Review: Wolfenstein The Old Blood

Wolfenstein The Old BloodA prequel to 2014’s The New Order brings us back to the dreaded Castle of Nazi Occult lore.The game has gone into the more sci-fi genre this time, rather than the supernatural horror genre Wolfenstein is known for, thru the first five chapters, the last three becomes a horror game again. In the new order the Nazi have won WW2 and its set in a cyber-techno steam punk 1960s. The Old blood is the prequel to that story. Set in 1946 and taking place just before the prologue of the New Blood. You play William BJ Blazkowicz (voiced by veteran voice actor Brian Bloom) who has been the series hero since Wolfenstein 3D in 1992. It’s your normal first person shooter combat and nothing new that you didn’t see in Wolfenstein the New Order. You never get tired of killing Nazi scum bags. It’s an 8 chapter game for 19.99 and available on the PS4, Steam, and Xbox One. Enemies are not the brightest groups you deal with. Having played Destiny you hope Bethesda games improves the enemy AI for the upcoming Doom 4 using the Id tech 5 software.

This game has very little in the way of story and you go from one mission to the next killing Nazis and progressing to get to Deaths head (not to be confused with the Marvel comic character of the same name). In the New Order BJ had a lot more inner monologue and gets to know the resistance and even gets to have sex with Anya the resistance fighter a few times in the game. The game is more like B movie camp and that’s not a bad thing but it’s not great when the action never slows down but for 19.99 it’s a long game with pacing staying the same thru out. It will lead you to the final mission that BJ hopes he can retire from. That’s where we pick up his story in The New Order. When you get a chance to take a nap as was in The New Order you can travel to the original game in a dream sequence and play Wolfenstein 3D.  Enemies have cyber back packs that if you shoot will explode. Giant Juggernauts that looks like a Nazi Iron Man Mach 1 armor and killer Cyber men guard Dogs. You can easily dispatch enemies with a lead pipe in stealth mode as to not alert more guards. A quick stab happy attack and back to stealth. Shamblers ugly bloody Nazi Zombies become a pyro technique foe to recon with in Chapters 6-8, after the more cyber steam punk techno Nazi enemies.

Mick Gordon composed the soundtrack for this and the New Order. You will notice through the game clues and nods to great WW2 era films like The Dirty Dozen and Where Eagles Dance and Inglorious Bastards. This game does not require you to buy the New Order to play it. It’s a stand-alone expansion which you can pick up the card at a local store containing a code or down load it by itself.

Originally posted on Radio of Horror and reposted with permission.