Marvel’s Wolverine Isn’t Cutting It? Try These Games Instead

The Zandatsu-focused gameplay, in which you can slice cyborgs and skyscraper-sized Metal Gear mechs, is still the cherry on top of this bloody sundae, and it’s sprinkled with boss fights that push you to master every aspect of Raiden’s arsenal while offering you a killer soundtrack to boot. It’s another short game–but still readily available online–that makes for a satisfying weekend of revengeance-fueled fun.

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls

Wolverine might be at his best when he’s a team player, and in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, you get to unleash the animal within while teaming up with Marvel’s greatest heroes and supervillains. Sure, you’re not getting a slice of ultraviolence in this game when you play as Wolverine, but you are getting a Wolverine power fantasy that is heavily focused on aggressive, close-range pressure. Signature moves offer the chance to unleash relentless attacks, while an arsenal of agile dives, bounces, and gap-closing lunges perfectly captures Wolverine’s feral side. If all you care about is gameplay and you’re not too worried about chasing down collectible bottles of whiskey, you’re going to be in for a grand time.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns

Mechanically, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a very different experience when compared to the games listed above. Instead of a real-time action game drenched in digital blood, you’re getting a turn-based RPG that utilizes deck-building mechanics, and with XCOM developer Firaxis at the helm, this idea is well-executed. But what really sets Midnight Suns apart are the moments between battles with Marvel’s deadliest supernatural forces, as Wolverine’s narrative perfectly captures the spirit of the character. A weary soul, still hell-bent on protecting and mentoring those around him, he reveals more about his dark past, history, and efforts to atone for his sins through his interactions.

And in the gameplay department? Play your cards right, and you can have a blast with Wolverine, as he can draw fire from enemies, tank damage from them, and respond with chain-attacks that allow him to slice up the battlefield.

Marvel Rivals

If you’re not ready to drop $70 on Marvel’s Wolverine just yet, then you can check out Marvel Rivals for the low price of nothing instead. The 6v6 Overwatch-inspired game has grown massively since its launch, and it features a version of Wolverine that also nails the power fantasy. That says a lot, considering that other heavy hitters like Thor, Spider-Man, and Cyclops also feature prominently in the game, but you haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the thrill of sending Logan into battle.

Just like the source material, Logan is designed for aggressive, close-quarters combat, and he plays like an unstoppable predator who can shrug off heavy damage. You’ll need to be a team player to enjoy the game–and hope that the rest of your teammates will back you up–but you can’t deny that embodying the Marvel hero and not being charged a cent for the privilege isn’t a bad deal at all.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

Another option for the Wolverine connoisseur who’s more focused on beat-’em-up gameplay than anything else, Marvel’s Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order for Switch is a solid pick. The gameplay perfectly captures the spirit of Wolverine as a no-nonsense brawler who can outlast the toughest foes thanks to his healing factor, and when paired with the fellow Children of the Atom, you get classic X-Men synergy with these titanic team-ups.

MadWorld

MadWorld ticks several boxes for Wolverine fans: It has a black-and-white comic book aesthetic, the protagonist Jack Cayman fights with a retractable, arm-mounted chainsaw on his forearm, and the game doesn’t shy away from showing you just how lethal it can be in close-quarters combat! On top of that, Jack might just be an alternate version of Wolverine, as this cigar-chomping antihero with a mysterious past isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty during matches of the kill-or-be-killed game show DeathWatch. You’ll need to have a Wii or a Wii U console to play this 2009 gem, but it’s worth tracking one down for a game that revels in over-the-top gore.

Cyberpunk 2077

Admittedly, you’re going to need to do some work to pull this off, but a Mantis-blade build in Cyberpunk 2077 would absolutely channel Wolverine’s violent nature in this first-person game. You won’t get Logan’s character, story, or a third-person view with this game, but you will get high-speed berserker mobility, brutal finishers, and a cyberware healing factor to sell the idea of a first-person, leap-slashing, self-healing Wolverine game.

Prototype and Prototype 2

A strong pair of stand-ins for spiritual Wolverine games, Prototype and its sequel hit the nail on the head for shady government-created superweapons running amok. You’ve got an open-world environment teeming with enemies and aggressive survival mechanics that mirror Logan’s mutant gifts, and the Claw mutations in particular channel high-speed slashes and lunging pounces in both games, which Wolverine fans will appreciate.