Marvel’s Wolverine has become the subject of an unusually specific debate before its PlayStation 5 release: how much guidance is too much guidance? Instead of focusing only on its violence, X-Men setting or linear structure, players and critics are discussing Jean Grey’s persistent scent trail, quickly nicknamed “fart gas”.
Reviews have been mixed, with criticism aimed at repetitive combat and sections that keep the player firmly on a prescribed route. The broader concern is that this latest prestige action game follows an increasingly familiar blockbuster template, offering spectacle while giving players little room to experiment, get lost or solve problems in their own way.
A clip from Ralph “Skill Up” Panebianco’s review brought the issue into sharper focus. The footage shows Wolverine moving through snowy woodland, while the commentary argues that the game repeatedly steers players through narrow corridors and provides several simultaneous instructions about where to go. The clip became one of the most widely discussed moments from the reviews.
One reaction described the scene as resembling a parody of focus-tested game design. The criticism is not limited to one area, either. Other locations reportedly combine prominent route markers with environmental design that already makes the intended path obvious, creating an experience that can feel more like being escorted between combat encounters than exploring a world.
Four layers of direction
Skill Up identifies four separate forms of signposting in the sequence. First comes a visible trail following Jean Grey, which The Washington Post’s Gene Park called “fart gas”. A mission waypoint can also appear, providing a direct instruction about the next destination.
There is then a purple trail of magical roots leading towards a nearby collectible. Finally, white paint and carefully placed lighting draw attention to the route that the player is expected to follow. Wolverine’s repeated comments about finding Jean add another layer of verbal direction on top of those visual cues.
For critics, the combination makes transitions between story scenes and combat arenas feel patronising. It also reflects a wider complaint often aimed at modern blockbuster games: that every possible moment of uncertainty is removed before players have the opportunity to understand a space for themselves.
Which assists can be disabled?
Some players pushed back by arguing that the review was judging default settings rather than the game’s full range of options. Insomniac’s settings allow several aids to be adjusted, including mission waypoint icons, which can be set to appear, activate with R3 or remain off. Navigation assistance can also be changed.
However, the Jean Grey trail appears to be separate from those settings. Reports from the reviewed build indicate that the scent particles remain visible even after the relevant HUD and navigation options are disabled. Park documented the same behaviour, while the game’s reviewer independently confirmed that the trail could not be removed.
That could change through a day-one patch or a later update. At the time of the debate, though, the trail remained present regardless of those settings. The argument therefore shifted from whether players could customise the experience to whether the game should have made the visual cue optional in the first place.
Why the argument matters
The discussion echoes the recurring criticism of excessive yellow paint in contemporary games. The issue is not simply one line, colour or particle effect. It is the feeling that some major releases replace tactile discovery with polished presentation and carefully managed progression.
That tension sits between different types of action game. Marvel’s Wolverine is neither an immersive open-world adventure such as Ghost of Yotei nor a demanding arcade-style fighter such as Ninja Gaiden 4. It occupies a more traditional corridor-based middle ground, one that may feel less satisfying as players increasingly expect deep role-playing systems, punishing Soulslike combat or greater freedom to approach challenges.
The game was due for release on September 15, and the writer had not yet played it at the time of the discussion, so its overall quality remained an open question. The debate does not prove that Marvel’s Wolverine is boring, nor that its combat cannot be enjoyable. It does show how sensitive players have become to design that appears to make decisions on their behalf.
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