Even before the release of Marvel’s Wolverine, a single gameplay element is already causing quite a stir in the community: the so-called scent trail. In Insomniac's new action game, Logan follows scents to track down people, clues, or collectibles. Visually, this manifests as a faint bluish particle trail that weaves through the levels.
Why does the community call the scent trail “Fart Gas”?
The trail owes its nickname to a Washington Post journalist who jokingly compared the visual effect of the trail to flatulence. The term spread rapidly throughout the gaming community and became a running gag – coupled with a serious demand from many players to be able to disable the effect via the options, as it's perceived as intrusive and immersion-breaking.
Can the scent trail be turned off in Marvel’s Wolverine?
This is precisely where the problem lies: Insomniac Games does offer various accessibility options, such as a so-called Chase Assist and the ability to hide classic waypoint markers. However, the scent trail itself cannot be disabled using these. Community Director James Stevenson explained that the trail is firmly linked to Logan's canonical mutant abilities: his superhuman senses and his tracking abilities. According to Stevenson, the effect is also not continuously active, but appears specifically when Logan is following a particular trail – for example, during story and mission moments or when tracking collectibles like a specific type of whiskey.
Why is the debate hitting Marvel’s Wolverine particularly hard right now?
The discussion comes at an already sensitive time for the game: just a few days ago, the first reviews for Marvel’s Wolverine were released, in which, among other things, the linearity and guidance through the levels had already been a recurring theme. The scent trail debate thus joins a larger fundamental question that currently accompanies many major single-player action games: How much guidance through UI and gameplay elements can a game tolerate before players feel patronized? From our perspective, Insomniac's reaction shows one thing above all: The studio is sticking to its design decision, even if a part of the community is loudly demanding an opt-out option. Whether there will be a toggle option before the final release or via a Day One patch remains to be seen.
What do you think of the scent trail – an annoying effect or unfairly criticized? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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