The Team Behind ‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ On Ignoring Fan Expectations: “If You Listen To Everyone, You Make A Game For No-one”
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Readtime: 8 min
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Marvel’s Wolverine is, indisputably, one of the biggest games of the year, and it’s only just dropped. Insomniac Games have taken on the daunting task of really fleshing out one of the most iconic characters in all of comics and cinema, and making him completely interactive.
But that’s a key problem with adapting a beloved character to a new medium: we all have pre-conceived notions of who this character is, what he’s capable of, and what he should become. In fact, many times over now we’ve seen Logan on the big screen as someone who is filled with rage and struggles to temper it, despite best efforts.
Building Logan for a video game, however, is an entirely different challenge. How do you give the player control over Logan without losing the essence of the character? How do you flesh out this character without completely alienating the player? Is that a tightrope walk that’s actually achievable, or is it just a mutated pipe dream?
It seems like an endeavour that could be completely polarising, and so far, it’s been exactly that.
But do the team behind the game pay attention to that? Man of Many sat down with the face and voice behind this Wolverine, Liam McIntyre, and Insomniac Games’ Senior Project Developer, Jess Reiner-Reed, about this tightrope walk, why Wolverine has been built to feel uniquely Australian and just how important fan expectations are for a game of this scale.
The Team Behind Marvel’s Wolverine On The Game’s Combat Mechanics
Jess Reiner-Reed: Thinking about this character, I was actually thinking a lot about Wolverine’s weight. That was a really big focus. Going from a Spider-Man game, where the main character is nimble and jumping onto tiny little wires, to Wolverine, who is many hundreds of pounds of adamantium skeleton.
Liam McIntyre: He’s a heavy boy.
JRR: We wanted to make sure every time he lands, you feel it on the controller and hear it. Even in moments where Wolverine walks onto tree branches, the branches start to bend. We wanted to make sure you get those tiny details in.
LM: I remember talking to them and saying, ‘For me, I would love it to feel like a Tyson fight. The ones where you’re like, ‘Oh man! He’s a heavyweight boxer’. It feels heavy, but it’s terrifyingly fast, sudden, and efficient, and suddenly the guy’s on the ground. Whatever that special sauce is, as the idiot here that doesn’t make games, I’m just like, ‘Whatever that is, just do that. Make it feel exactly like that.’
Liam McIntyre On Accessing The Emotions Necessary To Play Wolverine
LM: For me, he’s a very masculine character in a lot of ways. As a man who struggles with that idea as much as anyone, this process has been really interesting in acting through it. During this, my dad died, but I also had my daughter. As I’m journeying through this, it’s kind of been a cathartic process.
We get this chance to make a mature, really grown-up story in a way, and a heavy one at that. So there are so many parts of this game where I get to draw on those experiences in my life. Very real and some very raw. There’s stuff in this game that is heavy and really asks a lot of you.
Marvel’s Wolverine Senior Project Developer Jess Reiner-Reed On #Suitgate
JRR: When you have a character like Wolverine who has mutant powers with a healing factor, people ask, “You’re making a video game, but can the character die?” Yes. Logan can actually have so much happen to him that his heart can stop in our game, so you can die. Logan can die! There are stakes in the battle.
But through development, there’s so much iteration on figuring out how to make that a fun gameplay mechanic. How is that going to feel good for the player? How do we make you feel like, “I need to run into battle,” because Logan uses that rage and is constantly fighting, but you also want to feel the stakes of the battlefield, right? A lot went into getting that right balance. So, yes, the clothing does regenerate. We had earlier iterations where he was ripped up or bloody for a really long time, and through playtesting, we figured out the right balance. You still want to look at him and feel the power of Wolverine in those moments, especially in the beautiful cutscenes we have. I’m really happy with the balance we were able to strike. You get those moments where he is torn up and there are holes, and it gets really visceral. However, there are other moments that have a much more emotional feel.
The Team Behind Marvel’s Wolverine On Fan Expectations And Reactions
JRR: Whenever a trailer comes out, we watch every reaction video. We love watching them and seeing people react to the trailers. It’s a shot in the arm when you’ve been working in your little bubble for so long to finally see people’s reactions out in the world.
Through development, though, I stay focused on making sure we’re making our unique Wolverine experience and block out the outside noise for the most part. Of course it’s interesting to hear what people are excited about, but we know the game we want to make and the feeling we want people to have when they put the controller down. Focusing on delivering this amazing Insomniac experience that feels great keeps us from getting lost down different paths. Especially with a creative endeavor, you have to stay true to what you want to make. That’s really important.
LM: As a player and fan who is now in this weird position of being part of something special, I’m always blown away. Insomniac is a uniquely special company because they really do listen. Whether it’s me saying things or feedback from other games they’ve made, I really see them listen. But just as important as listening is having a clear vision.
If you listen to everyone, you make a game for no one. But if you listen to no one, you also risk making a game for no one. So it’s a particularly special mix to be able to hear everyone’s thoughts, go back to our core vision, and see where it fits. That balance is so hard to get right.
Liam McIntyre On Acting In Movies & TV Vs. Acting In Games
There’s a misconception that movies and TV is where the heart and acting are at, while games are just fun things you jump around in. But I find acting in games to be one of the most freeing experiences. You get to be the experience. Instead of sitting in a cinema watching stuff happen, you are Wolverine. What he goes through feels personal because you’re making it happen. You find yourself deeply invested.
Games like The Last of Us stayed with me because I made those choices. As an actor, you get to tell a long-form story over multiple hours, and as a player, you get to live those stories in a way no other medium allows. Games have become so powerful.
Liam McInTyre On Why Australians Make The Best Logans
LM: I think what I like about Wolverine and what I think might be Australian-esque about him is that he’s quite earthy, he’s down-to-earth, you know? Sure, we have our tall poppy syndrome and all these things, but we love an underdog, we try to embody the ANZAC spirit.
Wolverine is very much a character who fights for the underdog, fights hard, never never backs down and always gets up. He’s a bit gruff and rough around the edges. He doesn’t hold himself in particular esteem, he doesn’t seek plaudits. There are characters who like being superheroes and seek that out. I don’t think it’s that Australian to be glory-seeking, you know?
Logan just gets the job done the best way he can, and that unpretentious nature fits well with the Australian ethos.
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