Game review 29 July 2019, 15:30

author: Darius Matusiak

Wolfenstein: Youngblood Review – Not the Wolf We've Been Waiting For

I hear every generation wants to change the world. The daughters B.J. Blazkowicz turned Wolfenstein into an RPG looter-shooter without loot. What came out of it? Let's just say that their father wouldn't be proud...

The review is based on the PC version. It's also relevant to XONE, PS4 version(s).

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. This fundamental truth was apparently ignored by the developers of the new Wolfenstein: Youngblood. There are numerous examples clearly showing that resurrecting classic FPS games makes sense if you don't diverge too much from the source material – which should be particularly obvious for the devs of this exact franchise. The new Doom and the latest installments of Wolfenstein provided simple, juicy and dynamic mayhem, just like in the old days.

Kids, however, love to disobey, often forsaking the achievements of their parents. Sophie and Jess, the daughters of William J. Blazkowicz, and, at the same time, the protagonists of Wolfenstein: Youngblood, did exactly that with the Wolf legacy – figuratively, but still. This developers from Arkane Studios and MachineGames have overdone it. Gameplay enhancements such as the co-op, RPG elements, daily challenges, ubiquitous grind and bullet-sponge enemies were not what the series needed. The result is an indigestible cocktail that just doesn't work – to add insult to injury, it's hard to even find anything that would make it fun.

Replay, replay! Ah, what’s the point…

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is just a spin-off. This, of course, allows for more deviation from the original; the devs have more room to maneuver and alter switch things around. The idea of playing co-op with the two sisters wasn't bad. Playing with a friend, or at least a random player, is the most fun way of experiencing the game. It's obvious the game was designed with co-op as the default mode. It's even possible to invite a friend, who doesn't own the game (unfortunately, you need a more expensive edition to be able to do that...), and the single-player campaign is virtually hidden in the main menu.

If, however, you're certain you prefer to play alone, or you’re paired with an extremely unskilled player, you have to be prepared to face a great obstacle – the lousy, subpar save system. Instead of checkpoints, we have traditional three lives to use up – for both characters! If you're playing alone, the incompetence of the AI-driven sister makes this system a tool of torture, especially in boss fights. If you lose all three lives, you have to reload to the very beginning of the level. So, if you die late in the mission, the worst-case-scenario is having to replay twenty to forty minutes of the same level. Not only do we waste lots of time, it also further exacerbates the feeling of ubiquitous backtracking.

It doesn’t look good from up here!

The developers have prepared a Metroidvania of sorts, and have the players revisit the same locations to unlocking previously inaccessible passages with newly acquired gear. Exploration isn't quite fun, though, as it lacks substantial rewards. The shortcomings of the game only become more apparent here, with the respawn system being the chief concern. As a result, each subsequent mission begins with a sprint and a giant slalom – bypassing the opponents.

Why would you want to avoid combat in a game like this? Mainly because the enemies are always in the same places, and because shooting isn't as fun as in previous installments. For some vague reason, the developers implemented RPG-development of weapons and characters, as well as painstaking grinding for improvements, along with opponents’ health system known from Destiny or The Division, where enemies have health bars and shields that you need to deplete. In fact, most of them are typical bullet sponges, defeating whom (after packing five full clips into their heads) yields no real reward, not even some interesting loot. Already during the second or third attempt, the only rational solution seems running through the level and bypassing enemies, rather than fighting them.

This is surprising because the Blazkowicz sisters, for the most part, use the same, well-designed guns as their dad in the previous games. The opponents also come in all shapes and sizes, and if we only encounter the weakest enemy every now and then, who falls dead with a single shot to the face, the familiar thrill of shooting cyber-Nazis comes back in an instant. Too bad the devs pulled no real effort in creating clever combat mechanics that would actually make use of the cooperation, instead of just giving the enemies oversized health bars.

Late Rococo

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is not impressive when it comes to story either. Although the beginning is quite promising, with curious historical references, everything loses quickly loses the panache. The story of his daughters' search for the missing B.J. Blazkowicz, held captive somewhere in the heart of the Nazi-occupied Paris, is a shallow tale ridden with ludicrous dialogs. There are also not enough interesting secondary characters. The only one that stuck with me was Abby – daughter of Grace Walker from The New Colossus, and her peers, Jess and Sophie. The sisters themselves are a blend of Beavis and Butthead with girlpower – sometimes they're fun, but usually they're just annoying. I'm not sure I'd play another game with them in leading roles.

The creators were also rather indolent with using the references to the 80s, when Wolfenstein: Youngblood is taking place – even considering that the game presents an alternative version of history. The streets of Paris, the cars scattered here and there, are more reminiscent of a late Rococo than of the vibrant decade of kitsch. The only strong reference harking back to the epoch are the collectible audio tapes. I would welcome an idea such as the one from Metal Gear Solid V, where we could play disco-pop hits during missions using a walkman. Here, however, we only can listen to the songs stylized for the 80s in the game menu and using interactive radios, so it’s sort of a half-hearted attempt.

"Tomorrow we'll escape too!”

Okay, so does Wolfenstein: Youngblood has any positives to speak of? We certainly have to appreciate the level design and the visuals. Multi-story towers, a secret lab, or Nazi saloons look impressive, and we can often find hidden pathways, offering alternative approaches to the mission objectives. You can feel some residual Dishonored vibe, as you would expect considering Arkane Studios were involved in the production. On the other hand, the steampunk stealth FPP is a league above this game – you simply can't take a stealthy approach here, even when your guns are silenced and your cloak is engaged.

Heavy weaponry is the name of the game in Youngblood, especially the stationary cannons mounted in various spots. Armed opponents can inhibit tons of ammo or energy, so the only way to challenge them is to use appropriately huge guns. Combine this with the co-op with a good buddy, and the new Wolfenstein may just have its moments. The perks exclusively dedicated to co-op are also pretty interesting. We can, for example, activate an ability of remotely resurrecting a sister, or regenerating her armor.

So what there's a war going on?

A few good moments is not enough for me to ultimately say that I had fun with the game. Wolfenstein: Youngblood is an odd hybrid of genres, where the presence of a tedious XP and in-game currency grind in missions and daily challenges is only justifiable with the optional microtransactions. It's a rail-shooter that comes with grind and endgame reminiscent of open-world games. It's a looter-shooter RPG without any real loot and rewards. There are quite a few games out there that fare better in coop, there also are games that at least make killing sponge enemies worth it. The thing I was most disappointed about was the fact that the shallow story doesn't introduce anything of interest into the Wolfenstein universe. Youngblood seems like a meaningless teen prank – the milk's been spilled, let’s not overanalyze it.