s too late.

It took all the skills I had gathered so far to take on the looming Sentinel Prototype towards the end of my preview. Built by Trask to detect and destroy mutants, this fight took all of Wolverine’s patience and strategy, dodging or parrying the Sentinel’s powerful attacks, while waiting for the perfect moments to strike. This sequence was thrilling both to use Wolverine’s abilities to their fullest potential, and to watch as he worked in tandem with Mystique and Sabretooth. By the time I was busting through the Sentinel’s head victorious, I had a wild grin on my face and felt amped and ready to take on anyone.

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More to explore

Luckily after that fight, there was still more to explore. In Madripoor, surrounded by allies new and old, we took a moment of respite in Princess Bar (run by Tyger). Here we got to interact with newly acquired ally Jean Grey, and the mutant teens she has been protecting. Though they are still a mystery to one another, Jean and Wolverine’s connection is immediate. It’s with her that he can admit that his anger sometimes scares him and that he wants to be better.

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I enjoyed that Wolverine also makes time here for his teammates Mystique and Sabretooth. Mystique stays focused and on mission during combat, shifting through identities when needed. Here in Princess Bar, she can just be herself, and encourages Wolverine to do the same through a friendly but vulnerable game of Never Have I Ever. Sabretooth spends most of the game’s opening antagonizing Wolverine and calling him a runt, which is fair enough given he stands about as tall as Sabretooth’s navel. But it’s clear their relationship runs deeper, and Sabretooth feels spurned by Wolverine’s original exit from the group.

While exploring the streets of Lowtown, I could take the time to check out some of Wolverine’s other looks and claw types, which ranged from a classic undershirt and jeans outfit to a Weapon X helmeted style. While walking around the Princess Bar, Wolverine’s Enhanced Senses could pick up on conversation or music that could guide him to specific rooms, or trail a teammate’s scent to find where they’ve run off to. Exploring each room sometimes led to a conversation, or finding easter eggs, like Mystique’s wedding pictures, or an IOU written on an ace of spades card from one Remy LeBeau.

Take the time to explore each new location, as Wolverine can discover hidden crates with raw upgrade materials or collectable whisky bottles. Logan can also stumble across Nightmare Doors, which transport him to a dreamlike cabin to take part in a Nightmare Trial. These timed speed trials reimagine different locations from the game into a vertical fever dream, where he can race to the end to unlock a forgotten memory from his past.

Players can sink their claws into Wolverine’s story and tap into his rage when Marvel’s Wolverine launches September 15 on PS5 consoles.