Wolverine Devs Respond To Confusion Over Hero's Self-Healing Suit
There's A Simple Reason Why Insomniac Wolverine's Suit Heals Itself
Wolverine is only a month away, and we’re learning more about Insomniac’s new superhero game all the time. The developers themselves have responded to some of the most common queries about the upcoming blockbuster, including an explanation as to why their take on Wolverine appears to be wearing a suit that boasts the same healing capabilities as his body.
Why Insomniac's Wolverine Has A Self-Healing Suit
The extended look we were shown of Wolverine during a State of Play demonstrated the X-Men character’s healing in action. That, inevitably, prompted quite a few of you to question how exactly his suit is healing along with his body. Insomniac knew people would say that, which is why its devs had an explanation prepared when the question was posed to them by IGN.
“You can't play through most of the game wearing just shredded rags on his body,” is the simple explanation offered up by Insomniac’s head of technology, Michael Fitzgerald. “We find the right balance between clothing that reflects the gameplay you're doing and this brutal combat and the realities of that, and then finding the right moments to have it restore itself.”
“You would be playing through missions and your clothes are shredded for way too long,” senior project designer Jess Reiner-Reed adds. “You don't feel as powerful as you're playing through.” It’s not mentioned, but you also know that if suit damage was permanent, there would be thousands of you seeing just how threadbare you could make Wolvie day one. It might be an R-rated game, but Insomniac doesn’t want you fighting Sentinels naked.
Wolverine's Fighting Style Doesn't Lend Itself To Suits That Stay Damaged
The nature in which Wolverine fights is so different from any other hero, particularly Spider-Man, that permanent suit damage just wouldn’t be realistic. The hero’s healing factor means he doesn’t need to avoid getting stabbed or shot. He’s absorbing bullets and getting sliced up by swords constantly. If his suit were left to fend for itself, then it would look like confetti before you even leave the starting area.
Just because the damage your suit takes will quickly disappear and heal as Logan heals, that doesn’t mean Insomniac has phoned it in. There aren’t just going to be the same generic slashes and bullet holes that show up in the same places on every suit regardless of how enemies attack you. The damage will be reflected in different ways on every suit; it just won’t stick around.
PlayStation has revealed a range of Wolverine accessories, including a bundle that comes with a PS5, DualSense, and digital copy of the game. There are also PS5 Pro covers and a controller designed to look like they’re coated in the same adamantium that covers Wolverine’s skeleton. Don’t be rough with them, though; they can’t self-heal.