Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

'Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (2015)' is an expandalone title that takes place prior to the events of 'Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014)'. It's debatable as to whether this is actually cannon or just a sort of alternate history, as it has a distinctly tongue-in-cheek tone and doesn't quite mesh with the series' overall world. In either case, the game is really entertaining. It's an even purer distillation of the fast-paced shooting that made the prior title so engaging, focusing more on its mechanics than on its story. The result is a short but sweet experience that feels more arcade-like than the main entries in the franchise, a feeling which is bolstered by the piece's high-score chasing 'arcade mode'. The story isn't bad, by any means. It's an extra schlocky, typically satirical take on a couple of old genre tropes and it's enjoyable throughout. It has a distinct, two-half structure and a variety of unique locations. As such, it easily carries you through to the end of the game. In the end, this is a great little addition to the franchise that may just be the most purely fun entry in it. 8/10

I loved Wolfenstein: The Old Blood! It was another very good story about the corruption of power, the evil of nazis, the cruelty of murder, and to make sure you take care of your friends; therefore, I loved the story. The gameplay combat with all the guns, and the stealth moments again was extremely fun, and I absolutely liked finding all the secret rooms, and collectibles. The attention to detail with all the 1946 era scenery in the town, and the castle was very beautiful, and so very cool. All the instrumental music sounded excellent and suspenseful. Unortunetly the two main reasons why I can't give this game a 10/10 is because the gore is disgusting, and there's way too much inappropriate foul language; therefore, it's still an awesome game, but it only gets a 7/10. Have a great day, and gooo Wolfenstein!

Played on: PC (RTX 4090) Playtime: ~7 hours Difficulty: Medium Music Setting: Off

Gameplay The gunplay feels tighter and more satisfying than in The New Order, with solid weapon variety and the pipe tool adding fun traversal and combat options. That said, the climbing mechanic was the only real addition-everything else played the same. Enemy AI was surprisingly weak; you could often run or sneak past enemies unrealistically. Some chapters were wildly inconsistent in difficulty, with the prison section and final boss being especially frustrating.

Story The story had just enough momentum to keep me playing, but it was nowhere near as engaging as The New Order. The entire plot revolves around getting a single Nazi file, which felt flat. The forced inclusion of zombies and supernatural elements completely clashed with the grounded tone of the previous game. That said, the references and the ending-tying directly into The New Order-were satisfying.

Graphics Despite a few visual bugs (like floating cockroaches), the graphics still hold up decently for a 2015 release. Nothing visually blew me away, but it wasn't distracting either.

Sound / Music I played with the music off, and overall sound design felt a bit weaker than The New Order. Voice acting was serviceable but lacked standout moments or lines. Nothing memorable here.

Performance No crashes or issues at all, which was a pleasant surprise, especially compared to The New Order, which had several. Performance was smooth throughout.

Replayability While the game includes familiar collectible content, it felt lazily implemented this time-"gold collectible 29," "gold collectible 50," etc., with no meaningful context or rewards. There's little reason to replay unless you're hunting for 100%.

Immersion The world didn't pull me in as much as The New Order did, mostly due to the bizarre tone shift with the zombies. Still, as a prequel, it was neat seeing the origins of certain characters and plot elements. The lack of waypoints was actually a plus-I always knew where to go, which speaks well of the level design.

Creativity Creative in parts, especially with tools like the pipe and the idea of a prequel. But adding zombies ruined the tone. A Nazi shooter suddenly turning into supernatural horror didn't sit right with me.

Difficulty Balance Most of the game felt fair, except for the prison break and the final boss. Those were outliers and not enjoyable. Thankfully, the respawn system was quick, which helped.

Value for Money At $20? No way. The New Order offers far more value, depth, and enjoyment for the same price (or less during sales). This one's only worth grabbing if you're a big fan and it's on discount.