An Awkward Caveat in Marvel's Wolverine's Approach to Battle Damage

Article Key Points

Marvel's Wolverine is expected to have a violent and mature story, fitting for the character's nature and conflicts.

The battle damage feature in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is both enjoyable and nonsensical, as it magically repairs the suit moments later, breaking immersion. To avoid similar issues, Marvel's Wolverine should realistically depict battle damage.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 delved into darker themes, pushing the boundaries of what a modern take on Spider-Man is usually willing to explore. While there are certainly more horrific and traumatic examples of Spider-Man stories in the character's source material, it is commendable that Insomniac drew inspiration from narratives that are not solely uplifting. While it may not be expected for Insomniac to adapt Spider-Man: Reign, incorporating darker tones sets the stage for Marvel's Wolverine to unleash its claws in a violent and mature story of its own.

Indeed, Marvel’s Wolverine would appear out of place if it had narratives as uplifting or lighthearted as Marvel’s Spider-Man. While it is not impossible for a story centered around Logan to have such tones, his approach to conflict typically involves significantly more bloodshed compared to Peter or Miles. Marvel’s Wolverine is likely to adopt Marvel’s Spider-Man’s approach to depicting battle damage, which is an intriguing feature. However, despite the impressive nature of Marvel’s Spider-Man’s battle damage, it lacks logical consistency from a narrative perspective, and Marvel’s Wolverine will probably make the same flaw in its execution.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Battle Damage Requires a Suspension of Disbelief

Marvel's Spider-Man and Miles Morales showcased battle damage that was both logical and awe-inspiring, as it held narrative significance. An excellent example of this was when Peter's iconic costume was torn, ultimately leading to the creation of the Advanced suit. However, in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, battle damage is introduced on a widespread scale, where every blow taken during combat results in noticeable rips and tears on the player's suit.

What sets this apart is that Spider-Man continues to bear the battle damage until players press down on the d-pad to heal, which somehow magically repairs his suit as well.

Marvel’s Spider-Man’s Battle Damage is Circumstantial and Nonsensical

Witnessing the effects of damage on suits, adding an element of excitement, is a great feature. However, the instantaneous and unexplained repairs that occur moments later completely shatter the sense of immersion. It would be difficult to maintain both the realism of battle damage and the immersion unless these Spider-Man games followed the example of the Arkham games, which take place over a single night. Nevertheless, despite its unrealistic nature, many fans may not be bothered by this aspect.

One could also mention how the lack of damage to suits disrupts immersion. However, without a well-balanced approach that satisfies both preferences, it can still be jarring when Spider-Man's inexplicable healing mechanic magically repairs his torn costume.

Wolverine Can Heal from Battle Damage, But His Costumes Can’t

Marvel's Wolverine has the potential to exacerbate the problem if it adopts the battle damage feature seen in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The idea of Wolverine reflecting battle damage is remarkable, considering his ability to self-regenerate and instantly repair his body from severe injuries. Witnessing Logan heal in real-time would be a remarkable demonstration of the PS5's impressive load times. However, if his clothing and costumes also magically repair themselves, it would diminish the entire concept.

Marvel’s Wolverine Needs to Represent Battle Damage Realistically

If Marvel's Wolverine is to have battle damage, it is crucial that his clothing and costumes remain visibly damaged. There should be no magical ability for them to repair themselves like Spider-Man's costumes. In fact, Logan's clothing could even tear away, leaving him shirtless if necessary. However, this poses a significant challenge for Insomniac when deciding how to implement battle damage for a character who could benefit from it the most.

Marvel's Wolverine is in development.

Editor's P/S

I am really excited about the upcoming Marvel's Wolverine game. I think it has the potential to be a really great game, especially if it can avoid some of the mistakes that were made in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

One of the things that I really liked about Marvel's Spider-Man was the battle damage system. It was really cool to see how the damage that Spider-Man took in battle would affect his suit. However, I thought it was a little bit unrealistic that the suit would magically repair itself after a few seconds. I think it would be more realistic if the damage that Wolverine took in battle would stay visible on his clothing and costumes. This would help to show the brutality of the combat and would also make it more immersive for the player.

I also think it would be really cool if Wolverine's healing ability was reflected in the game. For example, if he was injured in battle, we could see his wounds healing in real-time. This would be a great way to show how powerful Wolverine is and would also help to make the game more immersive.