Wolfenstein is a long-running video game franchise, dating back to the 80s. However, the first game I tried in this franchise was the fan-favourite The New Order. Honestly, this game was not at all what I was expecting. I thought I was about to experience an old-school war game where we would be fighting Nazis.
I could not have been further from the truth. The main premise is still shooting Nazis, however, the setting was a fresh surprise. My main campaign started ordinary, in the World War 2 setting. Then instantly the time jumps and now you are part of a dystopian future ruled by the Germans.
- Wolfenstein: The New Order was developed by the MachineGames and released in 2014.
- The campaign starts in WWII and throws you into a future ruled by high-tech Nazis.
- The game blends action with a surprisingly deep story. You fight alongside a ragtag resistance against a brutal regime.
Storytelling Meets Absurdity
The campaign opens in the old World War 2 setting. But, soon a plan goes wry, and our main character B.J. Blazkowicz finds himself in a coma for over a decade.
When Blazkowicz finally wakes up, he finds himself in a world ruled by the Germans. Not only that, but the Germans have somehow acquired technology that is decades ahead of everyone.
Wolfenstein: The New Order doesn’t take itself too seriously. The world it creates is a warped version of the 1960s. In my opinion, this hyper-futuristic yet old-school setting makes the game unique. You’ll encounter giant walking robots patrolling occupied territories, and propaganda posters plastered everywhere reinforce the oppressive regime.
Our main character like the Doom guy has superhuman strength and an unquenchable thirst for killing Nazis. The game offers a lot of creative enemies and many creative ways to kill them. Although, B.J. Blazkowicz is more than just a trigger-happy soldier. He’s a broken man thrust back into a fight he thought he’d lost.
We are revealed more of his traumatic backstory as sort of flashbacks throughout the campaign. Moreover, Blazkowics isn’t alone in his fight against the Nazis. He soon finds himself surrounded by the colourful resistance members, who become a major part of the game’s narrative.
The game doesn’t shy away from its dark humour either. Witnessing a Nazi officer get squashed by a malfunctioning robotic exoskeleton is equal parts horrifying and hilarious. These moments of absurdity serve as a pressure valve, allowing you to release tension after a particularly brutal firefight.
The Chaotic and Explosive Gameplay
The gameplay of Wolfenstein: The New Order is chaotic in the best play possible. It follows the same running-gunning formula as Doom, but, the enemy this time is the Nazi regime. You are dropped right into the battle from the start, and the game never lets off the paddle.
You will come across robotic dogs, giant mechs, drones, and robots that keep growing in size. All the game asks you to do is shoot every last one of the things with the Nazi symbol on it. It never stops getting fun either. The game progressively keeps handing you more and more absurd futuristic weapons.
From AK-like rifles, and futuristic shotguns to plasma shooters straight from Star Wars. Do you know what makes this even better? The game even lets you Dual Wield any weapon you want. So you can walk around with two shotguns in your hands, quite literally tearing enemies to shreds.
Wolfenstein also adds in a few stealth levels here and there to keep players constantly on edge. The game does an excellent job of creating stealth levels with quite a few creative kills. Just remember if you find a guard next to a toilet, definitely perform the stealth kill on him.
One of my favourite sections from the game is where we have to prison-break an important resistance member. The level expertly builds tension until the explosive, blood-soaked finale erupts in true Wolfenstein fashion.
How To Be Fun
The gameplay is so perfectly designed that at no point I felt as if I was stuck in a repetitive loop. Wolfenstein mixes up the environment design, and enemy design and even adds a few mission variations to keep it fresh. I was pleasantly surprised when all of a sudden our main character is transported to the 8-bit pixelated version of Wolfenstein.
You have to fight off the early 90s Nazi sprites with your modern weapon, until all of a sudden you wake up. This sort of meta and over-the-top storytelling adds to the experience. Wolfenstein: The New Order doesn’t shy away from depicting the horrors of war, but it never loses sight of the fun.
It’s a game that lets you revel in the power of wielding incredible weapons and taking down a despicable enemy. The combination of chaotic gameplay, a surprisingly engaging story, and an over-the-top setting creates an unforgettable experience. Once you conquer The New Order, jump right into the equally thrilling sequel, The New Colossus.
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Ayyoun loves to write about games as much he likes playing them. Been investing lots and lots of time into gaming since the glory days of playstation 1. He especially loves horror genre and likes to play the classics like resident evil and silent hill. Engages in casual PvP games like Division 2, Destiny 2 and Rainbow Six Siege, and always in search of new and unique games to play and write about. Here’s the link to his Steam.
