Review: Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

Remember when PC expansions felt expansive?

Wolfenstein: The New Order was a refreshing reboot for a series that has a history of having many different development teams at the helm. After a five year hiatus, MachineGames came in and made the franchise its own, putting the studio on the first-person shooter map.

I’m happy to report Wolfenstein: The Old Blood seeks to keep those good times going as a $20 expansion of sorts roughly one year later, which is a rare strategy in an age of endless day-one DLC.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (PC, PS4, Xbox One [reviewed])
Developer: MachineGames
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Released: May 5, 2015 (Digital), May 14, 2015 (Physical – AUS, EU, NZ)
MSRP: $19.99

The Old Blood is a genius idea on paper. Set as a prequel to The New Order, anyone can pick it up and find themselves on equal footing. When coupled with the budget price of $20, that prospect is made even more appealing. The team was also able to provide some slight enhancements to the engine due to the core focus on the PS4 and Xbox One editions — it’s nothing that noticeable, but it is smoother overall if you really look at things up close.

So what is it, exactly? You’re basically getting more New Order set the tune of two “episodes,” once again starring the heroic B.J. Blazkowicz. The whole bloody affair is roughly eight hours long, filled with secrets and the return of the perk system, which are both implemented to encourage multiple playthroughs. Just like its predecessor, The Old Blood runs at 1080p and 60 frames-per-second on both consoles.

In the first episode, “Rudi Jäger and the Den of Wolves,” you’ll quite literally return to Castle Wolfenstein, as you attempt to obtain a document that sets up the events of the previous game. It doesn’t go quite as planned of course, and you’ll encounter a few new enemy variants like a sniper, as well as some puzzle-like encounters, and a good mix of stealth and action scenes. It’s not mind-blowingly different and it’s a tad slow at the start, but it does feel like a proper expansion, and the labyrinthine tunnels of the castle work well when juxtaposed to the mostly open areas from New Order.

The second half, “The Dark Secrets of Helga Von Schabbs,” is a little less traditional. Well, okay, it has zombies in it, so it’s a lot less traditional, but perfectly fitting for the gaiden “B-movie” feel Old Blood is going for. While the first episode is good in its on right, the town of Wulfburg in the follow-up episode is something completely different from what you’re normally used to with MachineGames’ reboot. There are a few really tense scenes, and the mystery of Helga and her adventures to uncover occult objects kept me engaged throughout.

All of the classic FPS mechanics return, like the glorious multi-weapon wheel that outshines the two-gun limitations usually found on consoles. There’s also a few new weapons like the melee-centric pipe and the explosive Kampfpistol, and existing guns have been refined, to the point where everything feels more viable. The perk system is still attached to challenges like stealth takedowns or weapon-specific kills, and is just as inspirational when it comes to driving players to experiment with new playstyles. The old adage “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” works here.

Where Old Blood truly shines is its brevity. Both episodes are laser-focused, and don’t waste as much time as some missions in the original. Both Castle Wolfenstein and Wulfburg are expansive enough to justify an entire game, and the development team does a good job of managing the pacing between stealth and action. I will say though that both core villains are a little less compelling than Deathshead, the experience is a tad more linear, and there’s less character development here in general.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood operates just like an old school PC expansion should, and if you liked New Order, this is a no-brainer. In fact, due to the pulp feel of the second half I even slightly prefer it to the original, and the two interconnected plots are incredibly easy to swallow in an afternoon.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the reviewer.]}