The game is a first-person shooter developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was released on May 5, 2015, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One platforms. It is a series in the Wolfenstein franchise and is introduced as a standalone prelude to the 2014 release, Wolfenstein: The New Order.

Before we begin, I wanted to make it clear that my expectations, especially regarding the narrative of the work, were pretty high, since the previous game presented a rich universe that immersed me a lot and brought me emotions and tension. Let's go:



Going down a level

The game is set in 1946, before the events of The New Order, we play with the same protagonist, "B. J. Blazkowicz", and try to fulfill the mission to infiltrate Castle Wolfenstein and steal some information about a secret compound used by the great villain of the series, General Deathshead.

Just as in the last game, we start off in a very tense manner, only this time, instead of being in a bomber, we are invading a Nazi castle as spies. Here it is evident how much the soundtracks are on point, leaving tension in the air throughout the gameplay as an infiltrator in enemy territory and really giving you the feeling that at any moment something will go wrong and you will be caught.



However, I confess that, as for the story and its context, I was quite lost and confused. For at least the first 30 minutes of the game, I was still not sure of my purpose in the narrative and what was actually happening, but just followed the objectives that the game sent me.

In addition, one of the points that I consider very strong in the previous game and that is not so explored in this one, was how much the cutscenes and dialogues helped to build a universe rich in details, humanized, and well-constructed characters. On the contrary, in The Old Blood, we are faced with very extensive gameplay at the beginning and almost no narrative content. The supporting characters have little room to be developed as well, which kept me from either getting attached to or hating them.

I admit that I felt the game left something to be desired at this point since what had most hooked me in the previous one was the story and the depth of the set.



Gunplay has its high points

Now, if we are talking about a gameplay perspective, The Old Blood is very similar to The New Order - very focused on combat and stealth - and I would even say it has improved. The game brings a much better artificial intelligence (AI), which made stealth much more difficult and brought a balance between direct confrontation/stealth. When you have the choice of exchanging shots or going for stealth, both ideas seemed challenging to me throughout the game. This also increased the overall difficulty of the game.



I am an experienced shooter, I was playing on standard difficulty and yet there were some specific moments when I had problems that, if I didn't play with care and caution, I would die easily. So, I think the complexity of the confrontations might be a problem for more casual/beginner players.

In addition, another thing that made gameplay very difficult for me was the ambiance of the sound, which is very weak, especially when compared to the other aspects of the work. In the game, there are confrontation sections where you face multiple enemies, and not even being able to identify which direction they are coming from or shooting at you is hopeless in a negative way. Many times I would get lost and not know where I was taking damage from because the sound could be coming from anywhere! This is a point that I also found bad in The New Order, however, in The New Blood, it was a worse experience, exactly because it was more chaotic. It literally felt like it was raining gunfire and there were enemies everywhere - and there weren't any.

A positive point that helped the gameplay balance was the insertion of new weapons, such as a precision rifle with a bolt and a grenade launcher, and different types of enemies, with heavy armor and even some undead. I realized that this provided a wider range of ways to play and allowed the player to be more creative in the ways of eliminating enemies and getting through challenges. As the game progresses, you will identify with each weapon and how each one makes you more comfortable facing certain types of opponents.



I myself started killing these big guys with the sniper rifles, but I am sure other players would prefer to use the shotgun or grenade launcher...

A Visual Art Show



On the subject of art, even using the same graphics engine, The Old Blood takes a step forward from its predecessor, with better and more refined textures, lighting, and effect particles. When I started the game I had a strange feeling, because at the same time, it looked the same in The New Order, I knew something was different and more beautiful! It was more refined and polished.

As the gameplay went on, I noticed a refinement and how the developers really raised the bar in terms of environment and world design. You end up passing through a variety of scenes, from enclosed environments rich in detail to valleys or stunning cities. The landscaping in this game is impressive and whenever I passed by an open area, I would stop and admire the scenery.



The art development of the characters was also not left behind and brought a much more striking visual identity to each supporting actor. It's a shame that the narrative of each one is not as well developed and they end up being rather empty and unsymbolic personalities.

In the end, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a solid, fun, and very well-done game, despite some flaws, especially when compared to The New Order. Still, I believe it is well worth it for those who like the Wolfenstein saga and shooting games in general.

For this review, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood was played on the PC, through Steam.