This double take review was written by our contributor Mario Petkovski. Check out our original review for Wolfenstein: Young Blood here. Let us know what you thought about the game in the comments section below.
A Whole New Generation
This co-op focused shooter game was released on July 26, 2019 and it might not be the sequel you expected. First of all, it switches up the formula a bit from previous games and experiments with new game mechanics like an RPG-style skill tree and leveling system. In fact, you’ll have the option to play the game solo, but it’s really built for co-op with a friend. In this game there are two protagonists, Soph and Jess, the twin daughters of B.J. Blazkowicz, and they’re on a mission to fight Nazi’s in paris during the 1980’s.
The sisters in question have the same abilities and are equipped with armored suits. The fans of this franchise will deeply appreciate that game keeps up with the weirdness seen in previous iterations, and it doesn’t disappoint in the action department either. The shooting mechanics are next level.
The game has made some considerable changes, but the good thing is that the shooting feels the same as it did in the older games. The combat is also very dynamic and graphic, so you can cut off enemy’s arms during a fistfight, blow the legs off enemies with a grenade or simply put a hole in a bad guys chest with a shotgun. Even though the combat is very brutal, it is extremely satisfying to play and it feels well built.
RPG Skill Tree and Leveling System
One of the changes we mentioned is the shift to an RPG-lite skill tree and leveling system. There is also a freshly developed numerical system which can help you determine how much damage an enemy can do to you, and all enemies now have life bars equipped over their heads, but they are distance sensitive. This means that you could lay a really great attack but barely scratch an enemy because of being too far away.
There is also a level-system that determines the power of both you and your enemies. So, you might encounter enemies with a higher level than you that you can barely touch. You must gain XP by killing the same or lower-level targets in order to build up your level.
Unfortunately, there is no loot in the game to act as a reward (we said RPG-lite), which makes risking your life to kill higher-level enemy pointless. So if you see one, it’s probably best to high tell your way out of there and come back when you are stronger.
Unlockable Skills
The game has skills as mentioned above, but they are locked at first, this is kind of annoying but it’s an incentive to level up. These unlockable skills can help determine your playstyle but unfortunately they are connected to the leveling system. This means that you must level-up before you can access most skills, such as picking mega weapons up from the ground, welding, and knife throwing and so on.
Don’t worry, there are tons of abilities that you can unlock and decide to build up as you progress through the game, each one will help buff up your character and make them more formidable to the enemy. You’ll have tons of fun playing with your new abilities, and that’s not all, you can personalize the crap out of your character too. and slowly personalizing your character as you level up.
Character Personalization and Weapon Upgrades
Wolfenstein lets you customize your in-game character appearance and upgrade weapons. The weapon arsenal is pretty big and offers a wide range of interesting choices, depending on your play style, there are guns big and small.
Open-ended World
The environment is designed beautifully and offers a more open-ended world to explore than anything else we’ve since in previous Wolfenstein games or even in the action RPG genre. You will be amazed by how much there is to explore, and the design of new Wolfenstein world is just breathtaking.
Final Thoughts
Character creation is where Wolfenstein shines. The two sisters are very interesting characters, and you’ll enjoy playing either of them throughout the game, they make a great team for slaughtering Nazis. Arkane Studios are well known for creating extraordinary characters and they back it up with some pretty incredible writing.
The studio did a really great job capturing the magic of the original game, but were able to create a bunch of new elements that made it feel unique. Even though the game developers took some big risks with all the new stuff, it seems like it really paid off (at least in this author’s opinion). Wolfenstein: Youngblood has improved design, mechanics, skills, abilities, missions and it is a very good example of how an RPG game should be.
There are a couple of minor issues that we mentioned, but all and all it feels like the real deal. If you are playing on PC you might be eager to know that NVIDIA optimized their new GPU’s for this game in particular, along with Madden NFL. We guess NVIDIA really wanted you to be able to experience the way NFL lines move, while you kill nazis in the 80’s.
Rating
Wolfenstein has a positive Metascore of 72, even though the user score is 3.6 – which means that a lot of players are not liking this game for some reason (at least for now). Hobby Consolas, for example, reviewed it as “a step behind previous games… which doesn’t mean it’s bad at all. The formula works as fine as ever, and there are some very welcome changes. You can kill Nazis with a friend, too, which means this games freaking rules”.
Have a chance to play Wolfenstein: Youngblood yet? Do you agree with other reviewers that it was an unnecessary addition to the franchise? Let us know in the comments section below.
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The Review
8.5
Enough like the old games that it's enjoyable. Feels like a perfect spin-off of the original. Co-op and RPG skill tree and leveling system adds a whole new element to the game. Characters are well developed and the writing is strong.