Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

Bethesda’s Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is one that emerges from rich origins. Given the fanfare the brand has garnered over the years, it’s no surprise that Wolfenstein: The Old Blood was released in 2015 to critical acclaim.

Beginning with titles like Castle Wolfenstein and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, these games pioneered core aspects of the stealth-action genre that are still felt today in titles like Dishonored and Prey. However, it eventually abandoned those roots to create a successful change of direction in the First Person Shooter genre. Considering the legacy behind it, it’s safe to say that expectations were to be met. Thankfully, it delivers in a general sense of the word.

Guns, Zombies, Explosions

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood follows the story of William “B.J.” Blazkowicz back before the events of Wolfenstein: The New Order (released in 2014). Taking place in the late 1940s, B.J. is tasked with missions that cover a blend of espionage and guns-blazing slaughter. Like previous games, Nazi zombies and other occult experiments serve as the primary enemy type you’ll encounter in the 6-hour adventure.

Thankfully, the zombies are fun enough to keep you hyped during your unhinged rampages. Equipped with weapons that pack a satisfying punch, you’ll never feel out of place with a few favorites like the Kampfpistol. Or a weapon like the Bombenschluss that knocks zombies right off their feet like a damsel asked to be a bride.

Hover and Click

Tedious and draining, you’ll have the unfortunate experience of hovering over objects to add them to your inventory. A little more thought could have been put into the loot gathering systems, but alas, even the most experienced gunner must simmer down for health, ammo and collectibles. On the bright side, you’ll do most of your looting after clearing a room, so there’ll be ample time for inventory management.

If the looting were as seamless as Doom 2016, it would’ve made for a more immersive core gameplay experience. Simply walking into items to collect them isn’t the most difficult thing to add to a modern video game. More so when both titles were released under Bethesda as the primary publisher.

A Sprinkle of Story

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood succeeds as an FPS game. It hits the right spots and keeps the players entertained. While this is great, there is a noticeable lack of ample time to breathe and let the story sink in. You will be remiss if you expected to find any heartfelt moments or anxiety-inducing stakes at hand during the campaign. Instead, the action takes the center stage with no other aspects receiving as much care and attention. Is that a bad thing? Well, it depends on the player. It certainly isn’t suffering because it lacks a good story, but there’s some missed potential that could’ve been addressed.

Rating

Thankfully, a title that manages to achieve this blend between guns-blazing action and rich story is Borderlands 2. So there’s at least one way to make it work.

Pros

• Satisfying Gameplay
• Optimized Framerates
• Diverse Weapons

Cons

• Weak Story
• Bad Looting System