Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus | Xbox One | Review

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Terrorism isn't something you usually associate with World War 2. There's some rose-tinted impression that war was 'proper’ back then, that there were rules and black and white interpretations of good and evil. Now I'm not about to suggest the Nazis weren't evil - however you interpret history that seems quite clear - but it's easy to forget many of those fighting for Germany weren't part of that regime.

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 by James
 Michael
​ Parry

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@James_Parry

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Developer: MachineGames
Publisher: Bethesda
Softworks
Platforms: Xbox One,
PlayStation 4, PC
Players: 1

In the alternate universe of Wolfenstein, the Nazi's weren't crushed in 1945 but prevailed into the 1960s, where a guerilla war is now being fought by an American resistance force. Leading the charge is returning all-American hero Capt. William J. Blazkowicz (a name I’ve only this minute managed to spell correctly on the first try), or ‘Terror Billy’, if Nazi propaganda is to be believed.

The reality is quite different however. While it's hard to disagree that BJ’s actions aren’t terrorism given their severity, he’s far from draped in the red, white and blue. As the story begins he’s a broken man both physically and mentally, his legs torn up by the climax of Wolfenstein: The New Order, leaving him hospitalised, and the friends he’s lost along the way haunting him.

By the time he manages to get back on his feet, following a unique, wheelchair-bound opening that’s extremely refreshing, his mind is elsewhere, and his body only affords you half of the health returning players might be used to, forcing you to play cautiously.

​There's more of an exploration of BJ’s past in this game too, with one early flashback proving extremely affecting and also confirming, as many had suspected, that Blazkowicz is Jewish - a fact that's incidental now, but very relevant in Wolfenstein's timeline.

The game plays similarly to its predecessors, ensuring you can jump straight in, and for new players the recap of The New Order is quite thorough, including the binary choice of saving either Wyatt or Fergus, which, for some reason, grants respective access to one of two special heavy weapon in this game.​

New Colossus’ feel might be familiar, but everything about the game's presentation is more polished, with lighting effects being particularly striking, as dynamic light rays fall on you through a slowly turning fan in an air vent.

Brutality is no stranger either, as you merrily hack both legs from Nazis with a hatchet in some of the most gruesome and unsubtle stealth kills you're likely to have come across. Of course, this isn't a game from which you'd necessarily expect subtlety, but when you’re trying to get away with a stealthy approach there is a touch of finesse, à la Dishonored.

Sneaking up on enemies in general can be a bit hit and miss. Sometimes they can be overly sensitive to a bit of lurking about, catching sight of you from hundreds of yards away, but other times you can manage to creep right up to an alarm-wielding Commander and go unnoticed in messily dispatching them mere metres from two conversing soldiers.

​Once you’re discovered, the music will amp up and you have little choice than to pull out the satisfyingly punchy big guns (a fact expertly pondered by RockPaperShotgun). Fortunately, the autosave system, and the ability to manually save at any time, makes most encounters fairly forgiving, though of the game's seven difficulty levels (six of which are accessible from the word go) even the second or third will prove challenging for most players.

​Wolfenstein proudly flies the flag for the singleplayer game and really shines in its storytelling, not only deliberately limiting the player character, but presenting its story with a gripping, cinematic presentation that anchors you in Blazkowicz's shoes.

Wolfenstein proudly flies the flag for the singleplayer game and really shines in its storytelling.

Whether this is a game for you largely depends on your approach to first-person shooters. With no multiplayer to break up your play sessions, journeying through the campaign could feel overwhelming, but thankfully the levels are broken up in such a way that you can take a breather fairly frequently, providing you can unhook yourself from the adrenaline-filled saga.

​While the trailers may present a balls-to-the-wall, showy action thriller, the reality is far more expertly balanced. Juxtaposing stressful, intense situations in the present with disturbing imagery from the past packs more of a punch than an over-the-top explosion ever could, and it's here we see the best that the game has to offer.

​Unfortunately, and somewhat in character for Bethesda, we did experience some technical issues like the odd missing texture, getting stuck in a wall, or being unable to mantle over a fence with no real reason.

There's not a lot of weapon variety either, aside from the fun and definitely OTT heavy weapons, but this is more a symptom of the time than a real criticism.

As a whole, The New Colossus delves deeper into its conflict than the series has prior, but perhaps not by much, as it’s also a definite continuation of what's come before. While not a huge departure, you should at least feel that it isn’t just more of the same.

In truth though, in a time when games are drowning in complexity, loot boxes and systems upon systems (Shadow of War), it's refreshing to be able to enjoy a game as pure and unapologetic as this. MachineGames and Bethesda know what they’re doing by now and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is a refinement, if not perfection, of its already outstanding predecessors that anyone who can stomach its world should definitely afford some time.

Pros

• A broken protagonist you really feel for
• Effective storytelling with gorgeous presentation
• Killing Nazis is still super satisfying

Cons

• Violence can feel excessive in making its point at times
• Technical issues nag more than occasionally
• Those laser-wielding bastards keep killing us

9/10