Wolfenstein Prequel Has Nazi Zombies, Brutal-Sounding Pipe Weapon, More

Ahead of its release next month, Bethesda and developer MachineGames have published a new blog post that reveals some new gameplay details for Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, a standalone prequel to last year's The New Order. First, protagonist B.J. Blazkowicz will wield a brutal-sounding pipe melee weapon.

Players will acquire this "handy helper" early in the game and will use the multi-purpose melee item throughout. “The idea was to have something new--something different than the knife," executive producer Jerk Gustafsson said.

The pipe can also be pulled apart so that players can dual-wield it, dealing even deadlier damage. In addition, players can use the pipe for a variety of non-lethal purposes, including climbing and breaking through walls, among other things. “It's equally a progression tool as it is a weapon," Gustafsson said.

Bethesda also says that takedowns with the pipe are going to be brutal, bloody affairs, and can vary depending on its single- or dual-wield status. Plus, since the pipe is hollow, "if you gank someone, there's a good chance a geyser of blood's gonna spurt out the other end."

Also in the blog post, Bethesda confirms that Nazi zombies will make an appearance in The Old Blood (see below), and that MachineGames is aiming for an overall "pulp B-movie vibe" with the game. Check out the full blog post to learn even more about The Old Blood.

The Old Blood launches May 5 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. As mentioned above, since it's a standalone game, it does not require The New Order. The Old Blood will sell for $20.

It includes two main campaigns: “Rudi Jäger and the Den of Wolves" and “The Dark Secrets of Helga Von Schabbs." The game plays out across eight total chapters.