The recently released Marvel's Wolverine for PS5 has faced scrutiny for its quick time events (QTEs), with many players criticizing the lack of fail states. However, the core problem with these sequences is not that they don't offer a traditional loss condition, but rather their superficial implementation and lack of meaningful narrative consequences.
Launched on September 15, the game has garnered a mixed reception, with online discourse often focusing on perceived ease of play. Some critics, like YouTuber Skill Up, have questioned the abundance of navigational aids in a linear game, suggesting players might not be as adept as they assume. Even sequences like the motorcycle segments, where steering incorrectly can lead to a crash, are made trivial if the player simply lets go of the controls, allowing Wolverine to automatically navigate obstacles.
This observation extends to the game's QTEs. These moments, where players are prompted to press specific buttons, offer no penalty for incorrect inputs or inaction. If a player misses a prompt, Wolverine will simply complete the action automatically, allowing the game to progress without interruption. This design choice has led to widespread criticism that the game is "too easy" or "dumbed down."
However, the issue with Wolverine's QTEs is not the absence of failure, but the lack of depth in their execution. Historically, successful QTEs have been characterized by contextual button inputs that mirror in-game actions and offer branching outcomes based on player performance. For instance, Resident Evil 4's QTEs featured button mashes for frantic actions and simultaneous presses for complex maneuvers, with timely or early presses leading to different narrative dodges. Similarly, Heavy Rain's QTEs demonstrated that success or failure in a sequence doesn't have to be binary; players could miss some prompts and still achieve victory.
These older examples highlight that QTEs can be effective when they are narratively integrated and provide varied results. In Wolverine's case, the QTEs often involve simple, single-button presses, a downgrade from the more complex inputs seen in previous games that utilized analog stick movements to mimic character actions. While the lack of a fail state might seem thematically dissonant, the game's premise of Wolverine's healing factor could arguably accommodate such a mechanic. The real disappointment lies in the negligible difference between succeeding and failing a QTE. Players have noted that outcomes are often identical, with no visual distinction or contextual dialogue changes. For example, in an arm-wrestling sequence against Sabretooth, the result remains the same regardless of player input. Imagine if Insomniac had implemented distinct animations or dialogue for both outcomes, or if failing a fight sequence resulted in Wolverine being visibly injured and entering the next encounter at low health.
While the criticism of Marvel's Wolverine's QTEs is valid, the focus on fail states misses the mark. The true deficiency is the "lazy follow-through" in their design. Instead of defaulting to generalized complaints about simplicity, a more productive discussion can be had by addressing the lack of engaging and consequential QTE implementation, which ultimately detracts from the player experience.