Obviously, dialogue choices for Marvel’s Wolverine are purely speculation and not a confirmed feature, as little is known about the type of game that Insomniac is creating. Still, it is hard not to think about the potential that could come from letting players make their own choices. With Logan often flipping between a proper hero and an anti-hero, his flexible morality makes him the perfect candidate for dialogue choices. With players waiting so long for a definitive Wolverine game, Insomniac should ensure that players get exactly what they want out of the experience and Logan himself.
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Why Dialogue Choices Would Work Well In Marvel’s Wolverine
In Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man series, dialogue choices are unnecessary due to the heroes that the franchises focuses on. Peter Parker and Miles Morales are as good as people can get, always striving to do the right thing and having a strict code against killing. Logan does not have this same code, and his willingness to kill should be something that the game highlights.
With Logan being a lot more neutral when it comes to delivering justice, dialogue choices could allow players to decide how their Wolverine would handle a situation. Adding in options like Mass Effect’s Renegade and Paragon actions could let players shut down a conversation, capturing Wolverine’s tendency to dive headfirst into his battles. Players could be punished and rewarded for these choices; choosing the Paragon-like option in one scenario could see a villain returning to do more harm later, while the Renegade-style choice could get a civilian killed.
Letting players shape their own Wolverine could make the game more replayable, as players could embrace the role of a violent anti-hero in one playthrough before playing as a kinder Wolverine that embodies the ideals of the X-Men in the next. A simple, Red Dead Redemption-like honor system could give players an idea of how other people see their Wolverine, and it could lead to two slightly different endings just like in Red Dead Redemption 2.
With Logan not being a witty and talkative character, Insomniac would not need to fill the game with dialogue choices. Instead, it could look to how Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy used them to shape its story. Some scenes could play out in the traditional style, while others could ask the player to get involved. For example, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy players could get access to a different level if they chose to sell Groot or Rocket to Lady Hellbender. This same approach could be taken in a linear game focused on Wolverine, with different paths being unlocked through dialogue choices. Optional conversations with side characters like those in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy would also be a nice touch, as players could get some more insight into the lore of Insomniac’s Marvel universe.
While Marvel’s Wolverine would not benefit from an extensive, dialogue-filled approach like what is seen in Telltale Games’ titles, some more limited dialogue options would be a welcome addition. With the addition of a few dialogue choices during some key story moments, players would be able to decide what version of Wolverine they get to control. Though the feature is unlikely, as topics like Logan’s killing and the impact of his Berserker Rage can still be covered in a fully linear narrative, giving gamers some options would make extra playthroughs worthwhile.
Marvel’s Wolverine is currently in development for PS5.
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