Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Review

One thing the game does better than most FPS games is make the standard enemies seem more real, and in some cases makes you sympathise with the Nazi soldiers as they question the parties motives and their contribution to the war. These moments serve as a reminder that most of the soldiers were simply following orders from fear of being killed themselves. It is the humanistic approach that really adds to the world and makes it feel like you really are eavesdropping on a Nazi conversation. There are also humorous dialogues with nods to films like Monty Python’s Life of Brian when you overhear a “Grammar Nazi” and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when soldiers discuss going on a mission to find the Holy Grail. These moments offset the grim realities of what you witness throughout the game, as power hungry commanding officers torture and brutalise people. This is also a stark contrast to the occasional civilians and NPCs you encounter during the play-through. Finding doctors notes prescribing anti-depressants or love letters from deceased partners serve as a further reminder the atrocities the German people were subject to during the war. The game does an excellent job of balancing the humour and over the top action and the human side of war and how it affected both sides.

The newest feature from last years release is the introduction of…a metal pipe. The pipe serves as a one or two handed melee weapon, a crowbar for opening doors and vents, and as rock climbing equipment to allow you to scale certain walls within the levels. The introduction of this seems like nothing more than a gimmick, similar to the laser cutter from the The New Order, but does emphasise that this game is a prequel and the technology, at this stage of the timeline, is simply not as advanced as you see in the full game. You still discover new Nazi guns and certain ones will receive add ons like scopes, but the game uses pretty much the same arsenal as last years game.

Graphically the game excels in certain areas and is mediocre in others. Character animations are excellent, especially in cut scenes, with the facial features and lip syncing being brilliant, but the game is guilty of having a few bland textures in interiors and enemy models become repetitive quickly with you downing hundreds of  identical clones. The games environments are well done and there are many little details that make the environment feel more realistic, like when wood splinters and shatters as it is peppered with bullets or how metal sparks and ping during gun battles. The sound design is impressive as well, with the large guns sounding loud and destructive. Overall the game does a good job of creating a sense of life in a war-torn Nazi Germany. Throughout my play-through on PC, I played at 1080p and at a constant 60 fps, so expect similar specs on console, with likely a slighter lower frame rate.

The game itself takes anywhere between 4 and 6 hours to complete. My play-through on normal difficulty took me around 4 and a half hours,but there are reasons to return to the game after the credits roll. There is hidden loot and secret areas to discover, as well as a variety of easter eggs scattered throughout the game. You can also revisit the sandbox areas in the challenge mode where you attempt to increase your score by taking the area on in different ways. Most of the time the more handsome rewards come from taking the stealthy approach in the challenges.  With a lot of big budget, full priced games having similar campaign lengths, you certainly get your moneys worth with The Old Blood. 

Overall Wolfenstein:The Old Blood is well worth the price of admission, you get a decent length campaign and challenge maps to return to after you have played through the story. The game leads directly into last years’ The New Order so is a must play for fans of the previous game, but also is a good starting point for gamers who have yet to enter the over the top world of Wolfenstein.