Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a first person shooter developed by MachineGames and published Bethesda Softworks. The game was released on May 5th, 2015 worldwide digitally and then on July 21st, 2015 physically in North America.
This game serves as a prequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order. In the very first level of The New Order, William B.J. Blazkowicz and whatever forces the rest of the allied forces can muster, go on an all out attack on General Deathshead’s Compound. The main objective in the prequel is to get the intel that shows that compound’s location.
In this game, The Old Blood, you play as the same character as in The New Order, BJ and together with another operative, infiltrate Castle Wolfenstein which is under the command of Helga Von Schabbs. Helga is leading the paranormal division of the Nazi research team. In little to no time, you are ousted by Helga’s second in command: Rudi, who is known for his extreme torture methods as well as feeding people to his dogs.
Once you are thrown into what is literally a pit of despair, you climb out and make your way out of Castle Wolfenstein while looking for that valuable folder of intel that will reveal the location of General Deathhead’s compound.
STORY
The Old Blood is a prequel to The New Order. The New Order was essentially an attempt at rebooting the old school first person shooter franchise for a then new generation on the Xbox One and Playstation 4. As such, the game was mostly focused on the gameplay and less the story.
So for this game don’t expect this incredible dramatic take on this alternate history where the Nazis are winning World War 2 because of their insane advance of technology.
It’s a story that takes you from A to B with absolutely no confusion on the way. It’s almost like going back to reading Cat in the Hat as a 23 year old. It’s a relic of old times and you’ll enjoy the read even if you didn’t grow up with it but if you have a hard time understanding it, then that’s your problem.
There was a tiny twist towards the end of the game that, I’m not sure if I should spoil or not but it came out of nowhere but it was done in a way that I can describe as good fun because even the character makes a note of how strange it is.
If I could summarize the story into one word, it’s enjoyable.
CHARACTERS
There really isn’t a colorful cast of characters, but that’s okay. This is only a short prequel to the main game but for the small amount of characters in this game, they’re decent. Helga, the main villain, isn’t like able or anything but she’s definitely got her own personality. Rudi Jaeger, the second in command, is the same thing with him not being totally memorable but he’s got his own personality. Definitely, the star of the show is BJ, you, the player character.
BJ is your average American joe but somehow at the top of his class with his particular set of skills. He’ll crack jokes even in the face of danger and his constant whispering to himself keeps him alive in your mind. Usually, when you play FPS, characters die while you play as them and what I mean by that is that for example, in Advanced Warfare, you talk here and there during cutscenes, but then they don’t see a word during the gameplay and you totally forget about the character you’re playing as. They essentially “die” in your mind. You see them again in a cutscene and you’re like “Oh yeah, I’m playing as that guy.”
In The Old Blood, BJ is hands down the best character and it’s great that you’re actually playing as him. He’s definitely not built up like a proper character but he is definitely likeable.
VISUALS
The visuals are decent. The original was released on just about every system that was available at the time so although this game was only released on the newer platforms, it’s probably not insane to think that the development of this game was considered for the older generation.
If you played the main game: The New Order, and you play The Old Blood, you won’t see a difference in visuals. They aren’t outstanding but definitely, passable.
I wouldn’t go as far as saying the character models are realistic but they’re also pretty decent models. Sometimes, if you get extremely close to a part of the environment, you can also see the “details” plastered onto it. There was a moment where my character fell or jumped down and so you get an extreme close up of the floor and rather than there being piece of trash on the ground, it was just painted onto the ground.
But these little things are only noticeable when you look for them except for that example I mentioned but even then, it’s the one time it happened and easily forgotten.
AUDIO
The music is nice and creates a certain type of ambience. The cool music actually kicks in whenever you’re in a fire fight and really adds to the type of run and gun gameplay this type of game is known for.
The voice acting is also pretty good. BJ’s performance is also the high standard. Everyone else is really good but BJ has a nuance to him that makes him more human, if that makes any sense and it really comes to mind when he’s whispering to himself. BJ could easily be some generic American man that is constantly joking in the face of danger but the self whispering really bring a little balance to his actual normal conversations. It’s difficult to explain, but I really like it.
GAMEPLAY
As all games of this type, the gameplay reigns supreme. So what is the gameplay of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood? Well, it’s simple and in the words of Lt. Aldo Raine: “And once we’re in enemy territory as a bushwhacking guerrilla army, we’re gonna be doing one thing and one thing only…killing Nazis.”
Again, if you find yourself confused with the gameplay, then that’s a personal problem. The game allows for you to take cover and lean to shoot but you can tell the game was more built for you to run cover to cover, guns blazing only using cover to reload before going back out there.
It takes a little getting used to but once you do, it’s a lot of fun. That’s all the game is shooting nazis dead which is biggest part of the Wolfenstein charm.
As you play, by completing certain tiny optional goals, you can get upgrades for yourself. For example, if you kill a certain number of people with dual wielded weapons, you’ll get an upgrade that allows for more ammo pick ups. I don’t think it’s possible to get them all in one single play through especially in your first go, but the game doesn’t make you feel bad for not getting them either. The upgrades are out of the way in your menu so it feels more like an achievement for doing so because you didn’t have to do it and you got rewarded for it.
There are also a lot of collectibles throughout the world but they’re nowhere near plastered everywhere like any Ubisoft or Arkham game. If you see one, you pick it up but the collectibles in every level is actually manageable. Along with collectibles there are letters and notes you can read that gives you more background into the world of The Old Blood or at least some insight into the characters so they are definitely worth a read from time to time and aren’t just there because video game.
The guns are limited but for a 3 hour prequel experience, it’s actually a lot. You get your pistol, shot gun, assault rife, single shot rifle, and a special little explosive pistol. With the exception of the last two, you can dual wield all of them and each of them have a little alternate ability you can trigger with a press of the button. For example, the pistol can get a silencer with that press of a button or your assault rifle can become a short burst rather than automatic.
Not really special but also things that didn’t need to be there and things you can toggle with a button so it’s appreciated nonetheless.
The game also features stealth segments where you can just sneak around your enemies and pick them off one by one. However, there is no penalty for messing it up. You mess up going silent? You do what you’re best at, run and gun. You don’t mess it up? Well, you just got past an area without having to waste more ammo.
CONCLUSION
All in all, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a fun little experience that wasn’t necessary but was welcomed. I bought this game for full price on PSN a little while after it came out and I managed to beat it in the same day. This time for the review, I beat it in about 3 hours over two days.
The game is short but it’s a fun little experience that’s worth trying if you enjoy First Person Shooters. It’s fun to give a go and great way to dip your feet into a different type of FPS.
The story is short but enjoyable, the characters aren’t memorable but BJ can give you a good laugh here and there, the audio and visuals are good and the gameplay is actually pretty fun and it’s short enough to the point where you won’t get bored.
I think I bought this for 19.99 on PSN but it may be less now. Regardless, for 20 dollars I think this game is worth it and for anything less, it’s definitely worth it. So my recommendation is to give it a try if you either like First Person Shooters, want to try a different type of First Person shooters, or if you liked Wolfenstein: The New Order.
So from me, Wolfenstein The Old Blood gets an 7.5/10.